Grid mapping is where precision farming started in the UK. It is a basic yet very important part of precision farming.
Grid mapping is designed to bring and maintain your nutrient levels to a given index, utilising variable rate technology on your spreader.
Service use
- Variable rate P, K, Mg and pH
- Addition of other nutrients where applicable
- Soil health analysis can also be added
Benefits
- Highly accurate results
- Identifying areas which require less/more nutrients
What is involved
- Map the boundary
- Set sampling points, generally 1ha, ensuring points are not too close to areas such as boundaries, pits and trees
- The sampler is guided to each sample point to collect 16 sub-samples
- The sampler is able to relocate sampling points due to factors that could lead to inaccurate readings, such as cattle feeders, muck heaps or wet holes
- Samples are logged and sent to the laboratory for analysis
Once nutrient levels are measured your precision specialist will tailor variable rate prescriptions to start raising and maintain your indices.
Four years of application data is included in this service.
Information required for application data:
- Type of analysis – standard is S1 (P, K, Mg and pH). Further nutrients can be added for an additional fee. Two popular additions are Ca and OM.
- Cropping – to create a fertiliser recommendation the decision support team require crop information, yield, target pH, muck information and straw policy.
- Once these reports have been created it is then time for a discussion with the grower and agronomist.
Key Points to view in the results table:
The cropping form should be updated yearly for new recommendations. Four years of recommendations are supplied with this service.
Application maps can be made for all major manufacturers’ equipment. Your precision specialist can advise on file type and format.
This service can also be loaded onto the Agrovista portal ‘Insight’. For a greater depth of knowledge, it is suggested that a broad spectrum Solvita analysis (a measure of soil biology) is carried out for the whole field.