February 2002
Innovations aplenty at the world's largest farm machinery show
Some 250 new designs were registered this year, ranging from satellite navigation and remote engine monitoring to automatically controlled plowsby NORMAN DUNN
More than 1300 exhibitors shared a record floor space this past November in Hanover, Germany, at Agritechnica, the world's largest farm machinery show. The theme was definitely "innovations in agriculture" with 260 new ideas registered with the show organisers, the German Agricultural Society (DLG), many of them already recognised as important innovations for the industry worldwide.Almost universal co-operation is currently being demonstrated between major and minor manufacturers in establishing a common communications and connections standard for computer control in tractors and other machinery. The standard system agreed upon - ISOBUS - was presented at Agritechnica on a range of new machinery. In the end, ISOBUS compatibility will apply to all farm computerware, so when you buy an implement for a precision farming system, you will be sure that the recording/navigation system will match-up with the system on your tractor.
Some of the most noteworthy technologies displayed:
Single-machine baling/wrapping
Tanco from Ireland presented its 2050 Bale Processor, which bales and wraps on the same base. The tightness of the subsequent wrapping means the process can produce good silage bales without the need for netting, according to the company. Price: around $ 60,000 Cdn.Taarup (Denmark) has also developed the same idea for baling and wrapping in the same chamber, this time including a chopping system (14 knives) as standard for pre-cutting material before baling. Its round baler is called the BIO and features net wrapping before plastic sheeting with a performance of up to 30 bales an hour, according to the makers.
Claas presented a big, square baler with revamped chopper to give a guaranteed 20-mm chop length. The Quadrant 2200 RC can then pack straw up to a density of 200 kg/m3, says Claas. The 49-knife chopper can be removed, or knife numbers reduced, for silage or hay baling.
Krone's introductions at Agritechnica included the giant self-propelled mower, Big M II, with three independently suspended mowers giving a working width of 9.7 m. Output: 37 acres (15 hectares) per hour.
Plows
Other new ideas at Hanover included fully automatic control of on-land plowing with Lemken (Germany) plows. Here, a couple of sensors check the required distance between plow and furrow edge. If the driver strays a bit, the plow hydraulics automatically react to realign the plow. A bit more out of line, and an alarm is sounded in the cab.German manufacturer Pöttinger's Servo Intelligent plow is controlled by an electro-hydraulic joystick which alters furrow breadth, depth and penetration angle, while recording all parameters along with per acre performance. Kverneland (Norway) has announced what it claims is the first plow in the world that can be changed from in-furrow to on-land mode without the driver getting out of the cab. Its EO/LO 7-furrow reversible also features furrow width and depth change capability while working.
Tracking
New satellite-supported navigation systems shown at Hanover include the Danish LH Agro firm's "Swath XL" tracking system. It is so reliable that night-sight glasses are supplied as part of the system so that accurate spraying can continue through the dark hours.The German manufacturer Amazone presented the Centaur, a grubber/disc combination whose cultivator tines are continuously adjusted for working depth. The computer-controlled electro-hydraulic system is based on satellite navigation and soil maps in the tractor computer. The aim is to cultivate at optimum depth in different areas of each field for maximum cultivation cost effectiveness.
Spraying
Multi-jet spraying made its debut at Agritechnica with systems from Amazone and the Dutch Ag-Chem Europe. The system features three or four jets at each point on the boom, where conventionally there's only one jet. The idea is to cope with the wide range of application amounts now required for pesticide and liquid fertilizer applications in precision farming where these amounts might vary greatly from one part of the field to another. Each jet within the cluster in the "Intelligent Jet" system is independently controlled by the tractor computer, so that one jet or up to four can be working at the same time.A seed dressing system without chemicals was introduced under the name E-ventus. This featured a bombardment of low-energy electrons killing all pathogens on seed without harming the embryo. A 30 tonne per hour treatment plant based on the system was presented.
Remote monitoring
Formula I racing drivers depend on remote engine monitoring, whereby the slightest increase in oil temperature, for instance, is instantly identified by sensors and notice relayed to the waiting mechanics. Now the system has been introduced for tractor drivers. Massey Ferguson is the major pioneer here - one of its dealers in Germany already operates such a system with tractor and combine fleets in his area - but other companies, including Fendt, Grimme and Deere, are also adopting the principle.The system features a black box, which sends sensor information to the dealership, or any other central point such as the farm office. Servicing or emergency repair plans are made according to the information received on a wide range of engine parameters, such as oil temperature. MF reckons that in future most tractor or harvesting machinery fleets will be sold with such remote monitoring and servicing agreements.
