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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

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Case studies

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TECHNOLOGY

Converted Leyland 255 powered by used electric car parts

A quick drive-by of Ben Bament’s low-key workshop in Farmborough, Somerset would reveal nothing of the wizardly engineering cloaked under the most ordinary of machines berthed outside. Among his curious…

TECHNOLOGY

£700k centrifuge helps make solid fertiliser from digestate

Ultra-processed products might get a bad rap, but applying the principles to slurry and digestate could make them healthier for the environment and easier to apply. After all, these materials…

CROP MANAGEMENT

How technology is delivering income and impact at scale

New technology has a central role in the day-to-day operations at Waldersey Farms, but only where it fits with the strategic direction of the 8,000ha business and improves data-led decisions.…

CROP MANAGEMENT

What one system means for everyday farm management at Velcourt

Farm management company Velcourt has successfully adopted a single digital system for managing field records, financials and precision inputs across 120 client farms and 46 managers. Since making the move,…

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…

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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NEWS

How an AI agent helped a farmer beat the SFI deadline

When Staffordshire arable farmer Clive Bailye sat down in a London café on 22 September, he had one thing left to do on an application worth hundreds of thousands of…

MAIZE

Trial shows maize yield lift with drone-applied foliar N

Using a drone to apply late nitrogen to maize increased predicted yields by up to 10t/ha in trials carried out by an agronomy company in Leicestershire. Hutchinsons crop nutrition specialist…

TECHNOLOGY

Slick telematics simplifies multi-brand fleet management

As the birds chirp each harvest morning, and a posse of bleary-eyed Kiwis tuck into their cornflakes, Doug Price fires up his real-life version of Farming Simulator. And by the…

TECHNOLOGY

How to get ultra-accurate RTK guidance for £1,100

Once the preserve of the generously acred, ultra-accurate RTK guidance is now a financially viable option for farms of a princelier scale thanks to fit-it-yourself kits powered by open-source software.…

VARIETY SELECTION

Precision breeding: Targeted traits or patented problems?

Do farmers have the necessary information to make informed decisions about growing precision-bred gene-edited crops in the future? That was the question - albeit one that was only partially answered…

GRASSLAND MANAGEMENT

How grazing app cuts time taken to measure grass by 75%

A smartphone app is cutting the time it takes to walk the grazing platform by using a camera to scan paddocks. Instead of typically spending three to four hours plonking…

PIGS

3 ways artificial intelligence can improve pig health

Artificial intelligence is being used to improve management of health, welfare and performance on both individual pig farms and across the sector. As well as generating greater value from existing…

WEED MANAGEMENT

Novel electric weeder works without chemicals or moving soil

A non-chemical systemic approach to weed control is now commercially available to UK farmers, following the launch of Garford’s electric weeder. The novel system is the result of a collaboration…

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…

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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