Building Soil Function

Optimising Variable Rate Technology for Soil Management

Enhancing Variable Rate Technology practices on-farm to help better manage soil variability and constraints.

  • Unlocking the Potential of Variable Rate Technology (VRT)

    Adoption of VRT has been inconsistent, with farmers needing confidence in its benefits and access to support for implementation.

  • Enhancing Farm Resilience

    Precision agriculture helps farmers allocate inputs more effectively, reducing costs in some areas while increasing production in others, particularly under seasonal variability and drought conditions.

  • Supporting Adoption Through Peer Learning

    Peer-to-peer learning and demonstrating VRT success with older equipment aim to boost confidence and reduce barriers for farmers, making the technology accessible to all.

Project Overview

Enhancing Adoption and Impact of VRT

Across the MNHRZ farming catchment, it has been identified that the use of variable rate technology (VRT) for fertiliser inputs has been inconsistent. Farmers who have been early adopters of the technology are realising the associated benefits of such tools.

While many parts of the puzzle are already available to farmers, several key elements require further exploration to help maximise the benefits associated with VRT adoption. These include farmers’ ability to complete the work themselves or access service providers that can assist with that. Another area that needs to be addressed is farmers’ confidence that the adoption and outcomes of precision agriculture techniques will benefit their business.

Improving such technology efficiencies will help to build resilience within farm businesses, particularly in seasonal variability and drought conditions. This is done in a variety of ways, including improved allocation of inputs, reducing total inputs required and improving the soil they farm to enable better water infiltration and water use efficiency

Justification for the project

Improved resilience will be achieved if farmers can accurately target their crop inputs to where they are needed, ultimately improving the allocation and reducing their inputs in some zones while increasing their production in others. The improved resilience is both financial and production, which are closely linked.

Providing a supportive learning environment (characterised by peer-to-peer learning, allowing farmers and consultants to discuss in detail the technologies and experiences from the paddock) will increase farmers’ confidence in adopting VRT practices and addressing specific challenges they encounter. One key aim of this project is to show farmers that highly effective variable rate applications can be completed with older equipment. This will help reduce the perception that only those with new machinery can adopt this technology.

Farmers are increasingly time-poor and lack the time to specialise in all areas of the business. Precision agriculture is an example of this, with many farmers of all ages lacking the time or skills to complete the process from start to finish. Early adopters have been individuals within a business who have had the skills and interest to adopt the technology, but to achieve wider adoption, the MNHRZ sees service providers as a key driver of precision agriculture uptake.

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Discoveries

Key outcomes

  • 1
    Step

    Making VRT Accessible for Farmers

    Machinery technology is widely available and doesn’t need to be expensive, so VRT is a more achievable outcome for farmers. The supportive learning environment associated with the MNHRZ group is helping to convey this message
  • 2
    Step

    Leveraging Remote Sensing for Better Soil Management

    Remote sensing can diagnose problem areas, so farmers should be encouraged to use such tools more. This will help them identify and address a range of soil constraints they would otherwise not know about.
  • 3
    Step

    The Role of Service Providers in Precision Agriculture Adoption

    Service providers will be a key driver of further adoption of precision agriculture in the MNHRZ region. Showing farmers that these techniques have benefits and giving them the opportunity to meet precision agriculture specialists will help break down the barriers to adoption.

  • Barriers to adoption - Decision Making

    A lack of understanding of where to start with linking gathered information with decision-making associated with VRT

  • Barriers to adoption - Exploring Tools

    A lack of awareness of the full range of tools and service providers that are available to identify soil constraints and variability within a paddock (including the use of remote sensing)

  • Barriers to adoption - Overcoming Isolation and Time Constraints

    Many farmers work in isolation and are constantly under time pressure. They seldom have the opportunity to investigate new technologies such as VRT fully. This project’s group learning environment aims to address this issue by upskilling farmers or making them aware of service providers that can do this work for them.

Engagement strategy

This project is being delivered through the MNHRZ and involves the engagement of all of the group’s members. Other farmers outside the group are always encouraged to attend their field events.

Agronomists and research consultants (including Trengrove Consulting and Agrilink) support the project.

Contact persons: Ben Smith, Jarred Tilley

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