Japan is very advanced in smart farming and has been using many new digital technologies such as drones and tractor autosteering since 2019. Because of the worker shortage, the aging society, and the young generation's unwillingness to take over farming jobs, the Japanese government has to make changes in farming policies and increase investment in promoting precision agriculture.
Mr. Tanabe has adopted smart farming technologies at an early time in his community in Hokkaido, the second-largest island in Japan. The island has nearly 25% of the country's total cultivated land and contributes 12.5% of the total agricultural output of Japan. He has been following the development of modern agriculture technology and used some popular automatic steering systems for his farming business a few years ago.
On his large-scale farm with a total arable area of 25 hectares at Naganuma-cho, Yubari-gun on the island, he cultivates various crops such as broccoli, Chinese cabbage, tomatoes, rice, wheat, and soybeans. He has engaged in farming for many years, and he used some autosteering navigation kits like the AT1, AT2, and Easy Change from FJDynamics, a global provider of precision agriculture solutions.
Highly Adaptive: Friendly for Both Beginners and Elderly Users
Mr. Tanabe first used FJD's AT1 navigation system about 3 or 4 years ago. At that time, he was already using an automatic steering system from another brand and was impressed by its convenience. Especially when he performed tasks such as ridge smoothing and trench digging, this smart system allowed him to work at ultra-low speeds of 0.5-0.8 km/h, making it easy to level the ridges evenly.
One year after using the autosteering system of other brands, Mr. Tanabe got to know FJDynamics and decided to switch to the "super affordable" alternative. At first, he was attracted by the lower price of FJD autosteering systems, but later he was surprised by their simplicity and ease of use, which strengthened his decision to purchase the FJD's navigation kits.
Designed with convenience in mind, the FJD autosteering system has a terminal screen that is simple to use. All essential functions such as work data and guidance lines are placed in visible locations for quick access. To reduce the learning curve for users in Japan, FJD offers a Japanese language version, with all the icons on the main screen labeled in Japanese. This makes it easy for Mr. Tanabe to understand what each button does, and it doesn't take long for him to get used to the system.
"Because it is highly flexible and adaptive, even beginners and elderly people can use it easily," said Mr. Tanabe, talking about the super simplicity of FJD's autosteering system. When he worked with FJD's automatic steering system, he liked how smoothly it "gets on track", allowing for an effortless transition onto the desired driving line.
A New Daily Routine: I Can't Live Without It Now
Mr. Tanabe noticed that the positioning precision might be affected when the satellite signal became weak. "I realized it's so important to me that I would stop working when the signal is bad," he said. He often used the FJD automatic steering system for various daily tasks such as ridge making and harvesting.
For weeding and plowing cultivation, he kept a precision of 2-3 cm with the system. "If you're not careful, the crops will be caught along with the weeds, making it tricky to handle later. But with the use of FJD automatic steering system, you can trust the seeding line planned on the navigation terminal."
Mr. Tanabe also shared an interesting change from using the FJD auto steer system. "Before I started using the FJD automatic steering system, my wife would give me rice balls for lunch. But now I get a boxed lunch, I can comfortably sit in the tractor seat and enjoy my lunch using chopsticks."
The system also allows him to work in the rice fields at night as it can precisely drive his tractor across the field with precise navigation, making the nighttime paddy field landscape a new daily routine brought by FJD. This shift optimizes his working schedule and approach since he can work at night when necessary.
Cost Savings: Less Seedling Waste and Even Fertilizer Spreading
Planting rice seedlings in paddy fields can be challenging for farmers because it's difficult to see the markers left by the rice planting machine. It is hard to know where the machine marks and where the field is leveled. This is especially true in the Naganuma area (1-3 hectares) where the water doesn't drain well before planting, making it difficult to mark the fields.
By adopting the automatic steering system from FJD, Mr. Tanabe solved these problems and achieved straight planting. "We no longer waste seedlings," he said. This saved the costs spent on seedling boxes and reduced the times of transporting seedling boxes, which translated into decreased labor time and more cost savings.
Mr. Tanabe continued, "I think using the automatic steering system affects crop growth as well". In rice planting, he also applied fertilizer in side rows, which he claimed resulted in more even growth. For vegetables, he used a lime spreader for fertilizer application. Although he didn't use the ISOBUS function while spreading with the automatic steering system, he could still apply fertilizer evenly to some extent.
According to Mr. Tanabe, the local government is working on infrastructure development with large bulldozers in the Naganuma area, which creates thick layers of soil around the farmland. He could easily use subsoilers for soil compaction breaking after the tiller crushed soil clumps. "It's clear to see where the plow breaks up the soil compaction, making the process more efficient."
"Since the automatic steering system handles the driving, there is no need to look forward. I can focus more on checking the work behind me, ensuring there are no mistakes in the process," Mr. Tanabe explained excitedly. He was able to shift the lines and see the job proceed in real time thanks to FJD's autosteering system, which he thought was a huge advantage.
FJD Mania: Once You Put One In, You'll Want to Put Them All In
After using the FJD AT1 autosteering system, Mr. Tanabe also purchased the AT2 and Easy Change systems from FJD for his rice planting machines. He uses the AT2 for various tasks like ridge making and marking as well as rice planting. Mr. Tanabe now recommends these FJD autosteering systems to his fellow farmers in the area, "It's good to get an autosteering system from FJD and put it on the rice planting machine, then you can have everything you need for planting."
When asked about his expectations for the future, he said, "I would like a function that allows me to access guidance lines with one button. I am looking forward to FJD evolving further and supporting my agriculture in the future." For Mr. Tanabe, the automatic steering system is not just a mere machine, but an irreplaceable partner that helps with his daily work and future agriculture.