Potato Review

54 POTATO REVIEW NOVEMBER 2021 AGTECH L ABOUR shortages, a growing global population, and unprecedented levels of connectivity mean we’re reaching a point where it will be the norm to deploy full autonomy in our elds, according to a software specialist. Tom Blackie, Founder and CEO, VNC Automotive, reckons the popularity of TV series Clarkson’s Farm has lifted the lid on the challenges of modern farming, and there’s a dawning realisation that growers could use a helping hand. ‘Remote control growing is our future’ Software specialist looks at how growing techniques have changed in recent years, and considers how changing trends are steering a path towards absolute autonomy. “ e journey from seed to supermarket is a long and tortuous one, and with demands to both increase productivity and work in more environmentally sustainable ways, it’s only going to become more challenging. We believe autonomy is key to the delivery of that,” said Tom. Automation in the potato growing sector is nothing new. GPS-enabled automated steering systems have been guiding tractors and self- propelled farm machinery for almost 20 years. eir ability to follow the same optimised paths through a crop time after time, all season long, reduces plant damage, increases crop yields, and reduces pesticide use. “ ese systems have come a long way since their inception two decades ago, and now o er accuracy down to just a couple of centimetres. eir widespread adoption across the globe means they’ve earned the trust of farmers everywhere, and today more than 70% of the crop acreage in North America is farmed using these systems. In Australia, it’s more than 90%,” said Tom. Ability to distinguish Systems such as Implement Automation allow towed machinery to communicate with the tractor, with a baler automatically stopping the tractor when it’s time to wrap and unload, for example, while Machine Sync allows a combine harvester to control a eld full of tractors to co-ordinate unloading, even positioning the following tractor precisely so as to achieve the optimal load distribution. Recent developments in machine learning and vision systems have led to technologies such as See & Spray™, the ability to automatically distinguish between weeds and cultivated plants so that each can be individually treated with either a targeted pesticide or fertiliser. Precision agriculture, rather than farming a eld as a single unit, allows decisions to be made about individual plants. is isn’t just better for the crop, it’s also more cost- “The journey from seed to supermarket is a long and tortuous one, and with demands to both increase productivity and work in more environmentally sustainable ways, it’s only going to become more challenging. We believe autonomy is key to the delivery of that.” Tom Blackie, Founder and CEO, VNC Automotive GPS-enabled automated steering systems, such as John Deere’s AutoTrac™, have been guiding tractors and self-propelled farm machinery for almost 20 years. Photo: John Deere Tom Blackie, Founder and CEO, VNC Automotive.