Precision FarmingCollecting and analysing Data helps find Solu­tions

When Friedrich Baumgärtel and his wife Kathrin settled in Wegeleben, east of Germany’s Harz Moun­tains, in the early 1990s to estab­lish a farm, they were almost starting from scratch. The only existing struc­ture was an aban­doned silage pit that was previ­ously used by the former Agri­cul­tural Produc­tion Co-oper­a­tive (LPG).

Today, the farm presents a very different picture. Along­side a modern grain drying, receiving and storage facility stands a spacious machinery barn and an attrac­tive farm­house. At the begin­ning of December, the last of the grain maize has been harvested and winter cereals are sown. With field­work largely complete, Friedrich and his adviser Michael Eckhardt from John  Deere dealer LVA Landtechnik GmbH now have time to review the season and discuss their shared passion for preci­sion agri­cul­ture.

Friedrich manages the approx­i­mately 600ha arable farm together with his wife and two perma­nent employees. The farm lies in the Magde­burg Börde, one of Germany’s most fertile regions. Annual precip­i­ta­tion aver­ages around 500mm in the rain shadow of the Harz Moun­tains. In years of suffi­cient rain­fall, wheat yields of more than 10t/ha are achiev­able without exces­sive fertil­i­sa­tion. However, frequent drought and heat – espe­cially in late spring and early summer when the grains are forming – have meant that recent yields have often fallen to around 6t/ha and some­times lower following water­in­ten­sive crops.

To manage these specific climatic condi­tions, Friedrich culti­vates the farm with a diverse crop rota­tion of winter wheat, spelt, winter and spring barley, rape­seed, sugar beet, peas, and grain maize. “Grain maize copes better with the heat than wheat,” he explains, adding that he is consid­ering exper­i­menting with soybean cultivation next year. To maximise returns, the farmer dries his crops himself and stores them in his own silos. Economic effi­ciency is also a key factor in machinery selec­tion, with a strong focus on dura­bility and long service life.

The John Deere 7810, built in 2000, is still equipped with a fully func­tioning Auto­Trac Universal and GS1800 display.

Nitrogen is applied in liquid form using a towed field sprayer and Greenseeker tech­nology.

20 years of steering system in oper­a­tion

The oldest tractor on the farm is a John Deere 7810, built in 2000, which has now accu­mu­lated more than 13,000 oper­ating hours. Its standout feature is a John Deere Universal guid­ance system paired with a GS1800 display, still in use almost 20 years after instal­la­tion.

A neigh­bour, who valued precise field­work and had a fitted a similar system to his Fendt tractor in the early 2000s, first inspired Friedrich’s deci­sion. The neigh­bour told him how relaxed he felt even after a 12-hour working day, which ulti­mately convinced Friedrich to invest in guid­ance tech­nology himself.

At the time, the system cost €19,000 (£16,475). “Today, the much more powerful compo­nents of the Essen­tials package cost less than €3,000 (£2,601) net,” says Preci­sion Ag Manager Michael Eckhardt. This is clear evidence of how modern tech­nology is becoming increas­ingly afford­able and powerful.

Guid­ance systems are now indis­pens­able in Friedrich oper­a­tions. In addi­tion to the 7810, two further trac­tors – a John Deere 8430 and a 6R 195 – are equipped with Auto­Trac, as is a 6R 250 owned by a neigh­bouring farm with whom Friedrich shares certain oper­a­tions. The same applies to the S combine harvester, which is currently being replaced.

Friedrich began moni­toring yields on the combine more than 20 years ago. “I wanted to know how different my soils are,” he explains. “However, it confirmed what I already knew. We have some gravel patches in our fields, and there just isn’t much growing there.” Never­the­less, this knowl­edge helps him. The soils on the farm are gener­ally well supplied with phos­phorus and potash, making nitrogen manage­ment partic­u­larly impor­tant. As the Fertiliser Ordi­nance limits the

total amount of nitrogen that can be applied per hectare, precise distri­b­u­tion is essen­tial to achieve high yields and protein content on the more produc­tive areas of the field. Nitrogen is applied in liquid form using a towed field sprayer, with appli­ca­tion rates controlled by a GreenSeeker sensor. “When setting the upper and lower limits for the appli­ca­tion rate, you can’t be too cautious, other­wise you won’t get any vari­ability across the field,” says Friedrich.

Data-driven fertil­iza­tion

Friedrich has also had good expe­ri­ences using drones to create weed control maps for sugar beet. Aerial surveys and mapping are carried out by a specialist service, and the resulting maps are imported into the John Deere Oper­a­tions Centre.

“This means we know exactly how much spray mixture we need to mix before­hand and we also need much less herbi­cide, which ulti­mately saves money and the envi­ron­ment,” he says. For the past four years, a a HarvestLab 3000 sensor has also been used to analyse grain protein during harvest. While real-time data allows different batches to be sepa­rated by quality if neces­sary, a key benefit is the ability to analyse nitrogen use effi­ciency (NUE).

LVA Landtechnik GmbH plays an impor­tant role in this process by regu­larly eval­u­ating the data after harvest and discussing poten­tial adjust­ments to fertiliser strate­gies. Michael works closely with his partner GeoPard Agri­cul­ture, using its plat­form for his calcu­la­tions. In recent years, an NUE of more than 90% has been achieved. “If it is lower, we examine the cause and seek possi­bil­i­ties for opti­mi­sa­tion. It is also inter­esting to note that we some­times exceed 100%, and we want to under­stand these patterns better. Even if we see that every­thing is in the optimal range, this is a valu­able insight,” he says.

High preci­sion despite limited resources

Although soils in the Magde­burg Börde are fertile, water remains a limiting factor. Together, Friedrich and Michael have iden­ti­fied the areas where preci­sion tech­nolo­gies deliver the greatest benefit. For several years, Michael has been offering soil scans using gamma spec­troscopy with RH3S Soil Sensor Systems through LVA Landtechnik GmbH. Friedrich receives detailed soil and nutrient maps, along with analyses of micro- and macronu­tri­ents and the pH value.

Although these scans repre­sent a signif­i­cant initial invest­ment, Michael says they help to better under­stand the nutrient cycles in the soil and ulti­mately save money on fertiliser. In recent years, some parts of the farm have been digi­tised using this process.

Predicting the long-term economic impact is not always straight­for­ward, as every farming year differs and direct compar­isons are diffi­cult. Never­the­less, both agree on one point. “Without collecting and analysing data, we wouldn’t have come up with certain ques­tions and solu­tions,” says Michael. “Working with the data helps to better under­stand the entire oper­a­tion and make better deci­sions.”