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Know How / Technology

From nutrient sensors to auto-steer systems, budget guidance kits to electric tractors and clever combine attachments to crop monitoring drones, we’ve got everything covered.

We’ll explain how to get set up with tractor GPS, how to do it on the cheap and what the best options are on the market. Our technology area houses all the information in handy guides and product reviews for you to get stuck in to.

Key areas of focus:

  • Guidance systems
  • Livestock technology including robotic milkers
  • Alternative fuels such as methane
  • Drones and mapping technology
  • Future farm technology developments

Must reads

Case studies

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CROP MANAGEMENT

Machines, technology and software farmers find invaluable

Every farmer has a favourite piece of kit or technology on the farm. What is making a difference on the Arable Insights farmer panel’s farms? See also: Arable Insights farmers’…

CROP MANAGEMENT

How grower varies seed rates and N to lift whole-field output

Wiltshire farmer Matt Fry is using variable seed rates and nitrogen to help maximise returns from each hectare of cropping. Farming 1,600ha of different soil types, ranging from heavy clay…

LIVESTOCK

Calving detection technology: 3 options compared

From smart boluses to cameras and tail-mounted devices, the evolution of technology means unnecessary late-night trips to the calving shed can be a thing of the past. Three farmers share…

SPRAYERS

Cleanacres sprayer revived with home-made autosteer system

Keen to modernise spraying operations, but happy with the performance of their 1998 Cleanacres Atlas, David and Michael Edwards decided to treat it to some upgrades. Top of their wish…

SPRAYING AND SPREADING

How a Berkshire contractor geared up for drone spraying

If you’ve had a go with a small consumer-type drone, it’s easy to understand why enthusiasts like Bracknell-based Steve Frost get hooked. They are relatively cheap, can capture great visuals…

TECHNOLOGY

UK made kit converts any tractor to RTK autosteer for £3k

Barrel-straight tramlines and perfectly matched bouts are now far more attainable thanks to the efforts of an enterprising West Country farmer. Having perfected the design of his own low-cost autosteer…

Practical advice

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BUSINESS MANAGEMENT

7 ways to beef up your farm’s cybersecurity

Farming is a critical part of national infrastructure, yet many farmers still underestimate the risk that cybercrime poses to their businesses. With farms becoming increasingly reliant on digital technology, from…

DAIRY

Advice on buying second-hand robotic milkers

Buying a second-hand robotic milker can help reduce start-up costs or add capacity to an existing setup. However, buyers must be aware that parts can become obsolete, new models may…

TECHNOLOGY

How to get cheaper or more accurate RTK guidance

There is something to be said for keeping the old skills alive, but when it comes to driving in straight lines, few people want to go back once they’ve had…

SOILS

How new tech aims to improve soil carbon measurement

Measuring soil organic carbon accurately has always been difficult. But with the rise in interest in carbon trading in agriculture, as well as the other benefits from managing carbon stocks…

POULTRY

4 ways poultry technology can help tackle rising costs

Poultry producers are enduring crippling costs and are desperate to see some of the risk move up the supply chain as they attempt to engage with retailers. So what can…

POULTRY

11 handy tech solutions for poultry farmers

Technology can take farm management to the next level, and a well thought-out investment can help cut costs overall. Whether you want to transform flock performance, reduce labour costs or…

Insights

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SOILS

3 technologies to measure soil health and function

While traditional soil testing has focused on chemistry, a growing range of tools are now available to help farmers assess the biological and structural function of soils. Soil health relies…

CROP MANAGEMENT

How tech approach lifted ‘field of the future’ margins 26%

A change in approach at Revesby Estate in Lincolnshire saw the “field of the future” deliver a 26% higher gross margin than the farm standard at harvest 2025, in a…

CROP MANAGEMENT

Biostimulant and bioherbicide tech targets yield gains

A biostimulant that can boost yields by up to 20% and a bioherbicide with insulin-like properties that fools plants into shutting down are two high-tech solutions being developed for arable…

ARABLE

Arable farm management software: The options and prices

For years, farm management software has been limited mostly to three options, with Gatekeeper and Greenlight Grower Management (GLGM) – also known colloquially as Muddy Boots – by far the…

TECHNOLOGY

Probcast weather app gives growers insights into rain risk

Technology start-up Catchment AI has developed a weather forecasting app that gives farmers more insight into the likelihood of heavy rain showers. Like other providers of this type, Probcast analyses…

SOILS

Soil tech solutions target compaction and green farm energy

Two emerging technologies offer a novel way to crack soil compaction and harness electricity generation from soil bacteria. We take a look at how they work. See also: Home-grown pulse incentive…

DAIRY

Wearable tech for cows: How do farmers rate the options?

Heat detection brings the biggest gains from wearable monitors – but reliability, good backup and ease of use matter just as much as price, an independent survey of dairy farmers…

POTATOES

Why Africa is first to benefit from potato seed technology

Kenya, at least to Western eyes, might seem an unlikely place to debut what could be industry-changing breeding technology that could eventually appear in European potato fields. But with a…

NUTRITION AND FERTILISER

4 new nitrogen management technologies and how they work

Several firms across Europe are developing and launching new technologies for measuring the nitrogen requirements of arable crops. Improving nitrogen use efficiency has both environmental and economic advantages for farmers;…

NEWS

NFU Scotland event spotlights farming innovation

Farming has always evolved through innovation – from the first ploughs and seed drills to the mechanisation that transformed efficiency and crop yields. Today, technology and data are woven into…

Technology reviews and tests

ENVIRONMENT

How do three main farm carbon calculators compare?

Want to know how much your farm is contributing to industry net-zero targets and how to improve? Or are you looking to access carbon trading markets or other financial incentives…

TECHNOLOGY

On test: New hard-as-nails Cat S42 smartphone

Many smartphones have come a cropper in merciless farmyard environments, but Cat reckons its latest drop-proof S42 can survive where the bigger names fail. The new rugged handset is built…

COMBINES

Retrofit yield monitor offers crop data on old combines

Canadian outfit Farm TRX has developed a relatively cheap retrofit yield monitor that is able to generate downloadable crop performance maps via apps that run on a standard smartphone or…

ATVS AND UTVS

How the ATVtrac tracker finds stolen bikes in under two hours

Millions of pounds’ worth of ATVs and farm buggies have been recovered thanks to retrofit tracking systems. The covert kits are fitted discreetly in the machine’s shell and ping regular…

DAIRY

Buyer's guide: Teat disinfection technology

As herd sizes increase and labour sourcing continues to create challenges, more farmers are turning to automated teat disinfection technologies to ease pressure in the parlour and promote efficiencies. Although…

TECHNOLOGY

Collar-mounted GPS tracker for lost dogs on test

Whether it’s a working sheepdog or an ancient scruffy terrier that spends most of its time by the Aga, losing a dog is pretty upsetting. Luckily, there are now serveral…

DAIRY

9 new products to be showcased at Dairy-Tech 2019

After the successful inaugural show last year, Dairy-Tech is back for 2019 and will feature lots of the latest inventions and equipment on the market. New products at the event…

TECHNOLOGY

Video: Land Rover's butch Explore smartphone on test

Land Rover fans who want a smartphone to match their rugged workhorse are in for a treat with the Explore – a tough handset built to take the punishment of…

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