Precision Agriculture Project

Project Outcome

Increased uptake by the Western Australia grains industry (growers, consultants, NRM professionals and researchers) of precision agriculture tools and approaches applied to a range of spatial management issues at paddock, farm and catchment scale. The project will use different entry points to suit individual grower circumstances.

Project Summary

The aim of this project is to increase the uptake by the Western Australia grains industry (growers, consultants, NRM professionals and researchers) of precision agriculture tools and approaches applied to a range of spatial management issues at paddock, farm and catchment scale.

The project will use different entry points to suit individual grower circumstances. The work will build upon insights and staff linkages developed in the previous CSIRO project known as the SIP09 program. The project will work in three targeted region - the northern sand plain, central wheat belt and Esperance districts with close linkages with grower groups and industry practitioners.

Guidelines will be developed on the diagnosis of underlying causes of spatial variability in soils, crop yield, NRM indicators and profit margins, and to enable growers to undertake on-farm experimentation using PA methods. We will also develop methodologies for extension of PA methods to whole-property and catchment scales to improve land management decisions.

Project Funders

This project involves the CSIRO and the Department of Agriculture and Food (DAFWA) and has also received funding through the Grains Research and Development Corporation.

Project Background

Precision Agronomics project

The uptake of precision agriculture technologies is increasing slowly in WA. Leading growers are starting to use VRA for fertiliser. The adoption of GPS systems particularly for reducing input costs from less overlap is increasing as is the adoption of tramline farming, Many farmers are yield mapping but not currently using the yield maps.

A few consultants/agronomist are using PA techniques with their clients but in general the wider community is very sceptical of PA. Limitations to adoption have been identified by WA SIP09 project team through WA PA Steering Group.

DAFWA benchmarking survey and general observations of all team members working with industry indicate that the key limitations to adoption include the perception PA is expensive, benefits not well demonstrated, there is a lack of support to use the technology and apply spatial management, and equipment is sometimes incompatible.

While the uptake of VRA is slow and has a number of constraints to wider adoption, we believe there are benefits for grain growers to be gained through the application of spatial management using PA tools and approaches, which are not necessarily restricted to VRA alone.

While yield maps may highlight regions of fields that are consistently poor performing they offer few insights into the reasons for low yields and hence feasible interventions to manage such areas for increased profit or reduced environmental impacts. However, coupling yield maps with additional soil- or plant-based information may provide such insights that would not be available from inspection of yield maps alone.

We propose in this project to continue the development of tools and approaches for diagnosis of yield constraints, started and applied with growers under SIP09. Our approach will include currently available data such as yield maps, soil characterisation, NDVI, gamma radiometrics, EM, and new approaches on the horizon.

Nigel Metz SEPWA project coordinator

We have conducted theoretical calculations of the economic benefits of zone management and have shown that benefits of up to $60/ha are achievable in commercial practice. However, seasonal influences may enhance or dilute the benefits of matching fertiliser to zone potential through the impact on yield potential.

A key aim for us in this tender is to get farmers to recognise the value of changing management when they currently have no trouble in recognising different yield potential zones, and to develop easy-to-use approaches to marrying seasonal variability with zone management.

While PA equipment is relatively easy to acquire and use, a commonly-cited frustration with growers who purchase a new piece of PA equipment is that it will often not work with their current equipment and hence is incompatible with their current farming practices.

Application of PA systems by farmers can be hindered by a lack of technical support and training to implement PA systems. Within SIP09 the WA PA team developed training courses for growers and consultants on the basics of PA, how to zone a field and using variable rate technology.

Training was also conducted with local PA manufacturers to build their capacity and help overcome barriers to the use of computer-based technologies. In this project we propose to involve consultants, equipment suppliers, grower groups and representatives of the main manufacturers as part of the research and development team in each regional location, this improving industry learning and communication through participation.

We will work with the industry to determine benefits, and accelerate and support the adoption of PA by looking at technical, research and communication issues that may be hindering the process or that can be implemented to enhance the rate of adoption. The project team recognises that PA technology will not suit the circumstances of every grain grower. Hence a key over-arching objective from the project will be to describe the particular combination of circumstances (farm and paddock sizes, degree and consistency of spatial variation, business structure, input management) that pre-dispose a grower towards adoption of PA technologies and hence the potential area of adoption of PA in Western Australia. However, in general, we believe that conditions in WA predispose PA to be advantageous relative to current practice.

The large scale of farming operations means that the technology is affordable and increasing input costs are driving growers to improve farm efficiency to remain profitable. In addition, the approach of managing within-field or -farm production variability is well suited because of the relative consistency of patterns in crop performance, both in space and time, so that zones can be managed reliably from season to season.

Finally, there is access to a strong communication network linking PA researchers, PA equipment and software manufacturers, consultants and leading-edge growers. This tender pulls together the combined forces of CSIRO, DAFWA, Curtin University and key grower groups that have been successfully operating as a team with the SIP09 program.

Further Information

Contact SEPWA Project Coordinator, Nigel Metz on 9083 1115 or or Project Leader, Dr Michael Robertson from the CSIRO on 9333 6461.