The arable farmer as the assessor of within-field soil variation

Feasible, fast and reliable methods of mapping within-field variation are required for precision agriculture. Within precision agriculture research much emphasis has been put on technology, whereas the knowledge that farmers have and ways to explore it have received little attention. This research characterizes and examines the spatial knowledge arable farmers have of their fields and explores whether it is a suitable starting point to map the within-field variation of soil properties. A case study was performed in the Hoeksche Waard, the Netherlands, at four arable farms. A combination of semi-structured interviews and fieldwork was used to map spatially explicit knowledge of within-field variation. At each farm, a field was divided into internally homogeneous units as directed by the farmer, the soil of the units was sampled and the data were analysed statistically. The results show that the farmers have considerable spatial knowledge of their fields. Furthermore, they apply this knowledge intuitively during various field management activities such as fertilizer application, soil tillage and herbicide application. The sample data on soil organic matter content, clay content and fertility show that in general the farmers’ knowledge formed a suitable starting point for mapping within-field variation in the soil. Therefore, it should also be considered as an important information source for highly automated precision agriculture systems

De akkerbouwer als sensor

De ruimtelijke kennis van akkerbouwers over variatie binnen percelen is onderzocht en in kaart gebracht op vier bedrijven in de Hoeksche Waard. Analyse van interviews en bodemmonsters liet zien dat de telers over uitgebreide ruimtelijke kennis van hun percelen beschikken. Grondbewerking, vooral ploegen is een belangrijke bron van informatie over bodemvariatie binnen een perceel. Verschillen in textuur en organisch stofgehalte konden verklaard worden op basis van voormalig landgebruik en ontstaansgeschiedenis van het landschap. Alle telers benutten hun ruimtelijke kennis voor zover technisch en economisch haalbaar. Deze kennis vormt een goed uitgangspunt voor verdere ruimtelijke optimalisatie van de bedrijfsvoering

Creating space for biodiversity by planning swath patterns and field marging using accurate geometry

Potential benefits of field margins or boundary strips include promotion of biodiversity and farm wildlife, maintaining landscape diversity, exploiting pest predators and parasites and enhancing crop pollinator populations. In this paper we propose and demonstrate a method to relocate areas of sub-efficient machine manoeuvring to boundary strips so as to optimise the use of available space. Accordingly, the boundary strips will have variable rather than fixed widths. The method is being tested in co-operation with seven farmers in the Hoeksche Waard within the province of Zuid Holland, The Netherlands. In a preliminary stage of the project, tests were performed to determine the required accuracy of field geometry. The results confirmed that additional data acquisition using accurate measuring devices is required. In response, a local contracting firm equipped a small all-terrain vehicle (quad) with an RTK-GPS receiver and set up a service for field measurement. Protocols were developed for requesting a field measurement and for the measurement procedure itself. Co-ordinate transformation to a metric system and brute force optimization of swath patterns are achieved using an open source geospatial library (osgeo.ogr) and Python scripting. The optimizer basically tests all orientations and relevant intermediate angles of input field boundaries and tries incremental positional shifts until the most efficient swath pattern is found. Inefficient swaths intersecting boundary areas are deleted to create space for field margins. The optimised pattern can be forwarded to an agricultural navigation system. At the time of the conference, the approach will have been tested on several farm fields

Veiligheid van autonome voertuigen in open teelten. Wet- en regelgeving en aanbevelingen voor de veiligheid

Het doel van deze notitie is het in kaart brengen van de EU wet- en regelgeving betreffende de veiligheid van autonome voertuigen in open teelten en aanbevelingen te doen dienaangaande aan fabrikanten en telers. Specifieke aandacht wordt besteed aan de te ontwikkelen autonoom opererende trekker met precisiespuit voor de aardbeienteelt. Autonoom opererend wil zeggen onbemand taken vervullend en navigerend door middel van GPS. De EU richtlijnen en aanverwante literatuur zijn bestudeerd en er is met 5 deskundigen gesproken. over hun kennis, ervaring en ideeën omtrent de toepassing en veiligheid van autonome voertuigen in open teelten. Aan de hand van de uitkomsten hiervan worden aanbevelingen gedaan voor een veiligheidsprotocol

Analyzing spatial count data, with an application to weed counts

Count data on a lattice may arise in observational studies of ecological phenomena. In this paper a hierarchical spatial model is used to analyze weed counts. Anisotropy is introduced, and a bivariate extension of the model is presente

Modellen en beslisregels voor variabel doseren van gewasbeschermingsmiddelen op basis van variatie in bodem en gewas

Dit rapport bevat kennis en ervaring die nodig is voor brede introductie van variabel doseren van gewasbeschermingsmiddelen in de Nederlandse land- en tuinbouw. De resultaten komen uit Programma Precisielandbouwproject (PPL). Variabel doseren betekent het automatische aanpassen en toedienen van doseringen van middelen aan de plaatselijke behoefte binnen een perceel of gewas. Door enkele recente technische ontwikkelingen (positiebepalingstechnologie (GNSS), sensortechnologie en geavanceerde spuittechniek) komt variabel doseren van gewasbeschermingsmiddelen voor de praktijk binnen handbereik, met voordelen voor (bedrijfs)economie, ecologie en volksgezondheid

GrasMaïs-Signaal; adviessysteem precisielandbouw melkveehouderij : haalbaarheidsstudie naar het genereren van opbrengst- en voederwaardekengetallen met sensoren en modellen voor gras en snijmaïs

A feasibility study has been worked out for an integrated advisory system for precision agriculture on the production of forage (grass and maize) for dairy farming in the Netherlands. Technology is not restrictive anymore to apply precision agriculture on important cultivation measures. It is now about achieving an effective integration of sensor data, models, metrics and equipment in a comprehensive advice system. It has been advised how a practical advice system for operational decisions can be realized on the dairy farm in the foreseeable future

Central-line-associated bloodstream infection burden among Dutch neonatal intensive care units

Background: The establishment of an epidemiological overview provides valuable insights needed for the (future) dissemination of infection-prevention initiatives. Aim: To describe the nationwide epidemiology of central-line-associated bloodstream infections (CLABSI) among Dutch Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICUs). Methods: Data from 2935 neonates born at &lt;32 weeks' gestation and/or with a birth weight &lt;1500 g admitted to all nine Dutch NICUs over a two-year surveillance period (2019–2020) were analysed. Variations in baseline characteristics, CLABSI incidence per 1000 central-line days, pathogen distribution and CLABSI care bundles were evaluated. Multi-variable logistic mixed-modelling was used to identify significant predictors for CLABSI. Results:A total of 1699 (58%) neonates received a central line, in which 160 CLABSI episodes were recorded. Coagulase-negative staphylococci were the most common infecting organisms of all CLABSI episodes (N=100, 63%). An almost six-fold difference in the CLABSI incidence between participating units was found (2.91–16.14 per 1000 line-days). Logistic mixed-modelling revealed longer central line dwell-time (adjusted odds ratio (aOR):1.08, P&lt;0.001), umbilical lines (aOR:1.85, P=0.03) and single rooms (aOR:3.63, P=0.02) to be significant predictors of CLABSI. Variations in bundle elements included intravenous tubing care and antibiotic prophylaxis. Conclusions: CLABSI remains a common problem in preterm infants in The Netherlands, with substantial variation in incidence between centres. Being the largest collection of data on the burden of neonatal CLABSI in The Netherlands, this epidemiological overview provides a solid foundation for the development of a collaborative platform for continuous surveillance, ideally leading to refinement of national evidence-based guidelines. Future efforts should focus on ensuring availability and extraction of routine patient data in aggregated formats.</p