The Institut de Technologie Agroalimentaire du Québec (ITAQ) expands its continuing education offering with new training on precision agriculture, in particular on GPS and precision spreading.
“All farmers want to be profitable and want to reduce their ecological footprint. Many would like to use equipment such as precision fertilizer spreaders, but have no knowledge on the subject, explains Alessandro Breda, consultant for continuing education and agronomist at ITAQ. The training will provide an overview of precision spreading equipment and discuss their interconnection
data sharing. »
The demand for precision farming equipment has been steadily increasing in recent years. The Quebec government’s spring 2024 launch of the Prime-Vert program, which offers subsidies for projects to improve the management of fertilizer materials, has spurred demand.
With this training we respond to a concern of farmers, especially in terms of saving production factors, but also in terms of the environmental aspect. Furthermore, this training meets the objectives of the MAPAQ Sustainable Agriculture Plan.
Alessandro Breda
The training also aims to answer questions and concerns of producers and agricultural consultants. “Sharing a common vision is essential for better collaboration between manufacturers and retailers,” explains Breda. In other words, develop a common language. We offer manufacturers the tools to ask the right questions before purchasing this type of equipment and thus make an optimal choice. We also help consultants better support producers in their decision-making process. »
The training will also identify different precision spreading technologies and systems, compare different equipment and identify how these devices connect to GPS and calibrate. “There are more and more tools that allow you to consult data, generate yield maps, analyze field topography or access satellite images, but you still need to know how to interpret them,” says Alexandre Bakaras, ITAQ teacher. It is essential to understand the characteristics of our fields before deciding to use precision equipment, such as variable rate spreaders. »
Continuous training follows in the footsteps of precision agriculture
ITAQ is ideally placed to offer this training to farmers. In fact, the Institute already integrates these technologies into its teaching for future technologists and into its field practices. The training, which lasts 4-6 hours, will take place virtually in late February or early March.