Data and display conundrum cured
Tractor and harvester manufacturers are cagey about allowing access to their GPS and other software systems — but one farmer may have fixed this issue.
Copeland, and wife Sue, farm 400ha on the Geraldine-Fairlie highway. For three years he’s operated a Case IH AFS 372 receiver which enables him to pick up CenterPoint and RangePoint RTX.
AFS precision farming has been available at least ten years, enabling farmers to achieve repeatable accuracy down to 3.8cm, reduce overlaps and cut input costs, Case IH says.
The AFS capability can include automatic steering, sprayer boom control, yield mapping and more by adding the maker’s completion package.
Copland’s AFS 372 roof receiver was an upgrade from his previous AFS 262 model. He uses it for seeding, cultivation and other tasks. “The receiver can also go back into the combine harvester for steering and for the yield maps the combine produces at harvest time,” he says.
A sat-nav in a car typically has positioning accuracy of 5.0m. The Case IH RangePoint RTX has a pass-on-pass deviation of 15cm, and the maker’s AFS CenterPoint equipment can achieve accuracy down to 3.8cm. CenterPoint RTX is best used with the AFS 372 receiver on farms outside RTK base station coverage.
Copland says the system takes a lot of the inaccuracy out of his work. “The sprayer tractor is using an FM 750 receiver for boom section control and we’re looking at getting the tractor to do that with the drilling.”
He believes many farmers overlap more than they know when spraying, fertiliser spreading and cultivating.
“With the accuracy we now have in the sprayer with boom section control, I’m spraying right out. Previously I was happy to have 100L left because I didn’t want to run out of chemical… it’s a big job going back for more.
“With a paddock done and the boundary picked out I’m finding the paddocks are remaining within 0.1ha. Without some sort of system it’s a complete guess on how much chemical you’re going to use. We’ve found the accuracy with spraying is really good.”
The AFS system is especially good for young drivers who are not always as accurate as older drivers. And it is relatively simple to operate.
“I had come from a lesser system on my sprayer that did steering but none of the boom sections, so I had a basic knowledge. They are similar to the setup of a cellphone; you scroll your way around the screen and select. They’re touch screens and the combines have had a touch screen for seven or eight years so I’ve been familiar with them.”
Copland operates a fleet of Case IH tractors, including a CVX150, a Puma 160, a CVX 1190 and an MX135, and he has a Case IH 8120 combine harvester. He deals with Cochranes, Timaru.
• Article and pictures reprinted from Case IH Farm Forum, vol. 15.
