Getting It Straight

Precision agriculture farming has taken innovation to a whole new level, with the recent introduction of map-based, satellite-guided automatic control systems for sprayers and planters. Now with GPSnet Victoria's Continuously Operating Reference Stationer (CORS) network operating in the Wimmera Mallee Region, Emmetts saw the need for down to earth information from the key industry players.

"There has been some misinformation about the system getting around," said Emmetts Group AMS expert Noel Sharrock. "We thought it would be a good idea to set the record straight from the horses mouth."

During February 2010 Emmetts held seminars in Horsham, Rupanyup, Warracknabeal and Swan Hill featuring presentations from a panel of speakers lead by Country Today host Sandra Moon. The Department of Sustainability and Environment's GPSnet Team Leader of Operations Martin Hale headed the panel together with John Ross from Leica Geosystems and Telstra's technical specialist Bill Purcell.

Participants at the seminars heard that precision agriculture promises benefits worth $36 million p.a. including:

• Improved accuracy and reliability compared to autonomous positioning
• Data monitored for quality
• Initialisation time of a networked solution is approximately 20 seconds
• Real time access via the Internet
• Network and infrastructure redundancy
• Improved OH&S management issues, enabling farmers to work 24 hours
• Maintain soil fertility and friability through reduced wheel compaction
• Negate the need for farmers to own and operate individual local reference stations

For further information about how you can benefit from investing in precision agriculture, please contact your local Emmetts branch.