| 57 RURAL SERVICES » Jordaan Contracting Limited (JCL) JCL investing in new precision technology JCL owner Japie Jordaan is a life-long farmer who says he will never go back to the conventional way of farming or contracting. Kelly Deeks Agricultural contracting in the Western Bay of Plenty since 2008, Jordaan Contracting Limited (JCL) has invested in new precision technology and methodology using variable rate fertiliser spreading, unlocking cost and environmental savings and increased production for farmers. JCL owner Japie Jordaan is a life-long farmer who says he will never go back to the conventional way of farming or contracting. “I can clearly see the benefits of precision agriculture,” he says. “We’re saving on fertiliser costs, our yields have increased, and every other farm we’ve worked on has also had positive results. It’s a win-win.” Three years ago JCL partnered with Revive Soil Solutions NZ, a precision agricultural service provider who offers practical agronomic advice based on insights gained from geospatial and nutrient analysis. Revive Soil Solutions reviews pasture and crop performance using either satellite NDVI or drone orthophotos to generate a grid overlay. Soil nutrient values are taken and measured over time at specific geographic locations across the farm. Japie saw this as something his customers could benefit from, and was one of the first local contractors to invest in the spreader technology. This allows him to import the custom variable rate application prescription shape files generated by Revive Soil Solutions. This prescription map then enables the spreader unit to leverage its GPS position to control the application rate, ensuring that the right amount of fertiliser is spread in the right place. With new regulations and the rising cost of fertilisers, farmers are looking to maintain or improve their production while lessening their impact on the environment, be more efficient, and save money. As both a grower and a contractor, Japie is no different. “We have changed all of the maize that we are growing ourselves to precision grid sampling and we’ve had significant savings with fertiliser, our yield has increased dramatically and the quality of our maize has improved. Three years later, we can see our soil health has improved also. It’s a massive gain environmentally, because fertiliser is only applied where it’s needed.” Revive Soil Solutions technology is now used by a growing number of dairy farms, maize growers and kiwifruit orchards across the country and Japie says every single one of them has saved money on fertiliser and increased their yield. JCL has also introduced strip till in the maize operation. This is a conservation system that reduces the tillage of the soil by one third of the land each year, thus promoting improved soil health through less rigorous disturbance. Japie is also using this technology on Bay of Plenty kiwifruit orchards with the same results. “All the growers who originally trialled this new technology are expanding their adoption of precision agriculture every year. They are seeing positive results and gaining confidence as time moves on.” JCL is also expanding, and still offers the full complement of grass and maize silage services, cultivation, earthworks, and supplementary feed supplies. Since last year, JCL has been operating from a new purpose-built workshop with undercover parking for its tractors and other machinery. Japie expects this move is going to pay dividends for JCL’s equipment replacement programme, which would have needed reevalution due to the steep price increases on farm machinery in recent years. “Our maintenance needs have reduced dramatically now the machinery is kept out of the rain, so we might be able to keep them a bit longer!” Visit our website WWW.JCLCONTRACTING.CO.NZ Your agricultural contractor in the greater Bay of Plenty Services Grass silage • Cultivation Maize silage • Earthworks • Feed supplement Get in touch P: 07 533 1828 | M: 021 244 9481 office@jclcontracting.co.nz www.holmesbearings.co.nz 79B Hull Road 07 575 0504 sales@holmesbearings.co.nz
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