Partnership precise way to next level

The majority of Australian farmers could dramatically increase their yields and profits by taking advantage of the full potential of their existing precision agriculture technology, according to Case IH product manager for precision agriculture William Connolly.

"At present, most Australian growers are only using 20 per cent of the information collected via precision ag technology," Mr Connolly said.

"While some farmers might engage the services of an agronomist to assist in the analysis of the precision ag data collected during peak times such as seeding or harvest, others struggle to know what to do with the wealth of information they've collected.

"Once the information is downloaded onto a home computer, the big question is, what next?"

A new partnership between Case IH and SGS will enable Australian growers to take precision farming in Australia to the next level to maximise yields and fertiliser inputs, minimise unnecessary chemical applications and dramatically improve farming efficiency.

The partnership will provide farmers with a range of after sales support options to simplify the process of analysing data collected in-field via systems such as the Case IH AFS Pro 700.

"The new partnership with SGS will provide growers with professional training and support on our AFS precision farming desktop software, which will enable growers to more effectively use in-field data they've gathered, like yield mapping and other data, for maximum efficiency and productivity," Mr Connolly said.

SGS is a global company that specialises in a range of agricultural services from soil and seed testing to feed testing. With 60 offices and labs around Australia and 67,000 staff in more than 1250 offices globally, the partnership will provide Australian growers with access to a wealth of international experts.

Under the partnership, Case IH customers can sign up for a range of options from one-day classroom training plus online support, to a 'flying doctor-style service' where a support engineer will provide on-farm one-on-one training.

SGS will also provide specialised training events during the year which will be delivered via live online, webinar technology.

"The flexible service, which we expect to have up and running in time for seeding, will cater for the needs of all growers - from the beginner to the expert," Mr Connolly said.

"Our aim is to enable online sign-up via the Case IH AFS portal and while costs will vary depending on the level of service required, cost effectiveness is a key consideration. At present we are looking at packages which start from just $650 for 24 months."

Case IH and SGS will also develop additional support packages that contribute to good practice precision farming.

"The services will extend to the provision of agronomical advice for the creation of variable rate applications on fertilisers, sprayers and planters to soil sampling and analysis," Mr Connolly said.