Roscoe Taggart has seen benefits from using precision technology on his family's farm.
Investing in precision agriculture has provided environmental, social, and financial benefits for Roscoe Taggart's family farm.
Taggart, who farms a 730-hectare arable and sheep operation in Cust, is participating in a six-month project, which examines how the next generation of farmers use innovation to improve their practices.
Waimakariri Landcare Trust (WLT) and Waimakariri Irrigation Limited (WIL) have partnered with the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) for the project, with support from MPI's Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures fund, along with Environment Canterbury, Ballance, and DairyNZ.
At the start of the project, Taggart applied variable rate nitrogen fertiliser with nitrogen sensors attached to the roof of his tractor.
This proved to be a game-changer as it applied the precise amount of fertiliser required for each paddock.
Once he'd experienced the benefits of applying variable rate nitrogen in real-time, Taggart began grid sampling his farm in blocks, in order to improve the efficiency of spreading fertiliser, while also reducing costs and environmental impacts.
"Traditionally we have done a standard soil test which is a transect across a paddock with about five or six samples," he said.
Cust farmer Roscoe Taggart examines his parsnip seed crop which is bound for Europe. Photo / Supplied
"With grid sampling, we are taking a sample every hectare and - after we put this information into our variable rate spreader - we can spread our fertiliser in a much more educated way.
"This is especially important when you are doing your base application because if you get this right, you will get an even crop and this has many flow-on effects."
By applying his fertiliser in such a precise manner, Taggart anticipated growing crops that were more even, which would make crop management much easier over the season.
"You will have everything happening at the same time in terms of the growth stages and a more even crop when it is time to harvest."
This method also helped financially, as it made the yield more even as well, he said.
"You do have to invest more upfront with new technology, but it is well worth it when you consider the long-term benefits."
The environmental and social benefits of applying the right amount of fertiliser at the correct time were also important to Taggart.
"One of the biggest things we have got going on now in agriculture is our inputs and leaching," he said.
"If we use science and technology to apply only what is needed to each paddock, then we are ticking boxes all over the place.
Above all else, it was "the right thing to do," Taggart said.
"From my perspective, we need to prove that we meet the requirements to keep our social licence to operate and it is important to do the right thing on-farm for our wider community."
