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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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PIGS

How mobile sperm analyser helps improve pig fertility

A piece of breeding kit hailed by a pig farmer as “the best bit of tech to come into pigs since ultrasound scanning” is having a positive effect on pig…

DAIRY

How a slurry robot has improved cow health and milk quality

The installation of four automatic slurry vacuums has helped a Scottish dairy farmer reduce his mastitis cases by 50%, as well as benefiting cow health and saving on labour. Farming…

TECHNOLOGY

Solar-powered robot drills and weeds on Shropshire farm

The launch of a new farming robot now seems a near-monthly occurrence, with universities, manufacturers and inventors across the globe on a mission to replace people with autonomous machines. The…

TECHNOLOGY

Driverless tractor helps ease fresh produce labour shortage

Demand for purple sprouting broccoli might be at an all-time high, but the labour-intensive work involved in getting it from the field to supermarket shelves has left growers seriously vulnerable…

HOUSING AND HANDLING

How one dairy farm installed robots to cut down milking time

Since robots were installed at Argoed Farm, average milk yield in the Holstein herd has increased by 2,000 litres a year, to 9,000 litres, an immediate payback from investing in…

GRASSLAND MANAGEMENT

Video: Highland farm grazes cattle unfenced with GPS collars

Virtual fencing is gathering pace and there are now more than 30,000 collars in use around the globe. The Girvans of Corrimony Farm, near Drumnadrochit, Inverness, could not graze cattle…

Practical advice

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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…

TECHNOLOGY

Central tyre inflation systems – the options and prices

Pump ’em up for the road, let ’em down for the field. That is the essence of using a central tyre inflation system (CTIS) to actively manage inflation pressures and…

DAIRY

How to make the most of technical data from robots

As well as easing labour pressures and increasing milk yields, robotic milking systems have the potential to generate a huge amount of data that can be used to inform key…

CROP MANAGEMENT

New climate module predicts cereal growth and disease risk

Cereal growers can now benefit from a climate prediction module that uses weather data to forecast key growth stage timings of crops to improve input efficacy and plan workloads. The…

SLURRY AND MANURE MANAGEMENT

How slurry cooling technology can cut ammonia on pig units

Slurry cooling technology is an effective way to reduce ammonia emissions from indoor pig production, and the heat recovered can be used elsewhere on the farm, reducing bills and cushioning…

Insights

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POTATOES

How new potato tech works to improve quality and yield

A specialist agri-tech research company has developed a number of camera and sensor based technologies to improve the quality and yield of potato crops, with plans to scale up across…

WHEAT

How growers could benefit from pioneering gene-edited wheat

Wheat bred for low levels of a key amino acid could prove vital for food manufacturers meeting future limits on acrylamide, especially in breakfast cereals and biscuits. Asparagine is a…

GRASSLAND MANAGEMENT

How remote sensing tech can help fine-tune grass management

A farm-level study in Wales has shown remote sensors can provide valuable information on how grass responds to inputs. Furthermore, they can do this in greater detail and more rapidly…

TECHNOLOGY

Will battery-powered farm machinery help meet net-zero targets?

Net-zero targets remain at the forefront of the electric vehicle revolution, spurring an increasing sense of urgency to move towards cleaner technologies. But within agriculture, the alternative means of powering…

DISEASE MANAGEMENT

5 high-tech advances that could change arable farming

Agritech innovation continues to offer advances in farmer decision making, while also potentially helping solving challenges around labour, climate change and input effectiveness. Farmers Weekly looks at five technologies that…

TECHNOLOGY

JCB's hydrogen-fuelled combustion engine examined

JCB is one of the first agricultural engine makers to successfully modify its conventional powerplants to run on compressed hydrogen, eliminating carbon emissions without any impact on performance. Its gas-fired,…

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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