Optimised planning allows you to respond quickly to unforeseen events in the field

In agriculture and the forestry sector, there are a number of factors that are impossible to control, such as the locust cloud coming from Argentina recently. Unforeseen events happen, but you can be ready for them. Making optimised plans and calculating the possibilities and variants can make all the difference in the final production. Although this advantage does not prevent chance, it allows for a quick response to conflicts, maintaining positive productivity.

HxGN AgrOn Harvest Planning is an example of a solution that helps in this preparation. A system that enables optimised harvesting plans to be prepared, defining the ideal cutting period of the areas according to varietal, operational and logistic criteria and restrictions. Using the configuration of the parameters, the manager builds a harvest plan according to their needs, considering: estimated production per area; maturation curves; geographic distribution; field sampling; laboratory curves; weather forecasts; harvesting strategies and even industry demand. Plan as needed, always based on data true to the reality of the field.

Once this is done, a linear programming algorithm tests all possible solutions, optimising the total result of the harvest. From this optimised plan, it is possible to know when the cutting and transportation of each production unit will be carried out. AgrOn Harvest Planning is a solution that gives managers total control over the weekly monitoring and execution of the harvest, from the start to the end of the annual harvest.

Being close to each step, monitoring the results with the possibility of reprogramming and adjusting the operation, maximises the productive capacity of the field. Planning also speeds up the simulation of different scenarios, making it possible to analyse actions for each hypothesis.

AgrOn Harvest Planning also has two add-on modules: Logistics Synch and Straw Management. The first synchronises the movement of cutting fronts, reducing the total distance to be covered, and ensures a constant average radius for transporting raw material from the field to the industry. The second, exclusively for sugar-ethanol operations, schedules the ideal amount of straw to be kept in the field after cutting an area, based on models calibrated regionally by studies prepared by Esalq/USP. Planning is to guard against possible obstacles and to be even more prepared for what the industry seeks, avoiding and controlling setbacks. Closely monitoring the evolution of the harvest ensures that the manager has enough time to reschedule and quickly respond to conflicts and bottlenecks in the process. As a result, this provides increasingly productive cycles, increasing the quality of the field and the company's profitability.