SOYL Newsletter February 2013

SOYL Scoops Innovation Award at LAMMA

SOYL was announced as this year's winner of the IVEL Award at January's LAMMA show. The award was made in recognition of SOYL's work developing a variable rate cultivation system for farmers which could help them reduce their fuel costs. The IVEL Award, sponsored by the Institution of Agricultural Engineers, is given for the product or innovation which has the most positive impact on the environment.

Read the full article on our website under 'Recent News'.

Dates for the Diary

SOYL is attending the following events this year:

March 6th
Precision Farming, East of England Showground, Peterborough, Cambs.
March 6th
Agri-Expo, Kent County Showground, Maidstone, Kent
June 12-13th
Cereals, Boothby Graffoe, Lincs.
Don't forget, you can now follow us on Twitter @ SOYLprecision. Our feed includes up to the minute information on SOYL events and news about precision farming innovation.

SOYLsense Variable Rate Nitrogen

With imagery acquisition well underway and this season's Leaf Area Index maps now available, the SOYLsense team is already creating variable rate nitrogen recommendations. Crops this year are some of the most variable we have seen in decades and variable rate nitrogen can help.

For many, the recent weather has provided a number of challenges on farm. Below are some guidelines from SOYL explaining how SOYLsense can help you combat these difficulties.

Bare or flooded patches in fields

As bare patches can be easily identified from the satellite imagery, SOYLsense provides the perfect tool for no-stress management of patchy fields. If you have non-established parts of fields or flooded areas where crop is unlikely to grow, these can be managed in one of two ways through the SOYLsense website:

The boundary can be edited to exclude areas of the field from nitrogen applications ' effectively creating a 'zero-rate' zone.
The whole field can be imaged as normal and the resulting application map can be edited by the SOYLsense team to insert zones of defined nitrogen rate ' effectively creating a 'bespoke-rate' zone.
These methods produce one accurate application map, simplifying the job for the operator.

Feedback mechanisms in the agronomic models

SOYLsense uses agronomic models to ensure optimum nitrogen recommendations throughout the season. The models used include a feedback mechanism. This means that imagery acquired after initial applications is compared to earlier imagery in order to assess how the crop has responded to the application. This method ensures that:

Expensive nitrogen fertiliser is not over applied on areas of the field that are not responding
The potential of the best yielding parts of the field is not limited
Nitrogen application is optimised, producing higher yielding crops
The risk of lodging in cereals and pod-shading in oilseed rape is significantly reduced.
If you would like to discuss the features of the service or find out more about how SOYLsense can benefit your farm business, please get in touch with the SOYLsense team on 01635 204198 or your usual SOYL contact.

Deep Core Nitrogen

Now is the time to consider soil nitrogen levels with SOYL's Deep N service. SOYL provides sampling at three profile depths down to 90cm, with results delivered within four working days.

Deep N will help:

Identify soil nitrogen index
Identify correct agronomic rate
Quantify the N value of muck applications
Justify N rates
Target precise N rates for grain N concentration in malting barley
Reduce fertiliser costs and environmental impact and the likelihood of lodging.

Contact your local representative or the SOYL office on 01635 204190 to place your order.