Farmobile LLC announced that The Fertilizer Institute (TFI) is supporting through outreach the advancement of agronomic and machine-collected data for ag retailers seeking to take advantage of Variable Rate Application technology, 4R practices and sustainable agriculture for growers.
The topic was explored during the virtual 2020 Sustainable Ag Summit, November 18-19, 2020. Farmobile joined TFI and Luckey Farmers Cooperative to discuss the value of real-time data to benefit farmers, ag retailers and environment during the concurrent technical session.
With the supply chain’s growing interest in a more sustainable food, fiber and fuel supply, best practice initiatives like TFI’s 4R Nutrient Management (4R) program are focused on increasing production and farmer profitability, enhancing environmental protection and improving overall sustainability. In order to unlock the next generation of agricultural production and enable growers to take advantage of emerging markets, retailers must be able to write fertilizer recommendations faster and provide a system of record to scale variable rate technology (VRT) practices so that the right amount of the right fertilizer hits the right spot in the field, every time.
“At TFI, we’re always looking ahead to future opportunities and challenges in the fertilizer industry. Nutrient management is both,” said Peyton Harper, senior manager of stewardship and sustainability for The Fertilizer Institute. “Real-time data-collection provides visibility and generates ground-truthed yield maps, which can improve VRT accuracy which is very beneficial in a robust 4R system.”
Farmobile’s data collection enables growers and ag retailers to capture all of the layered data involved in the growing of a crop, serving as a robust system of record from a crop’s planting through its applications and all the way through harvest. Farmobile automatically converts second-by-second raw agronomic and machine data, collected across a mixed fleet of farm and application equipment, into a uniform data set. Available for 24/7 exports or API streaming, the data (permissioned by users) creates a system of record that captures how a field was farmed and fertilizer applied.
“Using Farmobile to enhance the speed and quality of data collection allowed us to expand Variable Rate Application acres which, in turn, is helping us to surpass our 4R goals. Our state (Ohio) had a goal of a minimum of 35 percent of acreage being 4R certified,” said Andrew Gladden, IT manager of Luckey Farmers, Inc. “With Farmobile and their ability to track variable rate application, we not only hit 35 percent — we’re aiming for 70 percent going forward, and looking forward to the improved profitability that comes with it.”
As is the case with Luckey Farmers, Inc., nutrient management mandates are both an opportunity and a challenge for farmers and a strong, comprehensive data backbone is needed to meet these goals effectively, while increasing profitability.
“Farmobile was formed to help growers get the most value from the data they’re generating in their operations, and nutrient management is no exception,” said Bradford Warner, vice president of business development and sustainability, Farmobile. “Whether growers are trying to get ahead of potential future regulations or looking to provide proof of stewardship to grow their profitability and care for their land, Farmobile’s technology collects the right data across machine makes and models at the right time, and processes it into insights to be delivered with the right farm management systems, such as Agworld, with this scenario.”
