London, Ontario: Thousands of farmers flock every year to the London Farm Show to see the latest in farming equipment and what’s new and exciting in agricultural technology. In 2013, participants reflect on the past as the event celebrates 75 years and look forward to showcasing what’s current and relevant in agricultural information, products and services, for farmers in our region and beyond. To help educate and inspire, the London Farm Show has scheduled a strong speaker series with informative talks covering a variety of topics: new aerial imagery technology, mobile software, farm safety and market trends.
One of this year’s sessions “The Future of Crop Scouting” demonstrates new technology for mapping farmer’s fields with unmanned air vehicles. This high-flying, ultra-small plane is packed with GPS and cameras, essentially becoming the eyes above for what farmers can’t cover on the ground. Steve Redmond, certified crop advisor and operator of Redmond Agronomic Services, will be leading the session and will bring along the new Swinglet CAM (fixed wing glider) and Aeryon Scout (Canadian-made helicopter) on Thursday, March 7 at 11am and 2pm. With an 80cm wingspan and eyes much like an eagle, the Swinglet CAM, is able to fly and land by itself and will automatically snap high-resolution images as small as a single weed in a field. When mapped with Normalized Difference Vegetative Index (NDVI) technology, the Swinglet CAM can also show differences in soil texture, crop growth, crop pest problems and crop density. Imagine all of this information captured at speeds up to 10 sq.km in 45 minutes without even lifting a finger! Steve assures farmers attending one of his sessions that they will “be introduced to this new technology and will learn how this will improve their bottom line” which is important when investing in new agricultural equipment.
Now that we have this data on the field, how do we store it? That’s where Farm Credit Canada’s (FCC) Mathew Van Dijk’s talk on mobile record keeping comes in. He will lead a discussion on how farmers can maximize their productivity with FCC’s new software “Field Manager 360” which allows farmers to layer new and historical data on their land and map information on soil, crop density and more. You can learn more Wednesday March 6 at 11am or Thursday, March 7 at 1pm.
New this year to the Farm Show is Farm Safety Day on Friday, March 8, presented by Case IH and Tirecraft. Sessions in the Agriplex AMI Stage and Pride Seeds Arena will educate and demonstrate safe farming practices. Topics include low stress cattle handing, grain wagon rescue, hearing tests, poison look-a-like education, farmer’s lung and respiratory health, 3M safety products and more.
The three-day event will have a wide range of speakers, all experts in their disciplines. In addition to the topics already mentioned, farmers can learn about:
- Libro Succession Planning
- Planter Clinic with Case IH
- Farmer/Agronomist/Consultant Panel
- 2013 Grain Market Outlook and Key Market Trends with Farms.com Moe Agostino
Speaker’s schedules can be found online at www.westernfairdistrict.com
The London Farm Show is a 75-year tradition for farmers from southwestern Ontario and beyond viewing the newest toys, gadgets and equipment. Those in agricultural industries are more technologically advanced than ever before and the London Farm Show’s speaker series and exhibitor base will demonstrate that.
Show Info:
Dates & Times Wednesday, March 6: 9am – 6pm
Thursday, March 7: 9am – 6pm
Friday, March 8: 9am – 4pm
Location: Western Fair District:
Progress Building, Canada Building,
Special Events Building, West & East Annex & Agriplex.
Tickets: $10 advance (online at
www.westernfairdistrict.com or at Guest Services)
$12 at the door
Children 10 & under are free
Parking: Free with show entrances at the North & South side of the Progress Building, Special Events and Agriplex.
Social Info: Twitter Hashtag #LDNFarmShow
Source: westernfairdistrict