Senior Agronomist - Sales Manager AGRIS and Wanstead Cooperatives

Transcription

1 Dale Cowan CCA On. Senior Agronomist - Sales Manager AGRIS and Wanstead Cooperatives Chatham, Ontario, Canada

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3 Who? AGRIS Cooperative is owned by 1200 hard work farm families in Southwestern Ontario They elect a board from there peers to manage the direction of the Cooperative We are owner/members of Growmark We are in the Agronomy and Grain business to support the whole farm plan Bringing you what s next

4 Who? We have offered precision ag services since 1995 Over 650,000+ acres in our GIS of customer info and data Wide range of information from simple field boundaries to satellite imagery and EMI, yield, soil test, as applied etc. All used to support good customer experiences with outstanding agronomy. Yield Matters : the more you grow the more you have to sell at any price

5 Todays Agenda Review Transport Canada Regulations Selecting a UAV Operational overview Field experiences Finding Insight Beyond the obvious

6 Rules, Rules, Rules You do not get to do whatever you please with a UAV New regulations have been published Weight limits appear to place small UAVs in a category that looks like you are exempt from any regulations However it is the activities that matter Read the exemptions Safety first s/general-recavi-uav-2265.htm

7 2 kg or less This exemption relieves persons conducting non-recreational UAV system operations not exceeding 2 kilograms, operated within visual line-of-sight from the requirement to obtain a Special Flight Operations Certificate (SFOC) The exemption will permit non-recreational UAVs with weight not exceeding 2 kilograms to be operated away from built-up areas, controlled airspace, aerodromes, forest fire areas and other restricted locations. The exemption includes conditions which address the need for the safe and responsible use of certain UAV systems. UAV operations conducted outside the terms and conditions of this exemption will be subject to the requirements for an SFOC.

8 2 kg or less Be over 18 years of age Liability insurance ($100,000) Stay 5 NM away from airports and aerodromes VFR line of sight by unaided eye, 2 mile visibility, free of cloud Fly under 300 feet AGL 100 feet from buildings, livestock, or person(s) Yield to incoming aircraft Etc If you cannot follow these exemptions then you file for SFOC

9 Permit Process Transport Canada = FAA As far as they are concerned any UAV of any size, used for any purpose is an aircraft Aircraft are subject to regulation There is no agriculture airspace,we are not unique All aircraft are registered with TC- unmanned different Since UAV are unmanned they need a form of control for safe operation in the shared airspace

10 Permit Process Special Flight Operation Certificate- S.F.O.C. Needed to apply for a SFOC for each and every field ( in 2012) Very detailed 9 page document in order to provide all pertinent information for them to grant approval Submitted to a website where the SFOC was processed in order- 4 to 6 weeks to get a permit

11 Permit Process In each and every application numerous items are required Technical specifications of the aircraft Your ability to control it ground control station Area of intended operation Proximity to Controlled airspace- radio to monitor ATC with in 5NM of aerodromes in (un)controlled airspace we have a book with every airstrip in Canada listed NOTAMS) Use of FIC Understanding VFR- unaided eye contact Your relevant experience, training, to safely fly the UAV- your proficiency

12 Permit Process A safety- security plan to manage the site of operations Contingency plan in event of loss of control A spotter and their qualifications Notification of landowners Ceiling of operation feet AGL Give way to manned aircraft No flying within 8 hours of consuming alcohol All people connected to operation minimum 18 years of age SFOC permit carried with the operator

13 Permit Process At first a very onerous activity We were able to get an unspecified location SFOC or blanket approval to fly any where in the FIC zone Still have to follow all the requirements Do not need to file for individual sites of operation Looking back it was not the end of the world, TC and NAV Canada, are basically in charge or air safety- if you fly, stop and think about that We do have a system that allows ownership and operation of UAV s in Canada

14 Start Up Selection of UAV Determine the purpose of owning one Permits Training Processing Experiences

15 Selecting a UAV At the time in there were few to choose from We wanted a local vendor Someone that knew agriculture Offered training and tech support Fixed wing vs Rotary Features and benefits

16 Selecting a UAV Our selection process resulted in choosing a fixed wing- Swinglet Cam Economical, local vendor, ag based support Coverage- batteries, batteries, batteries Rotary- at the time built for surveillance not necessarily set up to cover acres quickly It also had 3 other issues

