One of the novelties of the Organic Field Day on 9 July 2009 was the possibility of wireless internet in the tractor cabin, presented by Weevers Mechanisatiebedrijf. Checking the weather forecast for the next few hours on the regional network, skyping with the mechanisation company in case of machinery problems, or msn contact with one of the children about a school task. That’s what the modern farmer can all do from his tractor seat while at work.
Photo: One of the presented varieties: salad crops (babyleaf)
This was the fourth time in a row that Agrifirm, PPO AGV (project De Smaak van Morgen) and the Centre Organic Agriculture organised this national event where innovations in organic agriculture are brought together at one location. Inspiration meetings were organised about increasing sales through own processing and through daily fresh delivery. The effects of different machinery for use with ‘tramlines’ at 3.15 m and cultivation beds was demonstrated on the cropping systems site. And several other machines and equipment were presented by organisations such as the Foundation Soil Protection Flevoland. And there were several demonstrations (DLV Plant and PPO) such as RTK-GPS control combined with an automatic headland management system, new techniques such as inter-row weeding (Radis, Garford), routing on the field (linked with possibilities of FAB (functional agrobiodiversity) and field border management), utilisation of wireless internet in the tractor for all up-to-date information, and strip fertilisation with RTK-GPS steering in maize. Maize is drilled precisely above the strips after fertilisation.