SOYL newsletter October 2016
1. Popular Winter Workshops return
SOYL’s popular Winter Workshops return next month, offering growers the opportunity to learn more about the latest developments in precision crop production.
Twelve free workshops across England and Scotland will share information on the practicalities and benefits of precision techniques, including:
- Latest variable rate nitrogen trials including new approaches and advice
- Real time variable depth cultivations with Topsoil Mapper
- Full results from our harvest 2016 trial programme
- Multi layer analysis of precision farming data
- Preview of trials in the ground for harvest 2017
- Options for mapping black-grass in 2017
- Next steps for using yield maps.
Coffee will be served from 9am with presentations starting at 9.30am. Presentations conclude at 12.30pm when a light lunch will be served.
BASIS and NRoSO points are available on attendance.
To reserve a free place, call 01635 204190, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or book online here.
SOYL winter workshop dates and locations:
| Area |
Date |
Venue |
| Norwich |
15th November 2016 |
John Innes Centre |
| Newbury |
17th November 2016 |
Newbury SOYL HQ |
| Towcester |
22nd November 2016 |
Whittlebury Hall |
| Pocklington |
24th November 2016 |
KP Club |
| Peterborough |
28th November 2016 |
The Haycock Hotel |
| Worcester |
1st December 2016 |
The Pear Tree Hotel |
| Lincoln |
6th December 2016 |
Lincolnshire Showground |
| Sandy |
9th December 2016 |
Frontier Agriculture |
| Colchester |
13th December 2016 |
Colchester United FC |
| Berwick |
31st January 2017 |
Marshall Meadows Hotel |
| Perth |
1st February 2017 |
Battleby Conference Centre |
| Aberdeen |
2nd February 2017 |
Lochter Activity Centre |
2. Upgraded MySOYL brings even more benefits
SOYL's web-based precision management platform, MySOYL, has been upgraded to make managing precision data even easier.
As well as allowing faster access and uploading of data, the upgrade enables growers to simultaneously view and compare more detail than ever before. For the first time ever, MySOYL will also be fully functional on a tablet.
As scientists and agronomists build increasingly complex data models to improve yields using precision data, MySOYL enables growers to profit from these advances whilst making the crop production decision making process simpler and more precise.
MySOYL is already used by more than 4,500 UK growers to generate and manage maps and other data related to all aspects of precision crop production.
Please note that the seed rate calculator is currently available via the previous version of MySOYL.To find out more about how MySOYL can help your business, visit one of our Winter Workshops to talk to the team and see live demonstrations. Alternatively, call SOYL on 01635 204190 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
3. Visit SOYL at upcoming events
Growers have plenty of opportunity to meet the SOYL team in November, with stands at Croptec and the Midlands Machinery Show as well as the first Winter Workshops.Visitors will be able to learn more about how precision crop production techniques can help improve their bottom line and see live demonstrations of the tools that bring precision data to life and make it easier to manage, including the new and improved MySOYL, the latest version of iSOYL and the recently launched iSOYLscout.
SOYL experts will be on hand to discuss growers' queries and the bespoke packages that can be created to meet individual needs.
Visit us on stand 148 at Croptec on 29th and 30th November at the East of England Showground, Peterborough and
Midlands Machinery Show on 23rd and 24th November at The Showground, Lincoln Road, Winthorpe, Newark, Notts, NG24 2NY.
4. Proven benefits of SOYLsense
In preparation for spring, growers are encouraged to consider the benefits of variable rate nitrogen and send their 2017 cropping plans now.Nitrogen is one of the most important nutrients for achieving maximum economic yield from arable crops. Using satellite imagery, SOYLsense can monitor and manage variation in crop biomass with the use of variable rate nitrogen applications. Agronomic models are then used to convert this imagery into a nitrogen plan suitable for the growth stage of the crop. Benefits of this approach include:
• Increased protein levels
• Increased yields
• Ability to monitor 100% of the field
• Reduced lodging and disease pressure
SOYL has conducted over 30 trials on variable rate nitrogen across the UK over the past 10 years to compare variable rate (based on satellite imagery of crop growth) and flat rate (based on best practice) applications. Yields from this range of trials have shown a consistent improvement of variable rate over flat rate, giving an average yield increase of over 5%. When based on a wheat price of £120/t, this is a financial benefit of over £50/ha.
Growers planning to use the service this spring should send their 2017 cropping plans to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
To find out more about how variable rate nitrogen could benefit your farm, visit your local Winter Workshop over the coming months or call the SOYL applications team on 01635 204192.
Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter @SOYLprecision for regular updates on soils, nutrients, machinery and GPS.
