Virtual Field Day for Improved Farmer Decision Making

A report for the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation

by Larissa Patton and Harm van Rees

December 2006

RIRDC Publication No 06/122 RIRDC Project No BCG-1A

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© 2006 Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation. All rights reserved. ISBN 1 74151 385 5 ISSN 1440-6845 Virtual Field Day for Improved Farmer Decision Making Publication No. 06/122 Project No. BCG-1A The information contained in this publication is intended for general use to assist public knowledge and discussion and to help improve the development of sustainable industries. The information should not be relied upon for the purpose of a particular matter. Specialist and/or appropriate legal advice should be obtained before any action or decision is taken on the basis of any material in this document. The Commonwealth of Australia, Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation, the authors or contributors do not assume liability of any kind whatsoever resulting from any person's use or reliance upon the content of this document. This publication is copyright. However, RIRDC encourages wide dissemination of its research, providing the Corporation is clearly acknowledged. For any other enquiries concerning reproduction, contact the Publications Manager on phone 02 6272 3186. Researcher Contact Details Dr Harm van Rees RSD 69 Rooney Rd Strathfieldsaye VIC 3551 Phone: 03 5439 3089 Fax: 03 5439 3169 Email: harm@cropfacts.com.au

In submitting this report, the researcher has agreed to RIRDC publishing this material in its edited form. RIRDC Contact Details Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation Level 2, 15 National Circuit BARTON ACT 2600 PO Box 4776 KINGSTON ACT 2604 Phone: 02 6272 4819 Fax: 02 6272 5877 Email: rirdc@rirdc.gov.au. Web: http://www.rirdc.gov.au Published in December 2006 Printed on environmentally friendly paper by Union Offset

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Foreword The Birchip Cropping Group (BCG) is a farm group actively involved in research and extension in the Mallee and Wimmera in Victoria. The BCG is an independent registered research authority (RRA) focussed on providing farmers and farm communities with the latest information on new agricultural technologies. Field days, demonstrations, diagnostic schools and paddock walks are all established extension tools designed to assist farmers in making better decisions. However, these communication tools provide information only at a particular point in time. An alternative communication technique is to provide farmers with a continuous communication stream on critical management issues during the season. This is the basis of the Virtual Field Day concept, renamed Virtual Agronomy to more accurately reflect its function. Farmers will gain access to trial and demonstration data from the time that crops were sown until harvest, aiding them in their decision making during the season to secure the success of the crop. This project aimed to develop and provide a new extension tool utilising web-based technologies to distribute information on cropping trials to farmers. The information is displayed through Graphical User Interface (GUI) and includes video, images and text regarding the developmental stages and up-to-date maintenance of the crop. This publication reports on the research program that enabled the development and provision of the new extension tool – Virtual Agronomy. This project was funded from RIRDC Core Funds which are provided by the Australian Government, with co-investment from the GRDC Product and Service Delivery Program. This report, an addition to RIRDC’s diverse range of over 1500 research publications, forms part of our Human Capital, Communications and Information Systems R&D program, which aims to enhance human capital and facilitate innovation in rural industries and communities. Most of our publications are available for viewing, downloading or purchasing online through our website: • downloads at www.rirdc.gov.au/fullreports/index.html • purchases at www.rirdc.gov.au/eshop Peter O’Brien Managing Director Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation

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Acknowledgments The authors would like to acknowledge 2001 Melbourne University Computer Science graduates for completing the first part of the software development. Thank you to the Centre for Electronic Commerce and Communications, a business unit of the University of Ballarat, for developing and hosting the final Virtual Agronomy (previously Virtual Field Day) application. GRDC must be acknowledged for their co-investment, without which this project would not have been possible. The authors would like to thank the following people for their feedback in the initial design stages: Mr Andrew Weidemann, Mr Max Hedt, Mrs Bronwyn Hunt, Ms Megan Callus and Mr Liam Lenaghan.

