Ontario Agriculture

The network for agriculture in Ontario, Canada

Variable Rate Technology – What Is It, Can I Do It?

Inputs prices are high and so are crop prices. Managing costs and yields is critical to success on your farm. With commodity prices high you cannot settle for average yields. The use of variable rate precision ag products and services helps farmers to do just that. Placing the inputs in the intended prescribed areas has become very popular and makes a tremendous amount of sense for many producers. With the use of satellite imagery, plant health data, soil testing and harvest data, some very innovative companies are helping farmers maximize yield, manage input costs and most importantly maximize profit.

New VRT approaches have the potential to optimize nitrogen fertilizer application, seed placement and even herbicide application. That means more efficiency, along with the promise of maximizing yield, cost savings and environmental benefits.

However, getting the most out of this technology requires having a depth of field-specific data required to make accurate prescription maps, which up until now was lacking.

The Truth Is In The Dirt

A big part of the puzzle to get the most out of VRT is to have a thorough understanding of the land where you plan to use it. That means getting down to the soil level and understanding all the factors involved, including responses under different environmental conditions.

 

To help address this need, Veris Technologies has established itself as the leading soil scanning and mapping equipment provider, sold throughout Ontario by Northern Equipment Solutions.  Veris Technologies provides the data needed piece together the soil information portion of the VRT puzzle.  Soil scanning and data recording for soil type and texture, organic matter and PH are all available and should be used with your regular soil heath tests.

Plant Health and What It Means To You

Only a small number of farmers have adapted to NVDI sensing technology, either through sprayer mounted variable rate sensor systems, sensing and data recording and the handheld unit.

Not only is NVDI technology one of the highest returning technologies available, but if implemented correctly data can be interpreted easily and very cost effectively.

Handheld units from Greenseeker provide NVDI readings and a mobile phone app that’s available for Android and Apple smart phones from Trimble called Connected Farm, is all that is needed to see the benefits and data from this advanced technology.

The precision approach

The basics of VRT, in practice, this is essentially a process of applying different rates of inputs to different areas of a field, with a goal to optimize those applications for benefits such as lower costs, better yields, environmental advantages and overall higher returns.

In practical terms, VRT is typically accomplished by developing a prescription map for a particular field, transferring the map information to a controller in the cab of the vehicle, and driving the field. The controller changes the application rate based on the prescription map, and records how much was applied where. Some more advanced VRT approaches can also be done on-the-fly, using Greenseeker sensors that measure what is needed by the crop and adjust the rate accordingly in real time.

Prescription maps often break fields into five to 10 management zones, based on soil tests, topography, aerial photos, previous yields and other factors, depending on the technology and information available. To help evaluate the effectiveness of VRT approaches and collect data for use in future years, yields are typically measured in each zone and a check strip, using combine yield monitoring and GPS systems.

Managing variability in fields

Indications are that precision farming and VRT are growing steadily in adoption for use in seeding and fertilizer placement. There is also potential to use VRT for spraying though there are hurdles to overcome for this option to become more viable. For all three options, many see VRT approaches gradually becoming more common.

Records anchor success

More information and data is expected to gradually emerge, including through ongoing field studies.  Like in so many areas of farming today, one of the most critical things is to have good records - the more years and more detail they cover, the better. When you try a VRT approach, it's important to have the ability to compare what was done and the results from the period before the practice change to the period after the practice change. Records are the only way to do that. Otherwise, when you see a result such as higher yield, you don't know if it was due to VRT or some other factor. Good records also help you have a better prescription map that is likely to be more effective.

The producer needs to keep meticulous records of yields, inputs and a number of related key factors, to really be able to make a good decision, it's the only way to answer the question, 'Is VRT worth it for my field?' Don't simply take someone else's word for it. Keep the knowledge and the management decisions in your hands."

 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Paul Smith is the owner of Northern Equipment Solutions and based in Central Ontario, Canada. Providing Quality Potato Equipment, Precision Agriculture and Other Advanced Equipment, Northern Equipment Solutions ensures that your profits and yields are maximized. www.northernequipment.ca or sales@northernequipment.ca

Views: 227

Comment

You need to be a member of Ontario Agriculture to add comments!

