Automation and technology increase grain productivity

The prospects for the 2022/23 grain harvest are good. According to the National Supply Company (Conab), the harvest of 313 million tons of grains is expected throughout Brazil – an increase of 15,5% compared to the last cycle, or almost 42 million tons more. The growth is supported by the estimated increase in the soybean planted area. According to the Company, around 43,2 million hectares across the country should be allocated for sowing the oilseed, with expected productivity of 3.551 kg/ha. For corn, the expectation is that total production will be 126,4 million tons. Among winter crops, the highlight is the record wheat harvest: Conab predicts that farmers will harvest 9,5 million tons of grain this harvest, a value 23,7% higher than the previous cycle.

The numbers encourage and highlight what is the right-hand man of producers who work with large volumes: technology. “The use of technology and automation in Brazilian rural production is and always will be a constant. Producers are always acquiring new technologies in the search for optimizing their machines and operations, and the consequent greater savings on inputs and increased productivity”, analyzes Gustavo Chavaglia, member of FAESP's Sugarcane and Renewable Energy Technical Commission and producer of soy.

This perception is shared by the coordinator of the FAESP Technical Grains Commission Márcio Antônio Vassoler. “Agriculture has been in a process of modernization in recent decades. Increasing process efficiency and greater control of activities are the objectives. Therefore, the concept of agriculture 4.0 has been widely discussed in the field. Tractors, seeders, sprayers and harvesters have been automated. Crop assessment using drones and human resources management software as well,” he says.

Knowing that technology is fundamental to increasing productivity, it is worth analyzing how automation is used in different grain crops. There are many paths, experts explain. It is possible to find automated resources at various stages of the plantation, from before planting, through cultivation, harvesting and storage. “Nowadays we can automate several processes within grain management on the farm. From planting to harvesting, we have options for real-time monitoring of all stages, thanks to GPS technologies and improved 3G and 4G signal quality”, observes Alexandre Volpon, assistant coordinator of the FAESP Technical Grain Commission. This way, he says, it is possible to monitor the performance of the machines, how many hectares have already been planted, the cost of seed and fuel in real time and whether there has been any failure in planting.

Innovation from planting to harvesting

Avoiding waste, using resources more efficiently and ensuring high soil and input productivity are the main objectives of using automation technologies in the field. In the case of grains, extensive cultivation areas provide even greater opportunity for the application of production control technologies, which also prevent the occurrence of crop failures, excess or waste of inputs.
Machine work begins before planting. “From soil preparation, GPS systems contribute to optimizing the use of machines and equipment, but mainly in saving fuel and applications with precise doses, which can be variable depending on the specific need for soil correction”, explains Chavaglia. In the planting stage, equipment can distribute seeds with sensors in each planting line, ensuring good use of soil and materials.

Management during plant growth is also marked by automation. “When spraying pesticides and foliar fertilizers, we can again use sensors, which enable correct use in the area of ​​application with the so-called section cutting, avoiding waste and reassembly of products”, he says. According to Volpon, equipment that drives on autopilot further helps productivity in these first stages of production. “Tractors with an autopilot system already drive these machines at each stage, eliminating human interference and the possible errors that this can bring, and with precision of just a few centimeters”, he explains. But to do so, the operational software must be very well aligned with the area's project.

Automated harvesting, in turn, can now be considered an “old acquaintance” – especially among soybean producers. “At harvest, current machines, with computerized screens and targeted sensors, provide readings on production at the time of harvest, such as grain moisture and cleaning waste. These machines have several automation and information generation systems for both the machine – such as breakdowns – and the crop being harvested”, explains Chavaglia.

Technology also adds value to post-harvest production. Volpon explains that, with the data collected by the machinery throughout a harvest, it is possible to obtain valuable information about production and better prepare the next harvest. “We are able to see productivity in each field and cross-reference this information to have a complete analysis of all operations. This information is essential so that the producer can analyze every square meter of his property, optimizing the use of inputs as much as possible and at the same time bringing savings and increased productivity. This way, the producer can be more efficient, making their business more sustainable and profitable,” he notes.

Latest technologies and tips for producers

The main equipment available on the market today are sensors, which read in real time everything that happens in each operation – for example, flowmeters that count the seeds in seeders and, using GPS, georeference this information. Another example of the use of technology is in the spraying of pesticides, in which sensors detect the existence of weeds and decide where each product should or should not be applied, bringing economic and environmental gains, with the rationalization of the use of inputs.

The drone – or vant, acronym for unmanned aerial vehicle – is another category of equipment that has been increasingly used within properties. They read green mass levels or map weeds, bringing the possibility of efficient use of fertilizers and pesticides.

“In addition to this equipment, software is also an important part of this process, as it is what analyzes and processes all this information, delivering more concise and accurate data, so that the producer can use it in his decision-making. Nowadays, producers have at their disposal a wide range of agricultural management software, helping to control stocks of pesticides, fertilizers and other inputs, as well as financial control and accounts payable”, adds Volpon.

The advantages of diving deep into this brave new world of technology are many, but caution is also necessary. “Producers must be careful and plan very well when thinking about automating their operations, as not all equipment and software are compatible with each other, which can be a problem when executing their projects”, says Volpon. Chavaglia warns about the equation between the cost of acquiring a new technology and the results obtained by it in the field. “Many of the technologies aimed at the field are already consolidated, but there is still a lot to come and the producer has to be attentive to follow the evolution, in addition to being cautious in the acquisition, as the costs of implementing these technologies have to follow a rhythm between the gain brought and implementation cost”, he says. In other words, before purchasing a new technology, it is necessary to financially analyze the acquisition so that the investment is sustainable, remembering that, in addition to offering benefits, automation requires training of the workforce, constant innovations and maintenance.

This is, however, a path of no return. “The future of agricultural properties will certainly be the total automation of all stages, with tractors and harvesters that will no longer need drivers to operate them, thus bringing more operational performance and less risk of human error. Nowadays we already have several prototypes that do this, and their arrival on the market on a commercial scale is a matter of a few years”, predicts Volpon.