Training workshops are now available on global positioning systems (GPS) and geographic information systems (GIS), Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives (MAFRI) Minister Rosann Wowchuk announced.
“Technology is a valuable resource in today’s agriculture industry and it is important that information on modern systems is accessible to Manitoba farmers,” said Wowchuk. “Learning to use these systems can provide educational and economic benefits for future decisions on the farm.”
The Manitoba Zero Tillage Research Association, in co-operation with Assiniboine Community College and MAFRI, has obtained funding from the Agri-Food Research and Development Initiative (ARDI) to develop training opportunities for producers on precision agriculture. The federal-provincial program awarded the grant in June 2008.
The precision agriculture workshops will deliver a course curriculum to train agricultural producers in the collection, processing and application of information available from precision farming equipment and software. The workshops will increase the abilities of producers to use precision agriculture technology to better utilize the technology on Manitoba farms.
“Technology has changed the processes of conventional agriculture, especially in the way fields are now managed in terms of nutrient concentration, soil type, landscape and environmentally sensitive areas,” said the minister. “Site-specific farming is one beneficial management practice that can provide both financial and environmental benefits to farmers and other Manitobans.”
A variable-rate fertility program is one way to improve fertilizer application on farm land, giving producers the best return for their fertilizer investment, Wowchuk added. She said there is also a positive environmental benefit by reducing leaching into groundwater and reducing the amount of nitrous oxide being lost to the atmosphere, in turn, reducing Manitoba’s greenhouse gas emissions.
ARDI is a research and development-granting program of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and MAFRI.
Date of scheduled workshops include:
• Feb. 6 and 19 in Carman;
• Feb. 10 and 20in Steinbach;
• Feb. 13 and 17 in Dauphin; and
• March 2 and 6 in Brandon.
More information on precision agriculture workshops is available from any MAFRI GO office.
