Precision FarmingINFOGRAPHIC: REDUCING INPUT COSTS

Over the past two years, cost of fuel, fertiliser and crop protec­tion has reached histor­i­cally high levels. There­fore, more and more farmers ask them­selves: What savings are possible? Here are some figures from research and consulting insti­tutes.

March 2023

Text:
Illustration: Die Magaziniker

In many respects, modern agri­cul­ture is already highly opti­mised, and the use of inputs is limited anyway due to regu­la­tory require­ments. British consump­tion of N fertiliser fell by 18% between 2000 and 2019, and by as much as 42% for phos­phorus fertiliser. Is there more room for manoeuvre? We have compiled figures from research and advi­sory insti­tutes from various coun­tries. They are guide­line values that cannot auto­mat­i­cally be cumu­lated depending on the farm and system – never­the­less, they show where and in what order of magni­tude there is still poten­tial for reducing input costs, for example by adapting crop rota­tions and using preci­sion tech­nology.

SOIL TILLAGE AND SEEDING
SOURCES: Arvalis Institut du végétal, Cham­bres d’agriculture Loiret und Poitou Char­ente, UFA-Revue.

minus
17%
fuel

through correct imple­ment settings, eg, working depth of tillage tools

up to
8%
fuel

savings through proper ballasting

13%
fuel savings

by reducing overlap with the help of RTK-guid­ance

10-15%
fuel savings

by adjusting tyre pres­sure on the road and in the field

FERTILISER
SOURCES: Arvalis Institut du végétal, Union des Indus­tries de la Fertil­i­sa­tion, DLG, Iglu Schleswig-Holstein, Inrae, Farm­facts.

minus
12-44 kg
N/ha

through vari­able rate fertiliser appli­ca­tion (Bench­mark; trail
VISTA iDünger)

save
15 kg
N/ha

by measuring the residual nitrogen in the deep soil (up to 60cm)

pH 6.0 preserves
20 kg
N/ha

when liming a sandy loam soil
(compared to pH 5.5)

44 kg
N/ha

nitrogen fixa­tion by of pure legume cover crops,

33 kg

in mixtures

Crop Protec­tion
Sources: Chambre d’agriculture d’Alsace, Bayer, xarvio™, BeApi-Netzwerk, HFFA Research, Amer­ican Society of Agri­cul­tural and Biolog­ical Engi­neers.

50%
fewer
off-target

spraying by using
section control
(according to a study
in the USA and Brazil)

Improve
effi­ciency

by up to
20%

by spraying at suffi­cient humidity levels

50%
fewer weeds

in wheat after a spring crop
(compared to rape­seed as a previous crop)

45 %
less black­grass

when wheat sowing is delayed by 15 days (trials in Alsace)

Nitrogen fixa­tion by different catch crops

(Esti­mate based on 3t DM/ha) SOURCE: Arvalis Institut du végétal

  • Broad bean > 70 kg/ha
  • White clover > 60 kg/ha
  • Oats and vetch > 50 kg/ha

Machine settings and main­te­nance

SOURCES: Cham­bres d’agriculture Loiret and Poitou Charent

  • Minus 10-15% fuel: Cleaning radi­a­tors and air filters
  • Minus 3.5 litres/hr at 150 hp: Shut­ting off the engine when idling
  • ca. 5% less fuel by eco-driving
  • 2% less fuel using energy-saving lubri­cants