Diversification of cultures and technology help to achieve greater profitability

In recent weeks, the routine of rural producer and agronomist, Thomás Traldi Chiari, has been hectic, mainly due to the completion of the purchase of inputs for the next soybean planting, in mid-September. He is still counting and celebrating the results of the last harvest, the best in recent times at the São José farm and also one of the highest in the region, with a general average of 72 bags per hectare. It is worth mentioning that there were areas that reached almost 100 bags per hectare, practically double the national average of 50 bags/ha.

Even though it is the best result ever achieved by the property, he knows that it is risky to bet all his chips on just one crop, given the ups and downs of the market, and that is why his production strategy is through multi-cropping. “Depending solely on one crop is very dangerous, whether for market or climate reasons. Here, if one crop goes wrong, the others balance the score and in the end we have more security and stability”, he highlights.

The agricultural calendar in São José is well measured. The property starts the year by planting tomatoes and beans in the irrigated areas, and also a field of corn seed. After the harvest, in mid-May, he returns with beans, sweet corn and then soybeans. According to Chiari, this strategy of diversified production works well mainly due to the location of the city of Morrinhos.

The municipality is in a region with easy access to important cities in the states of São Paulo, Minas Gerais, Goiás and also Brasília. Furthermore, there are many industries in the surrounding areas that absorb production. “We are located in a very strategic region. The city also has an altitude that varies from 700 to 850 meters, excellent for these types of crops and also has relatively abundant water”, says the producer.

Technology in production

In addition to its well-defined strategy, São José also stands out for its embedded technology. The farm uses central pivot irrigation in a large part of the area, this provides more security, especially in the months of strong drought. Furthermore, it ensures that the plants will receive water in the ideal quantity and at the right time, thus avoiding problems such as water stress.

Another secret of the farm is its planters. This is because for several years the property has only used the Apollo kit, made up of discs and rings. The solutions are made available by J.Assy, a company specializing in technological solutions for agribusiness. Apollo Discs, in addition to making it possible to plant different varieties of soybean seeds on the market, have patented RampFlow technology, a ramp with small grooves in each hole that helps eliminate double seeds and planting failures and also reduces seed friction and breakage inside of the doser.

Added to this, J.Assy's Apollo Discs for soy also feature Coneflow technology. With the disc's exit diameter larger than the entry diameter, the seed, when it enters the doser hole, comes out much easier and does not get stuck in the disc. This will improve distribution in the soil and cause less mechanical damage. With this technology, the seed comes out by gravity, improving its germination, quality and vigor during planting.

The partnership between São José and J.Assy goes back many years. According to Chiari, as soon as they purchased the first planters to carry out direct planting, they exchanged the original machine kit and replaced it with the J.Assy solution. “Apollo discs have greatly improved distribution efficiency. It was at that time that the company began to stand out in the region and all producers made this change and thus began to gain market share”, he recalls.

Satisfied with the results of the discs, the farm also started using other solutions made available by J.Assy, such as the Selenium pneumatic doser. The product developed in Brazil was designed for soybean crops, ensuring the best seed spacing, but can also be used for sowing corn, cotton, beans and sorghum. The equipment is efficient in distributing seeds, as it has a kit for each crop and does not require adjustment, making it easier to handle and change kits (it was manufactured so that it can be handled with just one hand). In addition, it has a display to monitor planting. 

According to Chiari, the choice for Selenium was based on performance in several consecutive harvests. The farm that uses only one brand of planter realized that the doser that came originally from the manufacturer was good, however, after two or three harvests, it lost quality, compromising planting efficiency. “In my analysis, the biggest bottleneck was that for the original equipment of the machine to work properly, it was necessary to stop the operation to carry out maintenance. “When you work with several machines it becomes difficult to stop to check and adjust them. With Selenium, we have already used it on more than 6 thousand hectares and the equipment continues to have the same performance, without losing production efficiency”, he concludes.