Abbreviations BCG – Birchip Cropping Group, incorporating the Wimmera Farming Systems group GUI – Graphical User Interface IT – Information Technology VA – Virtual Agronomy

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Contents

FOREWORD ...........................................................................................................................III ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ........................................................................................................ IV ABBREVIATIONS.................................................................................................................. IV EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ....................................................................................................... VI INTRODUCTION......................................................................................................................8 OBJECTIVES...........................................................................................................................9 METHODOLOGY.....................................................................................................................9 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION...............................................................................................10

VIRTUAL AGRONOMY FOR ADMINISTRATION USERS ................................................................10 VIRTUAL AGRONOMY FOR END-USERS...................................................................................11

Current trials....................................................................................................................13 Hot Topics .......................................................................................................................16 Past trials ........................................................................................................................16 CD-ROM .........................................................................................................................17

CONCLUSION .......................................................................................................................18 IMPLICATIONS.......................................................................................................................18 RECOMMENDATIONS.............................................................................................................18

List of figures Figure 1. Administration entry to Virtual Agronomy.............................................................................. 10 Figure 2. The simple method of entering a current or past trial into the Virtual Agronomy database. 11 Figure 3. The first page welcomes Virtual Agronomy users. ............................................................... 12 Figure 4. The main page of Virtual Agronomy provides links to all of the functions offered................ 12 Figure 5. One of the current trials in 2004 was ‘Stripe rust in wheat’. ................................................. 13 Figure 6. Trial site information is available for each site. ..................................................................... 14 Figure 7. A regular update to the stripe rust trial showed the effects of different chemical treatments.

....................................................................................................................................................... 15 Figure 8. The discussion forum regarding the Hot Topic ‘Lucerne flea’. ............................................. 15 Figure 9. One of the Hot Topics in 2004 was ‘Lucerne flea’. ............................................................... 16 Figure 10. Users can search through historical BCG trials according to a keyword or specific field... 17 Figure 11. Average daily visits to the BCG website for the last 12 months (May 2004–March 2005). 18

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Executive Summary Background The BCG (Birchip Cropping Group) is a farmer-driven agricultural organisation operating as a not-for-profit incorporated association, conducting applied research and extension on all the major farming systems in the region. The Group’s purpose has been redefined since its inception and aims to investigate the critical success factors that ensure sustainable and profitable crop and livestock production systems. The BCG has trial sites at several locations in the Mallee, Wimmera and North Central regions, covering all the major soil types and climate zones. The Group has 500 farm business members. A number of communication mediums are used to extend information to members and the wider farmer community. These include field days, fortnightly technical fax bulletins, bi-monthly newsletters and a trials results manual. All of these valuable extension tools provide information at a particular point in time to be used in following seasons. Aims The Group recognised an alternative medium that would provide a continuous communication stream on critical management issues during the current season. This research project allowed the provision of an extension tool enabling farmers to use the internet to gain access to the latest developments in crop production technologies and improve decision making in the current season. This report aims to provide information about the development and function of this extension tool to those industry stakeholders who may benefit from the research, such as other farmer groups, extension agents, state departments, Research & Development Corporations and Cooperative Research Centres. Methodology The concept was previously known as Virtual Field Day, however it was renamed Virtual Agronomy to more accurately reflect its function. The first phase of Virtual Agronomy was developed by Melbourne University Computer Science graduates in 2001. BCG staff and farmer members conducted comprehensive testing of the software in 2002 and 2003, resulting in a redesign by the Centre for Electronic Commerce and Communications at the University of Ballarat in 2003. Virtual Agronomy was made available in the Member Area of the BCG website (www.bcg.org.au) in August 2004. Virtual Agronomy complements the existing communication mediums, providing information in a visually appealing, up-to-date and convenient form. Information is regularly updated and presented in smaller blocks accompanied by multimedia (photographic images, video footage and/or audio recordings). Convenience is achieved by providing filtering and searching capabilities. Virtual Agronomy extends the current system by allowing the crop trials to be examined throughout the growing season rather than only at field days or trial tours. This also addresses the issue of information overload that can occur at field days. Results Virtual Agronomy allows the BCG to provide a more detailed, current and interactive service to its members without replacing any existing extension tools. It is user-friendly for members and allows for slow dial-up connections. Administration users (ie. BCG staff) can easily and rapidly enter trial details from any computer with internet access. This is a cost-effective way of instantly providing BCG members with information.