17 This is a ready to deploy mini UAV with high resolution digital camera Often asked how many flights are they good for? Its not how many times you fly its how many times you land

18 Robyn DeBrouwer AIS Specialist Newest UAV - EBEE

19 Since 2012 the market place has exploded in the number of UAV choices from as little as $300 to military grade Million $$$ Fixed wing to multiple rotors A host of sensor choices- color digital, infrared, HD video to thermal It really is a buyer beware marketplace Know what you want to do and why Oculus Rift $2,600 HD Video

20 Selecting a UAV Swinglet Cam was a reasonably economical entry point into learning, acquiring knowledge, and developing the value in imagery services Most UAV vendors do a good job of flattening the set up time Flying was/ is the easy part Processing captured imagery requires additional skill sets

21 Processing Image collection and processing Our UAV takes a series of overlapping images as it flies the targeted field Files are rather large (>350 MB) Most UAV come with processing software packages to at least check the coverage and some initial mosaicking Usually you will need a higher end software package for final analysis, ortho correction, NDVI etc, back in the office or other solutions ( cloud services)

22 This is the view on our ground station tablet- each white square is an image 70% for and aft overlap

23 Each field can be flown in simulation- 130 acre field - 19 minutes 70 m spacing on passes,image area 175 m x 129m

24 Experiences Farmers are interested- are they interested twice? Need to clearly demonstrate value We flew winter wheat fields to assess winter kill Cover Crop establishment Evaluate in season issues Calibrate NDVI to Nitrogen content and yield in corn and soybeans Support ROI decision making

25 No tile Winter Wheat taken May 2 nd

26 Why Did We Want a UAV? To assist our customers in establishing management zones to capture and manage field variability 3 sources of variability Natural landscape features Random weather, rainfall etc Man made input and asset utilization Individually and together they impact on crop growth Measure and manage

27 Why To create a management zone you must answer yes to three key questions Is the area the same size and shape year over year? Does it have measureable attributes? If I measure it can it be managed effectively? If no to any question then you are likely chasing phantoms Management zones are used to guide soil testing, recommendations, fertility applications, seeding, scouting and yield evaluations, ROI.

28 Imagery Service Package We charged $5.00 an acre for 2 flights one infrared and one color We provide by a pdf of each processed image and a kmz the customer can open in google maps Images are also brought into our GIS Most importantly our crop specialists deliver the image to the grower and walk the field together to gain insight on what may be happening, Currently evaluating IPAD scouting app tools that can accept the image and provide the scouting platform to record observations and feedback to our GIS and myfarmrecords

29 Red Clover Cover Crop applied by ATV in March Red Clover after wheat

30 Colored image -Red Clover after wheat

31 Less growth Nitrate N sampling zones- VRN Map Vigorous clover growth No clover

32 NDVI

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34 Nitrate N from PSNT soil test in lbs / acre Taken 1 st week of June Where clover was most vigorous no more N than, no clover Range of Nitrate 56 to 94 lbs /acre

35 Result actual N recommendations from Nitrate Test Nitrate test measures all nitrate sources A few surprises Where we had more clover biomass not always more N fixed There was a ph issue in this area No clover area provides as much residual N as clover, higher SOM% Poorer growth areas offered a surprisingly good mineralization level of nitrate highest in SOM%

36 Soil ph 5.4 to 7.0 Needs Lime on 30 acres

37 Soil Organic Matter % (SOM) Range 3.2 to 4.9 Higher SOM will influence PSNT results

38 VRN Application Map Using the management zones from cover crop establishment Nitrate soil tests taken and sent to lab Values recorded in GIS N script run on values Resulting in VRN map Using ESN protected N source Blend Smart N preplant

39 Number of Options Ignore red clover? Give full book value for legume contribution? Use the Zone maps and results of the nitrate soil test to do VRA? Ideally, set up replicated test strips of all 3 treatments However late spring this field was planted to soybeans

40 Treatment 97.6 acres Fixed Rate Standard no Credit Fixed Rate N credit ** VRNprotected N ESN Average N rec- Lbs actual N/ acre Range lbs actual N / acre Amount of Product $ / acre $ differential compared to standard mt $ mt $86.00 ($39.00) mt $72.00 ($53.00) ** assumes uniform stand of red clover not incorporated All started with a UAV image of an established cover crop Gained insight into alternative strategies A classic 4R example of source, rate, time, and place

