Pivots boost tomato production in Goiás

It is in the small municipality of Indiara, with just over 15 thousand inhabitants, approximately 100 kilometers from the capital Goiânia, that producer Alaor Ávila has been excelling in tomato production. Having worked in the countryside for over 20 years and running the Panorâmica farm, a property of approximately 900 hectares, it was in 2015 that the big turning point in the business came when he started investing in irrigated agriculture.

When doing the math at the end of the harvest, Ávila realized that he needed to improve his margins, which is when he researched something that had added value. Through encouragement from a childhood friend, he decided to invest in tomatoes. In the first year, he relied heavily on his friend's help to readapt the property to the new crop, but from the second harvest onwards, he was already managing the crops alone. “Agriculture is increasingly competitive, so we sought specialized technical help to see which crops we could grow with greater financial returns”, recalls the producer.

Ávila then invested in irrigation, currently there are five Zimmatic pivots, a Lindsay brand. “Irrigation with a central pivot is essential for tomatoes, as they are a crop that needs water, but does not like rain. With the equipment, water is monitored and reaches the plant in the quantity and at the time it needs, without irrigation it would be impossible to produce in this region”, he highlights.

Currently, the Panorâmica farm produces trailing tomatoes, a variety suitable for sauces focused on industry. In the case of the property, 100% of the harvest is sold through exclusive contracts directly to the multinational Cargill, one of the privately held companies present on five continents.

The fruit is grown in an area of ​​250 hectares in the winter period, which runs from April to September. From October to February, soybeans are sown in the same area with irrigation. The property also has another 250 hectares where oilseeds are produced on a rainfed basis.

Despite its main function of supplying water in a homogeneous way, the producer uses the pivots to carry out fertilization and also to apply pesticides to combat the attack of pests or invaders. With production so integrated in this current harvest that reaches its final stretch, Ávila is harvesting an average of 90 tons per hectare, while the national average is 80 tons per hectare. “This year, due to excessive rain, we also had a reduction in productivity. With the help of irrigation, we have already harvested 111 tons per hectare”, highlights the producer.

Control in the palm of your hands

In addition to the central pivots, the Panorâmica farm also has FieldNET technology, a solution also offered by Lindsay. The tool makes it possible to irrigate any plantation, on various types of land and soil to increase productivity and better use natural resources. Additionally, management is wireless and fully integrated and allows you to view and control your systems from virtually anywhere.

According to Ricardo Heise, partner and manager of the farm, FieldNET has been fundamental in managing the farm's processes. From the control center installed on the property, where he spends 80% of his time, from the comfort of his chair, the manager has all the information on the performance of the pivots on the property. “If there is a problem with a wheel motor, for example, and it stops moving, but at the same time the equipment continues to irrigate, with FieldNET, I know exactly where that pivot stopped, how long it stayed like that and how much water it played. All this information is important when making a decision,” he highlights.

Among the possibilities, FieldNET also generates savings for the farm. With this information, the producer does not need to be in the field to turn the equipment on and off, doing so remotely, saving labor and fuel. “Today, this technology is fundamental in terms of time, as I often don’t even need to be on the farm to make a decision. The reports provide us with enough and accurate data for me to do everything wherever I am,” adds Heise.  

According to him, these new technologies will be fundamental in modern agriculture for the coming decades. “The new generation of producers is increasingly linked to automation. Farms today already have internet, the pivots are already controlled remotely, there is digital rain gauge control. All these automation processes will incorporate better controls into the business and, above all, greater results”, concludes the manager.