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The national Helix Technology Development Farm is hosted courtesy of Andrew and William Pitts of JW Pitts & Sons located at Mears Ashby and Whiston in Northamptonshire. This is where the testing and trialling of new technologies such as the Omnia Production tool takes place.
Andrew Pitts has seen the tool in action and for him, it offers another layer of accuracy to understanding what it costs to produce a crop – both financially and in terms of carbon. He believes that the improved level of accuracy helps to make decisions going forward on a better informed basis – and answer questions on how to better manage poor performing areas of a field.
After two very wet winters, Andrew says the decision-making he’s faced this autumn is a prime example of how the Carbon Cost of Production tool could be used.
“While our primary cultivation is always direct drilling, this year we’ve got some ground that’s a bit tight, so we’ve had to move the soil.”
“Our environmental and carbon footprint is something we’re really prioritising on farm so, in my mind, I’ve had to think about which is the lowest carbon way of moving soil. Is it hiring a Challenger? Or would I have been better to run a low disturbance subsoiler over the ground?”
“Now I’ll be able to take the guess work out of it and make educated, informed decisions.”
Andrew believes that it’s becoming increasingly important to be able to show both financial profit and environmental sustainability – and a tool such as this puts him one step ahead in being able to do this.
Ultimately the pressure for net zero will continue and Andrew reckons if he can show end market buyers the value of his carbon emissions for a particular crop, then that puts him in a stronger position as a supplier.
Learn more about Omnia’s Cost of Production tools HERE
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