Potato harvesting giant
You won't get much change out of half a million dollars when buying the new Grimme self-propelled bulk-hopper harvester. But it can handle four potato rows at a time and has automatic drill width adjustment for the digger elevator - from 75 to 90 cm - and automatic table leveller for trouble-free sorting up top.Other ideas incorporated in the track-laying Grimme 300-15 include automatic anti-slip drive for the tracks and continuous forward speed/crop throughput adjustment for optimum progress. Also completely automatic is immediate reversing of webbing when sensors indicate blockage.
Level-headed
Another new idea comes from tractor makers Same (Italy and Spain) in the form of a hydraulically-controlled cab which remains level when the tractor is tilting on up to 25-degree side or up-and-down slopes. The cab system is computer-controlled and costs around $6,000. More comfort is also promised by John Deere with innovations like computer-controlled hydraulic seat damping, independent suspension on all wheels for some tractors and even rear axle suspension as standard on some bigger models....new models like the new 8020 range with from 220 to 320 PS - also available as track-layers.Combines
Claas has had considerable success with its giant Lexion 480, but it's a bit too big for normal European farm contractors. So the world combine market leader launched a scaled-down 470 model with threshing channel width reduced to 1.42 m, but featuring the same hybrid system with double axial rotors plus drum and concave. The engine is a 320 PS Cat, cutterbar width up to 7.50 m, and the grain tank holds 9,600 l.New Holland introduced its eye-catching CX range with eight new 5- and 6-walker models (218 - 374 PS). Performance is up 15 per cent through concave/drum area redesign, says New Holland. Drum diameter is increased by 25 per cent to 75 cm and a concave wrap of 111° gives1.82 m2 separation area in the 6-walker machines - 40 per cent more than previous models.
Case IH launched a new 2388 combine whose axial flow rotor impeller blades are replaced by a variable-pitch auger front section with flighting designed for smoother crop flow. John Deere didn't miss the chance of presenting what it claims is the "biggest combine in the world" -- the 465 PS 9880 STS 3-stage rotor harvester with cutterheads stretching to 9.15 m.
Loaders and driveline safety
An electro-hydraulic digital joystick for full front loader control was presented by the world's biggest manufacturer of front loaders. With 25,000 units sold last year, Sweden's Alö-Maskiner AB, with brands including Quicke and Trima, says one-hand digital control allows more precise work. The joystick can be retrofitted for new front loaders and costs around $3,500.One of Walterscheid's innovations put the emphasis on safety-first, with machine drive being immediately broken when someone steps within a predetermined distance of moving parts. The German driveline specialist has safety switches on driveline overload clutches now activated by the interruption of light beams. This means a secure safety area can be created around a machine. For instance, these could surround the pto area so that the drive is broken the second someone steps too near a moving shaft. When the Walterscheid safety system is activated, the drive can only be restarted from the cab controls. BF
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Why the lack of refugia areas in Ontario's cornbelt?
The main reason is the lack of good non-BT hybrids. Until we get some, we can expect corn borer resistance to occurby PAT LYNCH
As a condition of regranting the patent on the corn Bt gene, refugia of non-Bt corn must be planted, supposedly to a minimum of 20 per cent of each field. These areas of non-Bt corn are intended to delay the development of resistance to the Bt gene. Some researchers do not believe the refugia will delay resistance, many growers do not believe they can afford to plant it and some seed sales people seem unconcerned. To many, the refugia concept was implemented by the Environmental Protection Agency to appease the Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) critics.In the United States, there has been much written about the millions of dollars growers wasted on buying hybrid seed with the Bt gene, for in many cases the Bt gene has not put more dollars into their pockets. This reflects what is going on in parts of Essex and Kent, where non-Bt hybrids are yielding just as well as the Bt hybrids. Through much of Ontario, however, the Bt gene is proving a good investment. Provincially, we are well above our 20 per cent non-Bt hybrids for refugia. However, in many townships and farms we are not reaching our 20 per cent refugia criteria.
Part of the problem in areas with less than 3000 Corn Heat Units (CHUs) is poor hybrid standability, even with low corn borer pressure. This may be due to summer rains and more stalk rot These both encourage the growth of stalk rot. Standability is certainly an issue most years in areas with less than 3000 CHUs - more so than in Essex and Kent or the major U.S. corn areas, which tend to be drier. The higher heat unit areas also have more hybrids to select from.
The main reason for lack of refugia acres in Ontario's cornbelt is the lack of good non-Bt hybrids for this area. In the Ontario Corn Performance Trials in the 2750-3000 CHU area, the best hybrids tend to be Bt. There are some older hybrids for that area that appear good in the trials, but experience with them has been poor. "Look at it this way," one grower said to me. "I plant 20 per cent non-Bt corn and take a 10-12 bu/acre yield hit. My neighbour plants all Bt. I go out of business since I cannot compete. He picks up the land I was renting and plants all Bt corn. What's the point of having good stewardship of this gene if I go out of business and he plants all Bt anyway? " I had no answer to this.
