From robotic milk maids to self-driving tractors and drones that monitor crops: Scientists reveal the future of farming
- A Farmer's Weekly survey has revealed British farmers' favourite technologies, which combine to produce a futuristic farm
- Self-driving tractors are on farmers' wish lists, while many already use GPS steering systems to plough straight lines and reduce wastage
- Some farmers are starting to use drones to monitor livestock and crops
- More technology on farms will boost animal welfare and profit margins
Life in rural Britain has come a long way since John Constable painted his idyllic scenes of men driving cattle, and transporting hay with wooden carts.
Now, farmers have a host of technology at their fingertips - from robotic milking machines to drones - that make their farms more efficient than ever before.
And while self-driving tractors might be on some farmers’ wish lists, GPS steering systems for the machines are already widely used, and were recently named the top piece of farming technology.
Futuristic farmers are embracing technology such as robotic milking machines and drones to make their farms more efficient than ever before. More technology on farms could improve animal welfare, reduce reliance on chemicals and free up time, Farmers Weekly told MailOnline
THE TOP 10 FARM TECHNOLOGIES
- GPS Steering system (36% of votes)
- Robot milking machines (19% of votes)
- Smartphones (13% of votes)
- Combine yield meters (5% of votes)
- Cow heat detection devices (5% of votes)
- Driverless tractors (2% of votes)
- Aerial Drones (2% of votes)
- Electronic ear tags (2% of votes)
- Farm management software (2% of votes)
- Robot livestock feeders (2% of votes)
Robot milking machines and smartphones were the second most popular pieces of technology used on farms, according to the survey run by Farmers Weekly.
While farmers already use some of the technology listed, few farms can afford all the cutting-edge kit at the moment.
According to the poll, the top 10 acts as a prediction of the future of farming, when more farms will one day use most of the equipment.
'Farming is becoming increasingly technical and high-tech machines allow farmers to be more accurate, decrease wastage and boost productivity and their profits margins, which are increasingly tight these days,' James Andrews of Farmers Weekly told MailOnline.
GPS Steering systems make steering straight lines across fields easy, and are widely used by farmers working small and large farms, Andrews continued. This innovation got just over a third of votes.
Before GPS, it was down to the driver to keep the tractor straight to avoid using too much seed, fertiliser or fuel, but today many farmers have some form of GPS steering, which means overlapping has all but disappeared. This has resulted in significant savings and improved productivity, which is why the innovation is a firm favourite with tech-savvy farmers.
Elsewhere, increasing numbers of cows are milked by robot and almost one in five farmers named robotic milking machines as their favourite farm innovation. The machines allow cows to be milked whenever they like, and because the computer knows which cow is which, the teats are perfectly aligned each time, resulting in better animal welfare, while boosting farm efficiency.
'The technology gives farmers tied to their farms 24/7 more time to manage their herd. It's better for cows as they are left to their own devices and it improves the milk yield,' Andrews added.
Some farmers also sung the praises of robot livestock feeders, which mean they don’t have to get up at 5am to feed livestock and ensure that their animals get a consistent ration of food.
Like many other businesses, farmers rely on smartphones and they use apps to optimise their combine harvester settings, check soil depth, register livestock, and even find out which cows are in heat.
GPS Steering systems make ploughing straight lines across fields (pictured) easy and are widely used by farmers working small and large farms. The innovation got just over a third of votes in the survey of farmers' favourite technology, possibly because it reduces wastage, saves time and has all but eliminated overlapping
A total of five per cent of farmers voted for cow heat detection devices, used to electronically monitor cows so they can calf at the right time. A heat detection collar is placed on the cow within a week of calving. The collar detects raised levels of physical activity hourly and this data is used to boost pregnancy rates.
The same amount said that they favour combine harvester yield meters, which monitor, display and record grain yield alongside moisture content, speed, area, work rate and harvest rate. This technology allows farmers to map the yield across harvesting and apply the correct amount of fertiliser.
Andrews said: ‘For centuries, farmers have looked for ways to be as efficient as possible and as these results show, that trend is alive and well today, with new and even greater innovation on the horizon.’
One of those innovations is a self-driving tractor. The technology is only at prototype stage, but farmers are keen to adopt it as it could save them considerable time.
One of the closest systems to commercial launch involves two tractors that are connected via satellite navigation and radio. The manned master tractor leads a second driverless tractor, which can either follow directly behind with a different implement or be offset to do the same task.
