Adas, the farm advisory body to the government, is looking at ways to reduce farm waste and emissions in three dairy experiment systems. The experiments came about as a result of the government's consideration of legislation that will force farmers to store manure and slurry, a liquid mixture containing various particles, for a certain amount of time and dispose of it when it no longer poses a threat to the environment. While this would increase costs for farmers, it would also benefit the land through increased nutrients, particularly if it is spread during the winter. The profitability of the three systems will also be studied for the next three years. The USDA has developed a system it says will help determine the accuracy of aerial spraying.
Farmers can now place water-sensitive cards throughout their fields.
Once the crops are aerial sprayed, the cards are collected for a spray deposit analysis. The new system enhances the ability to analyze these spray deposits using computer and video technology. The video camera can scan the cards and feed the data directly into a computer, which can then crank out all the pertinent statistics, such area sprayed, droplet size, and so on. Researchers hope the use of such techniques will cut down on inefficiency and waste and correctly target areas which require spraying. The purpose of the earphones, the article says, is to enable the farmer to monitor the weather or keep in touch with employees.