This lack of standability is worsened in areas and years of high corn borer pressure. Probably some regions in the United States have as heavy corn borer pressure as we do, but their better standing hybrids can withstand borer attack.
When I look at the hybrid choice for good refugia hybrids in the under-3000 CHU area, maturity range Pioneer 38 P 05 stands out. It is a 2850 CHU hybrid even though it appears with the 2750 CHU hybrids in Table 2 of the Corn Performance Trials. If you are in the 2900-3000 CHU area, you will give up yield by planting this earlier hybrid. Pioneer's 38 K 06 (2800 CHU) is indexing 116-118 in the trials, while Dekalb's DKC39-45 (2775 CHU) is indexing 103-109. Other high indexing non-Bt hybrids in this 2700-3000 CHU area include Mycogen 2670, Maizex MZ 292, and Maizex MZ 301, Garst 8766, and Pride K 318. These numbers have to be interpreted, since some of these high scores came from Eastern Ontario where corn borer pressure is not as great.
This is not a long list to choose from. Each year, hybrids are introduced as good refugia hybrids, and so far each year they have let us down. Unless we get some better non-Bt hybrids for the 2750-3000 CHU area, we can expect corn borer resistance to occur in this area. Soon. BF
Patrick Lynch, CCA (ON), is Head Agronomist for Cargill in Ontario.
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Reducing emissions is simply good insurance against what may lie ahead
Canadians must start serious debate on what to do about our commitments under the Kyoto Protocol on climate change. Lost in the discussion, however, are the costs of doing nothingby HENRY HENGEVELD
The intense and somewhat acrimonious international meetings at the Hague, Bonn and, most recently, Marrakech are now history, and the world has an agreement of sorts on how to implement the Kyoto Protocol, that first small step towards reducing the risks of global climate change. For most developed countries, the debate has moved back to the home front, where governments will need to seek domestic agreement on ratifying the Protocol, and on a national strategy to deliver the goods. For Canada, that means a net reduction of greenhouse gas emissions to six per cent below 1990 levels by 2010.Odds are that much of the debate in Canada will focus on the economic costs of achieving these commitments, and on who pays and who doesn't. Some will argue that the costs are too high, and that Canada should reconsider ratifying the Kyoto agreement. Others will maintain that, while there will be significant up-front investments needed, the benefits downstream from a more efficient, cleaner and competitive economy could offset these start-up costs.
Often lost in this debate, however, is any real appreciation of the possible costs of doing nothing. After all, aren't the consequences of climate change, particularly at the regional level, still rather uncertain? Furthermore, in Canada, warmer winters don't sound so bad. Wouldn't longer summers improve crop yields, and milder winters reduce our heating bills? Furthermore, aren't these so-called impacts still decades away, and likely to be more of a problem elsewhere?
Fair questions. After all, Canadians live at the cold margins of habitable earth. Hence, unlike some of the more tropical (and generally poorer) countries, warmer climates do provide some real benefits - for example, longer, warmer growing seasons and lower costs for snow removal and winter heating. However, there are also some formidable obstacles ahead. These begin to arise when our weather strays beyond the comfort zones to which we and our surrounding ecosystems have become accustomed. The larger the departure beyond these comfort zones, and the more frequently it occurs, the greater the risks of disaster, or a major collapse of our emergency response systems.
Let's take a quick look at a few examples of such events, consider the costs, and speculate about how these events are likely to change in a warmer Canada.
The 2001 summer drought. Droughts happen from time to time, and the good years usually make up for the odd bad one. But they can be expensive. Partial reports for costs of this year's drought already amount to almost $500 million for Quebec and Alberta alone. A similar drought in 1988 cost several billion dollars in crop losses. Future prospects: By 2050, more than a doubling in the risk of severe droughts in interior North America.
Severe storms. The January 1998 ice storm cost the Canadian economy an estimated $6 billion, and the summer 1996 Saguenay flood in excess of $1 billion. That same December, a series of brutal winter storms dumped 85 cm of snow on an unsuspecting B.C. coast, paralyzing infrastructure and commerce.
Future prospects: More humidity in the atmosphere means greater risk of intense precipitation. In summer, much of this will occur as severe thunderstorms and heavy downpours. Lightning activity could increase six per cent for each degree of local climate warming. In winter, there is a potential for more frequent intense storms.
Water resources. Boaters and farmers alike have expressed concerns in recent years over the dramatic drop in Ontario lake levels and, in some areas, in ground water, as warmer weather increased evaporation. Levels in most of the Great Lakes are now the lowest in more than 30 years (although still not close to much lower levels of the 1930s).
Future prospects: Levels within the next 50 years may well average below the 1930 extremes, with low periods setting new records.