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Virtual Agronomy has allowed BCG members to: • follow the progress of current trials from sowing through to harvest, • learn more about “Hot Topics” as they arise during the season (eg. disease outbreak) with text,

images, and video or audio recordings from invited experts • search through a database of historical BCG trial results from 1993 to the present • contribute to different discussion forums or post a question to BCG staff or technical consultants,

and • receive the full application on CD-Rom at the end of alternate years. Target audience Virtual Agronomy greatly enhances the ability of BCG members to deal with current short- and long-term management issues and improves their decision making at critical stages throughout the current season to optimise chances of a successful crop. Members of other grower groups throughout Australia would benefit similarly from this tool. State departments and research organisations in any rural industry could use a similar searchable database to provide a convenient, cost-effective method of making research results available. Recommendations • Commercialisation of Virtual Agronomy is a possibility. Subscribers could pay a fee for access to

Virtual Agronomy. • Electronic, real-time information provision should continue to attract investment as it can aid in

decision-making and allows quick response to in-paddock issues. • Virtual Agronomy should be provided to all grower groups in Australia, with local trials on each

website and a central point for national trials to be viewed. Resources required include dedicated staff time to fully maximise the benefits of the program.

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Introduction The BCG (Birchip Cropping Group) is a farmer-driven agricultural organisation that operates as a not-for-profit incorporated association and an independent registered research authority (RRA). BCG conduct applied research and extension on all the major farming systems in Mallee, Wimmera and North Central regions of Victoria, with their focus on providing farmers and farm communities with the latest information on new agricultural technologies. The Group aims to investigate the critical success factors that ensure sustainable and profitable farm production systems. BCG has trial sites at several locations in the Mallee, Wimmera and North Central regions, covering all the major soil types and climate zones. Research is conducted in co-operation with private industry and research providers such as the Departments of Agriculture and CSIRO. Five hundred farm businesses are members of the BCG. These members direct the focus of all trial and extension activities through a Trials Subcommittee consisting of farmers, technical and industry representatives. Field days and information expos are consistently well-attended, attracting in excess of 3500 visitors annually. Improved viability of local rural communities, as stated in the BCG’s mission, is a priority. All of BCG’s information is not only freely distributed, but also passionately promoted. A manual of trial results is distributed free to 6000 farmers in four states. BCG uses many other communication tools to extend information and results to members. These include field days, fortnightly technical fax bulletins, bi-monthly newsletters and media releases. All of these valuable extension tools provide information at a particular point in time to be used, if possible, in the current season and most likely, in following seasons. The Group recognised an alternative communication medium that would provide a continuous communication stream on critical management issues during the current season. This is the basis of the Virtual Field Day (now called Virtual Agronomy) concept. Farmers would gain access to trial and demonstration data from the time that crops were sown until harvest. By following the progress of current trials from their home computer, BCG members (including farmers and industry representatives) could improve their decision making at critical times during the crop’s growth. The new internet-based technology would be used to complement current paper publications. For example, during the stripe rust disease outbreak of 2003, the BCG advised members in its fortnightly technical fax bulletin to monitor crops for hotspots of rust. With Virtual Agronomy, members would be able to read more about the disease, view photographic images of hotspots or rust-affected leaves and listen to an expert speak about stripe rust management. Those considering treating the disease would be able to view the BCG trials from their home computer and compare for themselves the different fungicide treatments. They would easily be able to search through historical BCG trial results to find other research the BCG has conducted into stripe rust. This publication reports on the research and development project that allowed the provision of the new extension tool, Virtual Agronomy, so that farmers can use the internet to gain access to the latest developments in crop production technologies and improve decision making in the current season.

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Objectives This project aimed to develop and provide a new extension tool, Virtual Agronomy, which uses the internet to enable farmers to gain access to the latest developments in crop production technologies. Virtual Agronomy will complement existing communication tools used by the BCG to extend information to the farming community and improve the decisions made on critical management issues throughout the growing season of the crop.