A drone's-eye-view: Farmers are beginning to adopt drone technology to get a bird's eye view of their land (illustrated). They can be used to monitor livestock, spot weeds, take pictures that show how much fertilizer needs to be applied to crops and can even to scare off pigeons that eat valuable seed
While drones might already be used for military purposes, farmers are beginning to adopt the technology to get a bird’s eye view of their land. They can spot weeds, take pictures that show how much fertilizer needs to be applied and can even scare off pigeons that eat valuable seed.
'Drones are in their infancy but they're starting to take off. The technology is getting cheaper so farmers can experiment.There's definitely a buzz in the industry,' Mr Andrews said.
'At the moment, the main use is for aerial images of crops that allow farmers to get an accurate picture of their farm. You can zoom in on an individual plant.'
A total of two per cent of farmers sung the praises of electronic ear tags, which are used to identify livestock using Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology, while another two percent said farm management software is their favourite new technology.
Increasing numbers of cows are milked by robot and almost one in five farmers named robotic milking machines (pictured) as their favourite farm innovation. They allow cows to be milked whenever they like and because the computer knows which cow is which, the teats are perfectly aligned each time, resulting in better animal welfare, while boosting farm efficiency
The software lets farms manage their accounts, pay workers, monitor crops, make maps, record livestock and more.
While few farmers currently use or can afford all this technology, Andrews said: ‘Over time technology becomes cheaper. GPS systems were unaffordable to many farmers 10 years ago but now almost all farmers can manage from form of steering system.
He believes futuristic farms will boost animal welfare, reduce farmers' reliance on chemicals and give them more time to manage their land better. 'It's not about robots taking over,' he said.
The Farmers Weekly survey coincides with Open Farm Sunday, which takes place this weekend and allows members of the public to see modern farm technology in action.
Annabel Shackleton, manager for Open Farm Sunday said: ‘Technology plays an essential part in the story behind our food - it helps farmers to be as efficient as possible and in the care and up keep of the countryside and the wildlife that lives there.
‘Along with displays of machinery there will be a host of other activities for the whole family to enjoy on Open Farm Sunday – to find a farm to visit near you just visit www.farmsunday.org.’
Aerial photographs taken by drones offer farmers a quick and easy way to check on the progress of crops and determine where they may need to replant or direct pesticide applications, according to one expert
DRONES GIVE FARMERS AN ‘EYE IN THE SKY’ TO CHECK CROP PROGRESS
For farmers, aerial photographs taken by drones offer a quick and easy way to check on the progress of crops and determine where they may need to replant or direct pesticide applications.
Researchers at the University of Illinois are using drones on farms to take aerial photos of crops growing in research plots.
Dennis Bowman, a crop science teacher at the university, deliberately made mistakes on one test plot by not applying enough nitrogen fertilizer and is now using drones to see if they can reveal potentially weaker crops.
‘As the crop gets up and going, we'll fly over it and see if we can detect those areas sooner than we could visually from the ground,’ he said.
‘We're also looking at doing some scans over our herbicide studies to see if the drone photography can help us identify where crops are stressed by postemergence herbicide applications.’
Mr Bowman spent two summers as a commercial crop scout and said that walking through tasseling corn in high temperatures is unpleasant.
‘The odds of actually getting to the far end of that field on foot to see what's going on are pretty slim. To get a bird's-eye view of your crop, the drones offer a handy way to do it.’
He is using two quadricopters affixed with a Go-Pro camera and a Canon Powershot SX260 camera with a lens for infrared photography to see if they can spot potential crop trouble.
‘Standard pictures and video taken with drones can tell us a lot. But what we're looking to give us even more information is multispectral cameras that can give us imagery in other wavelengths, such as near-infrared, to help us identify areas of crop stress.
‘It probably isn't going to tell us what the problem is, but it will tell us where problems are so that we can target our scouting in those specific areas and determine what might be occurring.’
Infrared images will help the researchers identify plants in the farm that appear to be absorbing or reflecting light differently - an indication that the plants are under some type of stress, such as pests, disease or nutrient deficiencies.
The drones may be used to spot an invasive weed called Palmer amaranth, which is spreading across the Midwest and is becoming increasingly resistant to herbicides to the extent that it could drastically reduce farmers' yield potential in affected fields.
‘Before the soybean rows close, or if we get a different spectrum response from some of these weeds as they break through the canopy, we may see some of those weeds show up in the imagery as well to identify where there are hot spots and problems,’ Mr Bowman said.
The comments below have not been moderated.
The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.
We are no longer accepting comments on this article.