I could add more - loss of property and coastal erosion in Canada's East as sea levels rise; the effects of melting permafrost and disappearing sea ice on Arctic ecosystems and infrastructure; the health effects of more frequent heat waves and smog episodes; the increased risk of forest fires and insect disturbances. Perhaps even more important is the prospect of disaster in developing countries, where people in general do not benefit from warmer weather as we do and are ill-equipped to deal with the consequences. Indirectly, their fate may also significantly affect ours, since Canadians have always been quick to help countries in disaster, are sought out as global peacekeepers, and may in the future be asked to accept many thousands of environmental refugees.
Assessments by international economists suggest that, as long as the global climate warms by no more than 2-3(C and as long as countries anticipate and prepare for the changes, there may be a trade-off in the developed world between the pluses and minuses (although there will be big winners and losers within such economies). Greater warming than that and the balance tips significantly towards major losses and potential disaster.
For developing countries, that threshold is much lower. And the day of reckoning may be closer than we think. Climate data already confirm that average temperatures for the entire Northern Hemisphere for the past century have been the warmest of the past millennium, that the 1990s was the warmest decade, and 1998 the single warmest year.
I suspect that many of us, at some point, have had to drive down an unfamiliar, curvy road on a dark night. The uncertainty of what lies ahead is unlikely to cause any of us to park our car and wait out the night, but nor would we proceed at unrestricted speeds, oblivious to what's ahead. Rather, most of us would slow down, put on our high beams, and pay close attention, lest there be a cow on the road or a washed out bridge round the next bend.
Our response to climate change should be no less prudent. We need to slow down the speed of change through emission reductions to buy us reaction time. And we must try to read what's ahead and prepare for surprises. That's simply a good insurance policy so that we can at least reduce the risks to which we are exposing our future generations, our neighbours in other parts of the world, and ourselves. BF
Henry Hengeveld is senior science advisor on climate change for Environment Canada.
© copyright 2002AgMedia Inc..
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Watch out for intense debates on ag policy in 2002
Front and centre will be Lyle Vanclief's controversial plan for a single interconnected program covering all forms of farm support. Will it fly and will it have enough money?by BARRY WILSON
The governing Liberals entered the new year balancing a political plate heaped high with agricultural plans. These plans ensure that 2002 will be a year filled with very public debates which will determine the shape and generosity of farm programs for the better part of the next decade.There will be sometimes tense federal-provincial negotiations and the need for some delicate and aggressive farm lobby work to make sure farm interests are being served by the changes. But there also are some interesting behind-the-scenes debates going on within the federal Liberal Party over whether the changes being championed by agriculture minister Lyle Vanclief are politically wise.
First, consider the impending public debate over the largest proposed revamp in agricultural policy in a generation. The key element is Vanclief's determination to champion a radical reworking of national policy which would essentially see most existing programs folded into one.
Gone would be stand-alone crop insurance, income support and Net Income Stabilization Account programs. Gone would be ad hoc so-called "passive" income support payments. In their place would be a single interconnected program forcing farmers to make "active" business decisions in favour of food safety, environmental stewardship, training, management and self-protection if they want to tap into the broad range of government supports.
The one big program would include elements of crop insurance and income support, as well as funding for on-farm food safety and environmental stewardship, research, farmer education and training and funds for exit from the industry for those who want out.
It is a gamble by Vanclief, the response of the minister and his senior bureaucrats to an order from the prime minister's office after the 2002 election that the sector be given a policy that will move it "beyond crisis management." Senior Liberals and government officials concluded that the old policies of after-the-fact support, accompanied by constant farmer calls for more immediate help, was too costly, too perpetual and provided too few political or economic returns.
Vanclief would like this new national farm policy to have a financial base substantially above the current $1.1 billion in federal safety net funding. That may be wishful thinking, given tight federal finances and the reluctance of some provinces to foot the bill for 40 per cent of a higher annual commitment.
But Vanclief's challengers do not live exclusively in provincial capitals and the downtown Ottawa offices of the Department of Finance. Within the confines of the governing party, there are Prairie and Ontario Liberals voicing unease about the political fallout from any policy which would end the possibility of ad hoc payments in extraordinarily bad or unusual years.
Another school of Liberal dissent involves those who think federal farm programming is severely under-funded, given subsidy levels in competitor countries, and that Vanclief is not a strong enough advocate for agriculture in cabinet. This argument was put directly and forcefully to Vanclief and party leaders by Prince Edward Island MP Wayne Easter at the first Liberal caucus after the Dec. 10 budget.
Complicating this argument is the fact that many who make it are MPs supporting Liberal leadership candidates who are quietly promising that they will do more for agriculture if they are chosen to replace Jean Chrétien.
On both public and private levels, the farm policy debate this year promises to be fascinating, complicated, heated and fundamentally important to the country¹s farmers.
Stay tuned. BF
Barry Wilson is a member of the Parlimentary Press Gallery specializing in agriculture
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