Methodology Melbourne University Computer Science graduates developed the first version of the Virtual Agronomy software in 2001. Comprehensive testing by BCG staff and farmer members occurred during 2002 and 2003, with the application being redesigned by the Centre for Electronic Commerce and Communications, at the University of Ballarat, in 2003. The newly designed application has proven to be very functional and user-friendly, from the perspective of both the end-user and management. Virtual Agronomy was made available in the Member Area of the BCG website (www.bcg.org.au) in August 2004, with an official launch to members and the wider farming community at the BCG Main Field Day in September 2004. The information is displayed through Graphical User Interface (GUI) and includes video, images and text regarding the developmental stages and up-to-date maintenance of the crop. Virtual Agronomy was designed as a modularised framework to which further applications, or modules, can be added. For example, a searchable Speaker Database developed in 2006 allows web users to browse or search through a list of people who have spoken at past BCG events. Virtual Agronomy was also developed with scalability in mind; there is a capability for farmer groups in other regions to enter trial information and for web users to be able to search and filter through all results. During 2004 nine of that year’s current BCG research trials were included in Virtual Agronomy. On a timely basis during the season, the BCG was able to capture and present issues dealing with crop growth. Regular updates on crop growth, agronomic issues and climate data were added to each trial throughout the growing season. From any computer with internet access, administration users (ie. BCG staff) can easily incorporate text or multimedia items to represent the issue under discussion and advise farmers on best management practices before the issue develops into a problem. BCG staff together with their consulting agronomist choose which trials to follow the progress of in Virtual Agronomy at the beginning of each growing season. These trials include a variety of the commonly sown crop types in the Wimmera, Mallee and North Central and include trials from each of BCG’s three main replicated trial sites across these regions. In 2004 all of the BCG’s historical trial results were added to the Virtual Agronomy database, allowing users to filter and search through the 12 years of trial data easily and rapidly. At the end of 2004, a CD-ROM version of the Virtual Agronomy application was posted to the 750 members and sponsors of the BCG. This allowed those without internet access to use the application, while also providing an historical record and the convenience of using Virtual Agronomy without being connected to the internet. The CD-ROM offers all of the same functionality, including searching and filtering capabilities, as the web-based application and includes all of the trial information up until the date the CD was produced.

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Results and Discussion Virtual Agronomy was made available as a valuable communication tool used by the BCG in August 2004. Website statistics show an increase in usage, visible on August 4 when members were notified of the availability of Virtual Agronomy, and remaining consistently higher than historical usage statistics. Virtual Agronomy for administration users BCG staff use a username and password to gain access to the administration side of Virtual Agronomy. The application has been designed so those staff with limited IT knowledge can easily and rapidly enter trial data (Figure 1).

Figure 1. Administration entry to Virtual Agronomy. Current and past trials are entered into a database (Figure 2) to enable end-users to search according to their chosen field or keyword.

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Figure 2. The simple method of entering a current or past trial into the Virtual Agronomy database. Entering information about a Hot Topic is also simple. This function allows the inclusion of information (including multimedia items) about current agronomic issues that may or may not be specific to any particular trial. Hot Topics can be archived (and still viewed) once the issue is no longer relevant. Virtual Agronomy for end-users Virtual Agronomy is accessible in the Member Area of the BCG website (www.bcg.org.au). Members use their regular username and password to gain access. An introductory page welcomes users and provides simple instructions on the functions of Virtual Agronomy (Figure 3).

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Figure 3. The first page welcomes Virtual Agronomy users. The main page in Virtual Agronomy allows users to choose from all of the functions offered (Figure 4).

Figure 4. The main page of Virtual Agronomy provides links to all of the functions offered. Virtual Agronomy has been designed for slow dial-up internet connections. Images are compressed for visibility and may be enlarged if desired. Users can choose which multimedia items to view according to their connection speed. Current trials The list of Current Trials includes all those chosen to be included in Virtual Agronomy each year. These trials are added to the list as they are sown in April to June and are archived once they are finished. Archived trials may still be viewed. Trial details Users may read about each trial with a display of the aim, a brief description, location, soil type, and start and end dates (Figure 5).

