Shoalhaven High Archibull 2013: Challenges farmers face

Documenting our learning journey - looking at the challenges that farmers face

There were so many resources linked to the program for this compulsory blog topic that we thought the best way to deal with all of the information was to split into smaller working groups, with each group reading and summarising the key points in the sources. Then we got back together and created a mind-map about the challenges that farmers face

Before we did that we watched some videos together in the lab.

CLIMATE CHANGE - a BIG challenge for all of us

agriculture climate change sceptics 600 | nicholsoncartoons.com.au

We all agreed that one element that all farmers cannot control is the climate. Farmers in Australia are often at the mercy of long-term weather patterns such as drought and short-term weather events such as floods.

However research from the Primary Industries Climate Challenges Centre at the University of Melbourne surveyed only 28% of primary producers as accepting that human activity is the cause of climate change compared with 58% of people in cities.

The Director of the centre says that the science tells us that no matter what farmers believe, agricultural production is at risk from climate change as well as being a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions.

Reliable rainfall and predictable ranges of temperature are critical to farmers but are also the factors that will be most affected by climate change. Farmers may have to adapt to the way they farm to meet the changing climate in one of three ways:

1. Adjusting their current practices in small ways such as crop and pasture varieties and the timing of activities,
2. Changing from singular to mixed farming systems, changing products or markets which has seen grain crops grown in areas that were previously too wet in winter,
3. Making large scale transformational changes that could involve new industries and products

We found a good video from the ABC Midday Report called 'Warmer temperatures to offer new opportunities to farmers'. "CSIRO climate applications scientist Steve Crimp says the nation's agricultural sector will likely feel the heat of a hotter climate." You can watch it at this link:
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-01-15/new-opportunities-as-temperatures-warm/4465690

Pricing Carbon and Carbon Farming

The Federal Government's CLEAN ENERGY FUTURE policy has placed a price on carbon emissions. This can impact on farmers in direct and indirect ways but ultimately drives farm running costs up. The Carbon Farming Initiative offers farmers an incentive to reduce emissions and/or store carbon and the potential to earn farm income to offset some of the increased costs associated with the carbon tax.

We also looked at the transcript of an ABC Local Radio story reported by Sarah Clarke on 1/11/12 titled:
"Farming smarter not harder to profit from food boom".

As we look to 2050 and a world population of some 9 billion people to feed it is estimated that Australia is well placed to profit from this food demand increase of 60%, by earning around $16 billion more from agriculture than we do now. As global demand and prices for food increase, there will be new market opportunities for Australian agriculture. The story highlights again that this is only possible if Australian farmers prepare for climate change which could reduce our agricultural production by up to $6.5 billion a year if we do not start to innovate now.
The two big things that we need to address in preparation for the future in terms of food production, are more frequent droughts and improving our soil quality. Australia is dominated by highly infertile soils that are a product of our tectonic stability and ancient geology. Our soils are also very easily eroded and farmers need to maintain as much groundcover to prevent these soils from being eroded. We think that there could be a composting revolution in Australia that could see our soil fertility and agricultural production improve dramatically.

How can technology help farmers face the challenges they face?

Farmers can access climate applications such as the CliMate App which allows users to interrogate the climate data and apply this to Agriculture.

Climate information can be accessed at the Bureau of Meteorology website which also has a section specifically for agriculture where farmers can look at forecasts for rainfall, cloud, temperature, wind and longer term forecasts for El NINO and LA NINA systems using the Southern Oscillation Index that are related to drought. This allows them to plan for the short and long term weather conditions.

There is an Australian company called Precision Agriculture that provides a number of technological tools for primary producers to use.

Precision Agriculture starts with an accurate digital farm map, then other information is built around this map.
There are satellite image maps at different resolutions that can see every little detail about the crop to see the impact of micro-variation on crop productivity. This satellite product is also good for evaluating trials. iSAT5 – has the red-edge included, which may give new insights into crop health. This imagery is useful for zoning and in-crop applications of crop protectants, nutrients, and even desiccation where appropriate. They can do a whole farm or catchment relatively cheaply with. Its primary use is it to examine long-term trends over the property or catchment.
Yield monitors and farm works software programs allow farmers to manage their properties more profitably. Different modules can be selected according to the farmer's needs.
Elevation/Topography Mapping and Drainage
Elevation is one of the most critical layers in Precision Agriculture. It can determine waterlogged areas, erosion risk, drainage restrictions, and often is related to soil type.
Electromagnetic (EM38) soil mapping

EM38 soil mapping is used by Precision Agriculture as a reliable option for zoning paddocks according to soil type and potential yields. It is a fast and cost effective way of measuring soil moisture content, salt levels, and soil texture (clay content).

Controlled Traffic Farming

Research and on-farm experiences suggest that continuous cropping systems perform extremely well under a zero till, controlled traffic farming stubble retention farming system. Controlled Traffic Farming is a healthy cropping system, which delivers production, environmental, and efficiency benefits. It separates paddocks into two sections:

one which provides a healthy well structured soil for promoting crop growth, and
one which provides a roadway for supporting vehicles and machinery.

Solar powered remote camera systems allow farmers to get a view of their crop, animals, assets, water troughs etc… from anywhere in the world via email or the internet.

We are going to devote a separate blog to the specific challenges that dairy farmers face and how technology can help them.

Photos of our group work and brainstorming session.