Project of the Month April 2004

Agriculture leads the IT Way

In each their way the three DDN projects titled ”Farming net/Landbonet”, ”www.agriworld.dk”, and ”Knowledge Building Using Virtual Visualised Network Cooperations/Vidensopbygning ved virtuelle visualiserede netværkssamarbejder”, have made farming more convenient

By Naia Bang / Texthuset Aalborg
The first to adopt IT-technology were the farmers. Already in the eighties Danish farmers took up computer-aided field management, and today most farms are automated, the computer being a farming tool just as vital as the tractor. So several agricultural societies were quick in coming up with project proposals for the Digital North Denmark – projects to facilitate the farming documentation – and hence management –, and to increase the service level in the way of online consultant assistance. Three of the projects are still running and making steps to go nationwide. These are titled ”www.agriworld.dk”, ”Knowledge Building Using Virtual Visualised Network Cooperations/Vidensopbygning med virtuelle visualiserede netværkssamarbejder”, and ”Farming Net/Landbonet”.

Soon the milk quality can be measured on location and uploaded to the Web, owing to the ”Landbonet” project

Keeping Track of the Milk
- The vision of the ”Landbonet” project was to collect milk quality information – and the yield of each farmer's dairy stock. We possess nationwide dairy stock recordings containing a wealth of information – on each cow, its pedigree etc. And the farmer records corresponding information on the milk producing capacity, quality etc. of each cow. We want to link the two systems making it easier to track each cow, discuss any issues with the consultant – who also has access to identical information – and hence is able to respond quicker to such issues.
This is explained by Anders B. Hummelmose, IT manager of Landbonord and the project manager of the ”Landbonet”.
Progress has not been made as intended, primarily owing to technical trouble.
- The gauges measuring the milk quality have been causing trouble. If not mounted optimally, they were not sufficiently reliable, and this has caused a project delay of about 9 months. Now the gauges are working properly, and the next step is uploading the information to the Web. This will happen over 2004 – and in principle the project coverage is nationwide. -For the Web-part is being developed in collaboration with the national centre in Skejby, reports Anders B. Hummelmose.

The milk quality gauge should be absolutely level

Mobile Consultant Service
The ”Knowledge Building Using Virtual Visualised Network Cooperations” project, is focusing on dairy stock, too. The use of Web cameras allows the farmer to monitor his milking robot – or a cow calving – whilst working in the fields. For the Web camera images are transmitted to his mobile phone. And generally the mobile phone plays an essential role in the project.
- When a farmer in his field is facing a problem with his crops, he will typically call his consultant on the phone and try to describe the problem. And often the consultant will have to call around to survey the problem for himself.
Using the new mobile phones with a built-in camera the farmer is now able to produce an image to illustrate the problem, write a message for the consultant and submit it all via the mobile phone. It saves time – for both the consultant and the farmer who in turn saves money avoiding the consultant's call on location, explains Jens Peter Hansen, consultant of the Landbrugets Rådgivningscenter, the Agricultural Advisory Centre.
However, getting advisory assistance from a consultant via e-mail to the phone will not be entirely free of charge for the farmer. Each agricultural association joining the project will be pricing this type of help for its members.

Computer-aided Decision-making
Originally the project worked with digital cameras, but the development within mobile phone technology allowed using the most recent mobile phones with integrated cameras.
- All the while the farmer is able to get decision support via the mobile phone. Together with the Danmarks Jordbrugsforskning (National Agricultural Research) we have uploaded various types of information for the farmer to download on his mobile phone. For example he can download a weather forecast covering the next 48 hours, detailed to the hour, enabling him to decide whether he can complete a spray before the rain sets in, explains Jens Peter Hansen.
Also the farmer can enter the amount of the crop and the number of weed plants within a square metre to get advice on how to proceed. He can enter the amounts of precipitation and use the information to produce a plan for irrigation. All while standing on his field.
Right now the system is being introduced to farmers nationwide, and those interested can read more by accessing the Web-site of the Counselling Centre.

Virtual Meeting Place for Farmers
Trade portals are found on the Web where you can buy almost anything. Web-sites provide information, and you can submit queries to experts. And there are pages for debates.
In the agricultural association of Aalborg they wanted to create a portal linking it all together – for the benefit of farmers and others with an interest. So they launched the ”www.agriworld.dk” project and added the home page with that address.
- The mission is to make all departments upload information and news to the portal, providing news for farmers and other interested visitors to the page. This was successfully completed in part. Furthermore, queries can be submitted to the agricultural consultant or to the vets over the portal – and we sell goods to the farmers. IT equipment for example; and we have made a deal enabling members to order Wellingtons via the agricultural vets' consulting service in Hobro. Also an E-mart was established for farmers with goods to sell and those wanting to buy can meet, says Allan Kyneb, IT manager of the agricultural association of Aalborg.

Local weather forecasts, forecasts for crops and yields, spraying schedules – the ”Knowledge Building Using Virtual Visualised Network Cooperations” project has procured a wealth of information on the farmer's mobile phone

Buy a Farm – or Watch a Cow
Also the agricultural association has set up an agreement with 12 estate agent companies advertising farms nationwide for sale on www.agriworld.dk.
- We have also set up Web-cams on to different farms allowing visitors to the site a real-time view into the stable. This goes for a cattle yard in Sønderholm, where cameras have been set up in the stable and the milking area, and for a piggery in Vrå where cameras are monitoring the daily routines, explains Allan Kyneb.
And of course the meetings and courses held by the agricultural association – and relevant courses held by the national centre – will be uploaded to the portal, which hosts a daily average of nearly 200 visitors.
- We would like even more visitors to the portal, and we are constantly working to develop and adapt the portal, states Allan Kyneb.

Read more about the three agricultural projects on the Web-site of the Digital North Denmark, www.thedigitalnorthdenmark.com . You can also visit the portal of the Aalborg agricultural association, www.agriworld.dk 

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