Jeff Bronsch checks an electronic panel at the centre point of an irrigation pivot in one of the Perry’s potato fields. Variable rate irrigation and fertigation are done using prescriptions Bronsch devises using field maps, soil moisture data and information on crop demands.  |  Barb Glen photo

Variable rate technology refined

Technology taken to next level | Project uses field data and prescribes fertilizer and water requirements in each zone

CHIN, Alta. — Jeff Bronsch knows polygons. Boy, does he know polygons. The president of Sunrise Ag, a farm production management business based in Taber, Alta., looks at thousands of shapes every day as he examines data in field maps. From two potato fields, he deciphers maps of electrical conductivity, soil moisture, topography, elevation, infiltration […] Read more

Solar Cycle 24 may cause havoc for GPS farm instruments

Solar Cycle 24 may cause havoc for GPS farm instruments

Solar Cycle 24 will focus its force on precision agriculture instruments across North America this year. Sunspots are on the rise. The peak of the last 11-year cycle of solar activity is happening now, bringing concerns about GPS reliability over the next couple years. Sunspots, also called solar flares, appear as dark spots on the […] Read more

On-farm trials help with decision making

Field-scale research | Farmers need to analyze data collected by soil and crop mapping

CALGARY — Precision farming techniques, with their ability to accurately measure inputs and outputs, can be a boon to on-farm research. Several speakers at the Feb. 22-23 Precision Ag 2.0 conference in Calgary pointed out the benefits of precision farming, and some farmers at the event have already embraced the technology. Josh Fankhauser, who farms […] Read more