41 Soybeans 2014

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45 Next Steps More detailed soil analysis Apply Lime Fine tune management zones Determine what limits yields the most Evaluate cover crops Assess VRT strategies Assess investment in Precision ag technologies Yield monitor

46 Yes soybean cyst nematode again Same spot as previous years Little bit bigger maybe Looks like potassium deficiency Looks like drought stress These are SCN resistant varieties

47 Soybean Cyst Nematode the view from above Picture taken here

48 17.7 acres impacted by SCN

49 Second image taken Sept 2 nd SCN areas not as prominent 33% reduction in pod counts

50 Classed Color image Red = less biomass green = more biomass

51 Infrared Image SCN areas are still evident but other growth factors starting to show

52 NDVI Analysis SCN impacted areas still show as less vigorous growth (red areas) in late season but other issues affecting growth start to emerge

53 Impact of SCN Different view of SCN Sensitivity analysis as to what it is costing We know SCN cuts yields Egg counts here are 23,000 to 30,000 / 100 gm of soil- it takes out resistant varieties Estimated yield on pod counts - 33% fewer pods Yield Loss Bus/ acre Price of Soybeans $ / Bushel # of acres $10.00 $11.00 $ $2300 $2500 $3400 Average loss/acre (2.2 bus ) ($28.00) ($24.00 ($33.00)

54 Solution We can now see the extent of damage and make an economic impact, issue is more defined Crop Rotation, variety rotations Rotation 55% of acres in soybeans sustainable? Field still averages 50+ bushels should average higher Selected seed treatments to reduce SCN? We now have a foundation of insight that did not previously exist

55 Bare Ground Image and Soil sampling Bare ground early spring Entry level sampling into precision ag 2 color sort 2 management zones high and low ground Dark is low ground Lighter high ground Differential in P soil tests Offers a better way to practice 4R Nutrient Stewardship Only need to fly field once Scaleable technology do not need to be a large acre stakeholder

56 InSight on Fungicide Applications on Corn 29 bushel response to Priaxor 2.2 % higher moisture 315% return on investment in fungicides ($4.00 corn) Yield Map Drone Image end of September- Insight: Basing the use of fungicides on price of corn only, may leave money on the table

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58 To the Cloud XL Inc

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60 What really drives the value in the analysis is establishment of management zones

61 Using Cloud Based Services Simply a computer server service provided by companies to store large amounts of your data (conspiracy theories abound) Is it secure? Likely more so than Service providers offer enhanced analysis services for a fee/ transaction Is there value? ( large data base to mine- BIG DATA) It requires a change in mind set- what am I willing to give up for free, to get something back of greater value? ( collaboration, many minds better than one) Accept but Verify

62 Early senescence Full canopy Color- Soybean Image August 16 th

63 +3.0 bus Priaxor Check +2.5 bus Acapella

64 The Question The question becomes do we apply all yield enhancing products everywhere on all acres to maximize returns Field variability is the driver behind Precision Ag as a management concept Capturing, analyzing, strategizing and executing on the site specific data set is were the value exists Where in the field landscape is the greater ROI on the treatment in question The view from above may get you started in recognizing the question should be asked

65 Crop Scouting UAV are often reported as making crop scouting easier and providing greater efficiency We are in the early stages Perhaps aerial imagery will help to increase efficiencies Efficiencies would be necessary to offset the costs of owning/operating a UAV However ground truthing images remains necessary boots and brains in the field It is the interpretation by knowledgeable people that find the insight beyond the obvious (today)

66 Summary UAV s are another tool for Precision Ag A platform for carrying sensors Provides autonomy any field, any time (weather, regulations permitting) Does require additional skill sets for capturing value Like most maps derived from this kind of technology it shows us where to go and practice good agronomy don t forget what you know Think critically when using the resulting images

67 Summary For Precision Ag technologies to provide value they must offer Insight beyond the obvious The resulting analysis must offer the opportunity to create those enduring practices that support development of sustainable activities and profitability

68 Thanks for Listening Dale Cowan