An online rotation planning tool that helps arable growers test the potential and the profitability of new cropping and cultivation strategies has been launched by the agri-food training platform ARTIS.
The tool features in ‘Resilient rotations’, a new e-learning course that guides users through the principles of rotation planning using a series of short video presentations featuring Ron Stobart, NIAB TAG’s Head of Farming Systems Research, and Chris Winney, Head of TAG-Consulting. Based on over ten years of research data from NIAB TAG’s long-term rotational studies in East Anglia, it also includes information from a range of additional NIAB TAG and industry-wide field research projects and practical field experience.
Mr Winney explains that the course covers the impact of cultivations, crop choice and soil management on yield and gross margin return. “Users gain access to a novel web-based modelling tool which enables them to develop, plan and modify rotations that are agronomically and economically resilient. The model draws on real long-term field data and either standard gross margin data or users’ own inputs.”
Resilient rotations is the eighth course available on the ARTIS e-learning platform, a subscription-based online training service for arable, salad and field vegetable growers at www.artistraining.com, which also includes the science behind remote sensing, wheat disease control planning, cover cropping and beating black-grass.
Mr Stobart says that at the most basic level Resilient rotations shows how crops perform under different cultivation systems on various soil types. “But it then goes beyond just looking at the most profitable rotation combination and helps growers to evaluate and develop flexible, long- term resilient strategies by comparing existing practice with different scenarios.
The modelling tool compares the short and longer term impacts on margin by building in different cultural drivers such as cultivation, crop choice and drilling date. Users then can find out the impact of introducing new crops, for example to meet legislative requirements, and the best cultivation approach in those situations,” advises Mr Stobart.
BASIS points are available on completion of the course.
