Field Testing Precision Ag Technologies
By Braxten Breen, Intern
Farms.com
PAMI conducted in-field testing during the 2020 growing season of sectional control technologies such as sowing, seeding, and planting equipment. Lorne Grieger, A P. Eng, and Director of PAMI, spoke about sectional control efficiency using canola and peas at the Farms.com 2022 Western Precision Agriculture Conference and Ag Tech Showcase.
The purpose of the study was to measure seeded overlap acres of different seeding equipment while also measuring the draft force of equipment that lifts the openers when encountering an overlap area.
Grieger urged farmers to “look at the entire system practices, with what equipment do I use, how do I use them in terms of the overall Impact for developing the type of work that we’re trying to accomplish in the end.”
Grieger reviewed detail about various aspects inside sectional control. Aspects consisting of field testing with the process to the overall results, display overlap, actual vs. display on the monitors, and draft reductions and more!
The PAMI study found that when reviewing the overlap from the equipment monitor and comparing it to the field measurements, the monitor, in most cases, showed a substantially lower overlap amount when compared to what is measured in the field.
“The reality is, nothing works exactly as you want it to in theory,” Grieger said, “There’s always some limitations.” Grieger said it is important to understand the difference between theory and reality, so that you can get to the end goal of providing solutions that work.
The report found that implementing sectional control technology reduces total field overlap, which reduces the total amount of product required by farmers, which could reduce costs for farmers.
The full PAMI report, Evaluation of Emission Reductions and Cost Savings in Sectional Control Air Seeders, Drills, and Sowing Equipment across the Canadian Prairies, is available on the PAMI website. https://pami.ca/
To view the complete sectional control presentation by Grieger, watch the video below.