Using technology to future-proof the farm
Canadian grain farmer Jim Latrace combines soil and leaf analysis, satellite data, zone mapping and more to ensure his soil supports good yields today but also future crop genetics.
For Jim Latrace, all the extensive data he gathers ultimately goes into decisions that future-proof his farm. There are so many yearly variables such as input costs and weather that farmers cannot control, but like others of his kind, Latrace uses his data to try and control input application rates. But he is also using today’s precision ag tools to address the future. “Crop genetics are going to keep improving,” he notes. “I am working to make sure that 20 years from now and beyond, our soil will be able to support the varieties that are coming.
People
Another variable Latrace can control, now and in the future, is people. “We have a great team and I want us to look more deeper at the same acres instead of expanding,” he says. Latrace and son Jackson have 2 full-time employees, and together, they produce canola and seed (e.g. durum wheat, peas, lentil, barley, fenugreek, canary seed) on a nearly-contiguous parcel of 4800 acres.
Independent agronomist
Independent agronomist Tracy Preete is also a critical team member. “Sometimes when you’re in the middle of a situation, you get tunnel vision,” says Latrace. “Tracy works with a wide variety of farms and he’s really good. He might come up with the same solution we do, but he might not. We also value our team at our local retailer Synergy AG. They did our SWAT mapping and provide support for our chemistry and fertility. These relationships are very important. Sometimes you need several sources to make an intelligent decision.”
Sometimes you need several sources to make an intelligent decision
Crunching the data
For 6 years, Latrace has used data from 2 John Deere Field Connect weather stations, which have sensors for leaf wetness, air humidity, temperature and wind speed. The stations also have a 1-m soil moisture probe. However, Latrace explains that soil moisture data carries more weight for some crops. That is, intense management does not greatly affect crops like lentils, but when there’s sufficient soil moisture, adding more fertility in canola and wheat can boost yield. But there are other factors to consider too.
Mapping tools
Latrace has combined the information in 3 mapping tools: Trimble satellite vegetation mapping, SWAT (soil type, soil electrical conductivity and farm elevation to predict water availability) and historic yield maps collated in Bayer’s Climate FieldView. “A few years ago we noticed that no single system seemed to be 100% accurate,” he says. “I printed out maps for all the fields and overlaid them, hand drawing a composite map for each field. I showed these composite maps to Tracy and he confirmed my hand-drawn zones with soil testing. We found that this farm has three distinct production zones and most fields actually have only two. Then I drew the composite maps in FieldView and we make our variable rate fertilizer application maps from that.”
Some of the data was a surprise. “In areas with high yields, soil nutrient levels are staying steady and high,” Latrace says. “I think it is just from high fertility applications for years in those areas.”
Water pooling
Latrace and his son are also addressing the water pooling that can occur over large areas of the farm after rainfall. This is caused by ridges from historic one-way plowing and was made worse by annual fallow practices many decades ago. They are slowly smoothing the ridges and may employ tile drainage as well.
Autonomous equipment
On the topic of autonomous equipment, Latrace is all for it but is waiting for the day that promised capabilities are delivered – for instance, the ability to anticipate difficult field driving conditions like a human can. That said, he predicts autonomous sprayers will come first, which drive well through fields because of their size.
Building Phosphorus: the key to the future
Latrace started leaf tissue testing 4 years ago to achieve better detection of fungal disease in his durum wheat. But mineral analysis turned up consistent deficits in boron and phosphorus. Tests in other crops were the same. He then looked closer at P, which has led him in a new direction to future-proof his farm.
“P does not move very well in the soil, so the more you build up, the higher the chances that the roots of a seeding will find it,” he says. “Ontario agronomist Paul Sullivan taught me that in high-yielding crops, high soil P will always outyield high rates of P application. But it is not just about my crops today. In 20 years, we will probably have higher-yielding hybrids and Jackson will need the high P soils then. So I’m investing in the future by building up P in the soil every year. I am banking for high future yields as the genetics get better.”
Good stewardship
Latrace adds, “I want to be a good steward and leave my part of the world better than I found it. I want Jackson to do the same, but it’s about much more than just the land. I want our daughter, who works in healthcare, to do the same. We have been placed in a position of responsibility, to manage land, machinery time and relationships. We may not strive to be the most profitable in a single year by only applying the minimum P for example, but we try to think longer term to be the best stewards.”
I want to be a good steward and leave my part of the world better than I found it
