Performance

During the entire agricultural planning process, climate dynamics, scenarios and events that might interfere in crop development during the harvest year are evaluated, supported by specialized consulting companies. Considering the planning stages as well as quality control actions, analysis and recommendations are targeted at each of the farms’ existing production units, based on good agricultural practices. These recommendations are based on technical assumptions established, considering several factors related to soil, as well as the records and statistics resulting from scientific essays conducted in the field.

BrasilAgro outsources the machinery services for its agricultural operations, that is, contractors are hired for sowing, harvesting, soil preparation and spraying services. This strategy enables BrasilAgro’s own employees to exclusively dedicate to and monitor operational quality. The Quality department, comprised by coordinators and technicians working at the farms, is responsible for overseeing if good agricultural practices and recommendations provided to each production unit are being complied with, in accordance with inspection protocols and field assessments. Said monitoring is performed from end to end in the production process, from soil preparation including the restructuring and correction in areas where they are needed, to sowing, harvesting and the products’ final destination. Assessments are performed in person and observations are logged into an automated system, allowing a more assertive control and to view performance records for each farm. Quality controls create indexes and actions that guide several one-time corrective measures, in addition to guiding continuous improvement projects to be implemented in the subsequent harvests. In all units, the Company uses high-definition satellite images to monitor and measure its different operations. Drones help viewing operations in large scale, at a low cost and provide the speed necessary for making decisions.

Supported even more by process digitalization and implementation as well as the use of technological tools, the Company gathers information from the machines’ sensors. A specialized team process that data using a SIG software, generating information to be used on operational activities, which are complimentary to the planning and strategic positioning of technical recommendations for each production unit under evaluation.

Information collected

In the 2019/2020 harvest year, the Company has improved its controls by adding new geoprocessing tools, allowing the real-time monitoring of its areas and contributing to the improvement of recurring activities, such as production control. Accordingly, technology favors due diligence processes (click here to learn more), conducted prior to acquisitions, partnerships and lease agreements.

BrasilAgro uses the SAP System as its financial and operational management tool, which enables the management of each parcel of land in detail, controlling costs and production, product inflow and outflow, inventory monitoring, hence ensuring an accurate management of the production process.

Agricultural practices increase production

All agricultural practices used enable production increase and, chiefly, greater assertiveness in managing resources used, aiming to meet the sustainable production concept. The Company adopts, in all its units, soil conservation practices, which favor production increase without, necessarily, the need to expand the crops to new areas. Among BrasilAgro’s techniques are contour farming, with terrace building and maintenance to avoid erosion; direct sowing, crop rotation, use of soil coverage crops, defining planting windows and other specific practices to foster the better establishment and development of agricultural crops.

In the direct sowing system, soil is revolved to a minimum extent. It is suitable to the Brazilian and Paraguayan weather. The system also includes covering soil with straw, technique that helps damping the impact of rain drops and seal soil surface. Straw is organic matter byproduct of the harvest. Thus, direct sowing prevents wind and water erosion, maintains a lower soil temperature, avoids water losses by evapotranspiration and facilitates the fixation and development of roots.

Another technique used by BrasilAgro is crop rotation. In the agricultural planning step, while making decisions about which techniques will be used in each production unit, crop diversification is considered an important strategy. Several factors such as soil properties and weather forecast are evaluated. Crop rotation and succession help ensuring healthy crops and their good development, considering the mitigation of possible climate risks and potential economic gains in the sale of crops. In the 2019/2020 harvest, in addition to soybean, corn, cotton and sugarcane (accounting for 73% of BrasilAgro’s production), the Company has grown bean, second-crop corn, sorghum, rattlepods and signalgrass (approximately 27%) as seed production or only to provide adequate soil coverage, ensuring the production system’s maintenance.

The integration between agriculture and cattle raising fosters the increase in production. Agriculture enables high phosphorus levels in the soil for cattle raising, favoring well fed cattle and, consequently, higher daily weight gain for the livestock, in addition to higher animal load (larger number of heads per hectare). On the other hand, cattle raising favors agriculture through grass straw, which enriches soil with nutrients for planting.

Correction of soil is performed through precision agriculture, by sampling every 5 hectares, to map calcium, phosphorus and magnesium levels and identify areas that need nutrients in a more assertive manner. Thus, the Company corrects and increases production in areas that need nutrients and reduces costs through a better use of inputs. The Company has increased the areas in which it applies precision agriculture techniques in all its farms; in the 2019/2020 harvest, this process was carried out in more than 6,000 hectares, and this figure is expected to increase for the 2020/2021 harvest, seeking to maximize the rational use of production inputs.

In the 2019/2020 harvest, the Company started using biological assets, with the installation of biological factories to produce and multiply microorganisms (bacteria and fungi) that are beneficial to both crops and soil. Over 10 microorganism species have been reproduced, for several purposes, such as: improvement of soil microbiota, plant protection, disease control, control of insects that are harmful to crops and crop restoration. Biological pest control allows crops to endure extended dry periods, reduces the need for pesticide use, in addition to not leaving residues in food and is harmless to the environment and the population. Some bacteria used as pesticides also contribute to soil quality improvement, given that they boost phosphorus development. The Company also uses spraying, which favors pest control and prevents the spreading of diseases in the crops, in addition to optimizing pesticide use. Specially for sugarcane crops, biological control strategy for pests has been enhanced, with the massive release of parasitoid wasps in the areas where sugarcane borers are found. For the 2020/2021 harvest, BrasilAgro will expand the biological factories’ structures to all production farm, being used in large scale since the implementation of the crops. The Company will invest over R$2 million in this practice (around 6.5% of the pesticide budget) for the exclusive use of products and inputs from biological origin.

Genetically modified seeds, duly certified and approved by the competent authorities, are used in soybean, corn and sugarcane crops. BrasilAgro uses seeds that are tolerant to glyphosate and caterpillars and, therefore, reduce the need for pesticide use. Moreover, the adoption of this technology has transformed agriculture on a large scale, allowing larger and more consistent production in the same area, and, consequently, the conservation of natural resources.

BrasilAgro has access to numerous innovative platforms to achieve higher productivity and operational control, by the State-of-the-art Tech Platforms in the Company’s Operations.