28 BEFORE THE ADVENTof drone technology, issues in the field could only be seen from the ground and tractor level. Using drone technology provided a whole new perspective, allowing growers to see problems in the field as they developed and, for the first time, visualize how they could be better managed. New technology, the Mobile Soil Technology Suite (MSTS), offers growers new perspectives — some of them quite literally groundbreaking. Funded by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) and overseen by the Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association (OSCIA), MSTS is available for soil-related events this summer. MSTS is a mobile demonstration suite that consists of two trailers. The first trailer is a lab of sorts that houses equipment that supports applied soil research, and it is equipped with water, power and air, as well as specialized scientific tools. The second trailer carries a 7-foot by 10-foot highresolution LED screen and sound equipment that can be used to demonstrate data from Digging deeper into soil health MSTS GIVES GROWERS A NEW PERSPECTIVE Melanie Epp BRETT ISRAEL MADE A PRESENTATION USING THE MSTS AT AN EVENT AT 3GEN ORGANICS NEAR WALLENSTEIN, ON. sensors, presentations, and video — either pre-recorded or footage captured live onsite — at field events. IDEA IS SPARKED The idea for the mobile suite first blossomed at a soil compaction event where similar technology was used to measure soil pressure from different-sized farm equipment. To do this, weigh scales were buried beneath the soil's surface, and using sensors, event organizers tested 75 configurations of equipment in an attempt to understand the balance and weight on each tire and axle. Data from the sensors was projected directly onto a large LED screen, allowing growers to see firsthand how the soil reacted under heavy equipment. OMAFRA crop innovation specialist Ian MacDonald recalls that having audiovisual equipment greatly improved the overall experience and, therefore, growers' understanding of how equipment causes soil compaction. He also recalls the hefty price tag that came with the rental equipment. Realizing that having regular access to this type of equipment could seriously improve soil health and crop demonstration, he and a couple of colleagues at OMAFRA put together a funding proposal. The idea was to take field extension and the understanding of soil management to the next level. "What happens under our feet is sort of blind to us," says MacDonald. "It's at such a microscopic level that we struggle to comprehend it. We reasoned that, as people, we really learn by seeing things." UNLIMITED POTENTIAL Beyond assessing real-time soil compaction risks, MSTS has countless applications — many of them unrealized. For instance, it can highlight water-holding capacity by showing how water filters through the soil. Industry News
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