Making Sense

Making Sense is a collaboration network between the Van den Borne potatoes, Claassen, Novifarm, Wageningen University, TTW and HAS Den Bosch in which the practical application for precision agriculture is developed. Making Sense was founded in 2010 and emerged from the “leak prick” project, which took place under the banner of Project Precision Agriculture (PPL). The focus is on translating soil and crop sensor data into automated cultivation measures.

• Precision farming according to Making Sense is:
• Focus on cultivation measures: know why and why you are doing it;
• Collect data in a uniform manner: so that it can be compared within the company between years and can also be exchanged between growers and researchers;
• Make smart use of sensor systems: based on your precision farming goals, choose how to use sensing systems efficiently;
• The development of a traffic light system (or dashboard) that provides insight into the condition of the crop during the growing season and can prioritize the required management between parcels and, if possible, within parcels;
• A change in thinking about the choices a grower makes and the priorities that are set for the company: This is a process that you ideally start with a group of growers to exchange knowledge and experience.

Data Harvest Making Sense
Making Sense develops knowledge about precision agriculture by collecting data in a standard working method. There are test fields with the same design at various locations in the Netherlands. The test fields are on light sandy soil in North Groningen, sandy / clay soil in Hoekse Waard and sandy soil in Brabant. In this way, data is collected about different regions with their own growth characteristics.