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‘South African producers will have to begin to produce more with
less impact,’ he added. ‘Be competitive, be better than your pre-
decessors – be precise.’ To him it is more about decision farming
than precision farming as producers have to make the decision,
after which agricultural service providers can supply the tools.
‘Reduce the cost, increase the benefits and take care of the environ-
ment. You cannot manage what you don’t measure,’ he concluded.
Remote sensing
Mr Boet van Tonder (owner: TL Precise) and Mr Pierre Roland (busi-
ness operations director for Europe, Africa and the Middle East:
GeoSYS, France) shared their expertise about remote sensing in
precision agriculture with congress attendees. Remote sensing is
generally used for the collection of data for an area from a distance,
typically from satellites.
They concentrated on spatial quality and the use of consistent
resolutions to make the inspection of identified areas possible
through multiple in-season images. For data to be processed, crop
and seeding dates are essential. Weather data is also needed for
accurate assessments and problem areas to be identified.
The scale of focus
Ms Astrid Hattingh (Handrid Consultants), an independent soil con-
sultant in GIS, precision farming and other soil related aspects,
shared her knowledge about GIS applications by using practical
experience. Why do producers obtain different results using similar
farming practices?
The answer lies in the soil. When an area is analysed, the influence
of geology, topography, soil forms and the underlying material
have to be investigated to explain the spatial variation of the area.
Once the reasons for the spatial distribution patterns are under-
stood, producers will be able to better understand soil reactions
and help them make informed decisions.
Precision soil tillage
According to Mr Martiens du Plessis (manager: Precision Farming,
NWK) the primary purpose of soil tillage is to create a suitable soil
environment for plant roots to grow optimally. Soil compaction is
still one of the most important yield-limiting factors in sandy soils.
It can be identified effectively by means of a penetrometer test.
The detrimental effect of soil compaction can be managed efficiently
using GPS technology in a traffic control system.
Auto pilot systems make it possible to restrict compaction to
specific tracks, with the rest of the field being loose and suitable for
optimal root growth. A permanent traffic control system within an
accurate GPS correction signal, provides a solution for compaction
control in no-till systems.
Climate change
Well-known weather expert, Mr Johan van den Berg (manager: Spe-
cialised Crop Insurance, Santam Agriculture) looked into factors
which influence the climate. To him it is important to distinguish
between climate change and climate variability. Climate change
refers to long-term permanent changes over thousands of years,
while climate variability is the variability around the mean over short-
er periods of time. The difference in yield is a result of climate vari-
ability and not climate change.
Water management in precision farming
Mr Dup Haarhoff (executive manager: Research and Precision
Farming, GWK) said that water management is probably the most
important input for precision farming under irrigation. The basics
must be in place before precision farming can take place: Proper
management of runoff water, good tillage practices and effective
irrigation systems.
Monitoring by making use of a spatial view of an area is important
in order to do effective water management. He told producers not
to get lost in the detail of scheduling, but to think practically. He
concluded by saying the success of a proper water management
system is dedicated personnel with a proper
in situ
control system.
Various companies displayed products and technology that can
be used in precision farming. Two local producers, Mr Jaco Botha
(Ottosdal) and Mr Armand de Villiers (Fochville) also shared their
experience in precision farming. The congress ended with a panel
discussion on precision farming.
1: The guest speakers. In front: Jannie de Villiers, Johan van den Berg and Astrid Hattingh. At the back: Boet van Tonder, Pierre Roland, Hans Stiekema,
Martiens du Plessis and Dup Haarhof.
2: André Jonker (agronomist: Nulandis Precision Farming, Potchefstroom), Gawie Simpson (national marketing manager: Nulandis), Jannie Willemse
(managing director: Triomf Fertiliser, Potchefstroom), Boet van Tonder and his son, Andries van Tonder (agronomist GIS consultant, Vanderbijlpark).
3: Grain SA was represented by Landi Kruger (data science co-ordinator) and Jannie de Villiers.
4: Jerry Dlamini (lecturer: NWU, Mafikeng) and Johnny Molomo (agronomist researcher: GWK).
5: Jaco du Toit (Monsanto) and Frenchman, Pierre Roland, discussed precision farming practices in France.
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