Join Ontario Agriculture

Agriculture Headlines from Farms.com Canada East News - click on title for full story

Farmers Urged to Sell Rallies

Current crop prices and farm returns may be weak but there will still be rallies and selling opportunities in the days and months ahead that producers must be ready to cash in on, an analyst says. Ben Buckner, chief grains analyst for AgResource Co., said at the Ontario Agricultural Conference earlier this month that such factors as the weather could come into play to lift crop markets out of the doldrums. The key for farmers, he said, will be recognizing and jumping on those rallies. “I don’t think the markets will be without opportunities,” he told the crowd. “But as your neighbours may start to see rising prices, thinking this is maybe the start of a long-term, sustained bull trend, I want you. . . to sell those rallies.” A weather problem somewhere in a major global production region will often spark a rally in the markets, and Buckner said those instances are becoming increasingly common. Prior to about 2017, it was only about once every 10 or 12 years there was a major drou

Bountiful Year for Corn and Soybeans

United States Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service, also known as NASS, has released its annual crop production summary. In Iowa, 2024 was a bountiful year for corn and soybeans. Corn production in the state was estimated at a remarkable 2.63 billion bushels, marking a 4% increase from the previous year. Iowa’s corn for grain yield reached a record-breaking 211 bushels per acre. Though the harvested area decreased slightly to 12.5 million acres, the impressive yield more than made up for it. Additionally, corn for silage production was up by 7%, totaling 8.16 million tons. On the soybean front, Iowa farmers harvested an estimated 598 million bushels, a 4% rise from last year. The average soybean yield was 60 bushels per acre, with a harvested acreage of nearly 10 million acres. The state saw an increase in both planted and harvested soybean areas, contributing to the overall production boost. Turning to hay, all hay production in Iowa surged by 19%, rea

Revolutionizing Farming Through Sensing Technology

A Lethbridge researcher is leading the effort to accelerate the digital transformation of the Canadian agriculture sector. In modern farming, innovation is key to addressing both biotic and abiotic stresses. Exciting research being done out of the Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) Remote Sensing and Phenomics Lab (RSP Lab) at the Lethbridge Research and Development Centre is harnessing data-driven tools to transform farming practices, including helping accelerate the development of new crop varieties. Keshav Singh, who leads the RSP Lab group, has dedicated several years to developing cutting-edge technologies that empower farmers. Over the past three years, Singh’s lab has worked to develop digital tools that help producers make better decisions using advanced technology. One of his projects, supported by Results Driven Agriculture Research (RDAR), focuses on spectral imaging technology to estimate nitrogen (N) fertilizer-use-efficiency to optimize grain yield and quality in

Consider high-flying seeders

 It was a clear, dry day when Tony Kurt welcomed a small group of neighbors, local officials and media personnel to his fields near Cascade for a drone-seeding demonstration. The fourth-generation farmer has a strong historical connection to his land and its past. But in hosting the event featuring cutting-edge technology he was looking ahead to the future. During the demo, a professional drone pilot on the ground flew small unmanned aircraft with four arms and eight propellers about 20 feet in the air over corn stalks that were.then yet to be harvested. Kurt was among the first farmers in the county to take part in a drone-seeding program that was new in 2024. The machines can hold about 100 pounds; they dropped seeds between corn and bean rows. Those seeds would become cover crops. “I’ve had (seeds) flown over in airplanes before, but this is the first time for drones,” said Kurt as he walked his land several weeks after the demonstration. By then the corn had been picked and radi

Be strong; ask for help

As a society we’re learning about variants in mental health – and consequently how to treat the diseases as well as the stigmas associated with depression and anxiety. Every facet of our culture is prone to mental illness, but the agricultural and farming communities are an at-risk segment. Karen Endres is the Farmer Wellness Program coordinator at the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection. She looks for ways to help Wisconsin farmers with their mental health. She’s not a psychiatrist or therapist. Rather, she said, she likes to consider herself a bridge between farmers and mental-health connections. Her job requires a lot of public speaking to farmer organizations as well as speaking at expos. “I’ve been in the agricultural industry since I graduated college,” she said. “I worked at a dairy co-op for 10 years as head of communications.” Her husband is a farmer; she said being around farming every day has helped her recognize how the industry provides in

© 2025   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service