The future of terrain management and autonomy in agriculture

This is branded content for T3RRA

T3RRA is a leading company in the field of terrain management design and control software products for the agricultural industry.

Their software supports all types of drainage solutions, from surface to subsurface, and helps growers achieve higher yields and profits by improving water management and soil conditions.

Land-forming is an important foundational consideration in the enabling of automation technologies.

T3RRA is well positioned to support farmers looking to take the first step, which can save time, money, and improve machine efficiency.

T3RRA's history dates back to 2012, when it was founded as part of Precision Cropping Technologies (PCT) in Narrabri, NSW.

It then became a separate business, Precision Terrain Solutions (PTS), which was later rebranded to T3RRA in 2018.

Now based out of Toowoomba, Queensland, with North American operations based out of Little Rock Arkansas, T3RRA software is now sold and supported through an extensive list of John Deere Dealers globally.

The software was originally created based on requests from growers in flood irrigation areas looking to reduce the amount of dirt moved to make water flow.

Since then, the suite of products has grown along with the level of sophistication of the background algorithms.

The customer base has also grown dramatically with T3RRA now being used in a wide array of applications, including ditching, drains, tiling, dams, road building, silage stacks, and even housing developments to name a few.

One of the most interesting areas of growth has been that of dryland farming, traditionally moving dirt has been viewed as an irrigated grower's realm however dryland is now one of the larger growth areas.

Travis Lobwein, a T3RRA representative and a farmer himself, said that autonomy in agriculture was the next phase that farmers were looking at seriously.

"We've seen an increased use of our software to address issues of seasonal variances affecting trafficability, i.e., an autonomous vehicle has trouble navigating seasonally variable wet areas," Mr Lobwein said.

"Our software enables growers to eliminate or at least reduce these issues, which not only improves overall production but has the added benefit of enabling more efficient autonomous machine operation."

Mr Lobwein also explained how T3RRA's software can optimise field topography for more efficient operations.

"Growers are increasingly under greater time pressures to get operations done more precisely and efficiently," he said.

"Our software enables growers to design features like graduated (Hamilton bank design) farm-over contour banks, which can be optimised for both water flow and sprayer/machine approach speeds.

"Features like these are going to become more critical as the industry sees a greater uptake in technologies like Optical Spot Sprayers (OSS), which rely heavily on boom stability for accurate on-target application."

Mr Lobwein added that T3RRA's software can also provide an impressive return on investment by having better water management that improves machine efficiency and reduces repairs, but also increases yield potential in these areas with more even water infiltration and reduced ponding or water logging.

"So that's a win-win situation," he said.

T3RRA offers an extensive suite of software programs for different applications.

The in-cab software utilises the John Deere Greenstar TM System for GPS positioning and iGrade TM for the remote control of the hydraulics on the implement.

T3RRA's desktop software helps free up the in-cab tablet for applying the designs and features more design tools for creating more complex full farm designs.

T3RRA Design Plus is designed for surveyors and agricultural designers, giving them more analytical and surface design tools to create more complex designs.

Mr Lobwein said his family was an early adopter of the initial T3RRA Cutta Software when it was first released and continues to use it.

"We saw the benefits straight away of having the ability to survey/design and implement the work to maintain and repair our fields and irrigation infrastructure as it was required," he said.

"This saves time and money as the jobs could be completed between cropping seasons or when it required urgent attention due to weather events.

"We also didn't have to wait on a third-party design or contractor to arrive."

Cam and Rachel Roth, owners of Racam Contracting - Land Levelling and Bulk Earthmoving, started using T3RRA Cutta two years ago and haven't looked back.

Mr Roth said it was the core of their levelling business and that they relied heavily on this product.

"T3RRA Cutta has unheard of potential but a few of the key features being in cab design, remote support and ease of use," he said.

"T3RRA Cutta is as simple or as complex as you want to make it.

"You are able to create a design and send it to screen 3500km away to keep things rolling in the paddock, this is second to none.

"We have Laser Buckets working in Queensland and the Northern Territory, so having a reliable product is paramount."

Mr Roth said he was about to purchase two more T3RRA Cutta units in the coming months, with the potential to fit more units to other styles of earthmoving equipment in the future.

T3RRA is committed to providing innovative solutions for terrain management and autonomy in agriculture.

To learn more about their products and services, click HERE.

This is branded content for T3RRA