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Figure 5. One of the current trials in 2004 was ‘Stripe rust in wheat’. Trial site information Users can view details of the relevant trial site (from the link in Figure 5). The link shows rainfall data, soil type and chemical results, paddock history and exact location of the trial (Figure 6).

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Figure 6. Trial site information is available for each site. Trial updates Regular trial updates on crop growth, climate data and agronomic issues are added throughout the season, allowing users to follow the progress of current trials from their home computer at a time convenient to them. This allows information to be used in decision making at critical times during the season. For example, members considering treating stripe rust in 2004 could view the different chemicals used in the BCG stripe rust trial to assist in their management strategy decision (Figure 7).

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Figure 7. A regular update to the stripe rust trial showed the effects of different chemical treatments. User contributed discussion forums There is a relevant discussion forum underneath each trial and Hot Topic (Figure 8). Users can easily contribute to the discussion by posting a comment without the need to register. They can also post a question to be answered by BCG staff. Email notification is sent to BCG staff and the questions are answered within seven days of posting.

Figure 8. The discussion forum regarding the Hot Topic ‘Lucerne flea’.

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Hot Topics Hot Topics contain information (including multimedia items) about current agronomic issues that may or may not be specific to any particular trial (Figure 9). Users can read the text, view the photographs, listen to audio recordings or view video clips that may be used to provide information and advice to aid in the decisions made at critical times during the growing season of the crop. For example, lucerne flea was common in some Wimmera and Mallee crops in 2003. While there was no current BCG trial specific to lucerne flea, advice could be provided by making a new Hot Topic. A photograph of damage to a plant caused by lucerne flea accompanied a description of the symptoms and the pest and a list of susceptible crops.

Figure 9. One of the Hot Topics in 2004 was ‘Lucerne flea’. Past trials Previously BCG members could look through past trial work by referring to the published manuals of trial results. However, manuals may not always be readily available and members will only have access to the manuals produced during the years they have been members. In 2004 all of the past trials conducted by the BCG since 1993 were added to the Virtual Agronomy database. Users can browse through the trials or easily search for a specific trial by choosing a keyword (eg. canola, glyphosate), category (eg. disease, nutrition, weeds), region (eg. southern Mallee, northern Wimmera), crop type (eg. cereals, oilseeds, pulses) or year (Figure 10).

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Figure 10. Users can search through historical BCG trials according to a keyword or specific field. CD-ROM At the end of 2004, a CD-ROM version of Virtual Agronomy was sent to 750 members and sponsors of the BCG. This enabled the application to be used without being connected to the internet. The CD-ROM offered all of the same searching and filtering functionality as the web-based application. A CD-ROM version will be sent to members and sponsors at the end of alternate years.

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Conclusion Implications Virtual Agronomy has been promoted and marketed via the BCG website, media releases, newsletters, technical fax bulletins and at BCG events including the 2004 Main Field Day, 2004 Grains Research Expo and at the BCG stand at other non-BCG field days such as the Wimmera Machinery Field Days. The Victorian rural newspaper ‘The Weekly Times’ has reported the project, as has ‘Groundcover’, the magazine of the co-investing agency GRDC. Seven hundred and fifty BCG members and sponsors were notified of the availability of Virtual Agronomy via fax bulletin on 4 August 2004. Virtual Agronomy was officially launched at the 2004 BCG Main Field Day in September 2004. Website usage statistics show an increase in average daily visits in August and September (Figure 11). Farmers and agronomists have informally reported on the use and convenience of Virtual Agronomy in providing the latest information in crop production to be used in the current growing season.

Figure 11. Average daily visits to the BCG website for the 12 months May 2004–March 2005. Virtual Agronomy has been designed so that any farm group may enter their trial results in the future. Access to Virtual Agronomy could then be provided to all farmer group members in the country, providing a national database of research trials. Recommendations • Commercialisation of Virtual Agronomy is a possibility. Subscribers could pay a fee for access to

Virtual Agronomy. • Electronic, real-time information provision should continue to attract investment as it can aid in

decision-making and allows quick response to in-paddock issues. • Virtual Agronomy should be provided to all grower groups in Australia, with local trials on each

website and a central point for national trials to be viewed. Resources required include dedicated staff time to fully maximise the benefits of the program.