Cows, hay and satellites – could be future of feed crop management

Nov 20, 2017

Advances in remote sensing will allow ranchers to track hay and pasture production

Staff Reporter

Farms.com

Preliminary research has been initiated on satellite-based technology that will accurately estimate forage productivity on each farm, in each province.

The announcement of federal support for this research was made by Terry Duguid, Member of Parliament for Winnipeg South, according to Friday’s Agriculture and Agri-food Canada (AAFC) release.

“This project provides tremendous opportunity to bring together leaders in agricultural risk management and insurance, both within Canada and internationally, across academia, the private sector and government,” Dr. Lysa Porth, a director at the University of Manitoba and project head, said in the release.

The project is led by the Saskatchewan Cattlemen’s Association (SCA), and will work collaboratively with Alberta Beef Producers to explore this technology.

There will also be contributing researchers from the University of Manitoba, University of Waterloo, Nanyang Technological University, SCOR Inc., and Airbus Defence and Space. As well as support from Saskatchewan Crop Insurance Corporation and Alberta’s Agriculture Financial Services Corporation, according to the release.

“Feed is the lifeblood of any livestock operation, and our government understands the importance of helping to protect ranchers from risk such as losses to their forage crops,” Duguid said in the release.

“With this targeted investment, our government is helping to ensure our ranchers remain on the cutting-edge of science, which helps to create good jobs and grow our economy.”

The Canadian government is providing $988,000 in funding for the project.

In addition to estimating forage growth, the project is looking to develop a forage production index to provide a framework for new insurance tools, according to Friday’s release from the University of Manitoba.

“By exploring satellite options, perhaps, we can move perennial crops closer to competitive balance with annual crops, at least when it comes to insurance programs offered,” Ryder Lee, chief executive officer of SCA, said in the AAFC release.

Video: predictive weed Management saves on herbicide costs and increases yield potential

Gowan Canada is partnering with Geco Strategic Weed Management to help Canadian growers take a strategic approach to weed control through data-driven prediction and planning.

Geco’s technology uses data and AI to map where weeds have been over the past five years and predict where patches are likely to emerge next season. These insights allow farms and retailers to plan ahead and target actions in the most challenging areas.

“Our technology enables the question: if you could know where your most problematic patches are and where they are spreading to, what could you do differently? That’s what our technology makes possible,” said Greg Stewart, CEO of Geco. “Many of our farms are already using our prescriptions along with Gowan products, so this collaboration is a natural next step.”