Technology
Horticultural sector ‘on cusp of technological revolution’
F
resh produce growers are being urged to come to- gether and harness the
benefits that technology can bring the sector. Technology,
including me-
chanical planting and harvest- ing, can help solve farm labour shortages, growers were told at last month’s SmartHort 2019 con- ference. But rapid developments will only happen if the whole in- dustry joins forces,
More than 230 delegates at-
tended the AHDB event, held at Stratford-upon-Avon on 6-7 March.
Speakers outlined a range of exciting new technology – from robotic harvesters and automa- tion systems to novel crop protec- tion techniques. Simon Pearson, professor of agri-food technology research at Lincoln University, warned that the sector needs a clear vision to drive investment in large-scale projects. He added: “We need big meaningful projects or ‘moonshot’ approaches. “We need the industry to come together and tell us what the big challenges are. Then we need to aggregate and pool all our re- sources together, in a few tar- geted areas, where we can real- ly move the dial to open up new technologies.”
Growers were urged to speak with engineering and robot- ics specialists to addressed the challenges they face with tech- nology. As this technology is be-
Technology can solve big problems if growers work together, says Simon Pearson
Trimble introduces elite Vantage dealer
network Farmers can now access all their precision farming needs in one place – regardless of the brands in their machinery fleet – following the introduction of Trimble’s Vantage network in the UK. The network will give customers a one-stop shop for all precision farming requirements, says Trimble regional sales manager Séverine Brisset, providing integrated, end-to-end solutions, including hardware, software and data, for each user’s individual needs. Cambridgeshire-based AS Communications is the first UK dealer to obtain Vantage status, offering customers a hub for precision technology and advice across their entire machinery fleet. “Through Vantage we can
coming more accessible, seek- ing solutions should not be left to the bigger players in the in- dustry, they were told. AHDB chief executive Jane King said: “We’re certainly on the cusp of significant change. And it’s going to require collabo- ration across industry. We need to be much more adaptable, im- aginative and operate with more clarity and openness.” The two-day event saw the
launched the SmartHort Auto- mation Challenge. The project aims to match automation sys- tems experts WMG, at Warwick
University, with a UK business to develop an applied solution to a real problem in horticultural production.
Fumiya Iiada, reader in ro- botics at Cambridge University, said: “Agri-food robotic revolution is happening right now. “The rise of the robots is hap- pening because they are getting cheaper, easier and faster. This is exactly what happened with computers 30 years ago. They were very expensive and only for big businesses but eventu- ally reached smaller businesses and then consumers.”
bring a holistic approach to the concept of precision agriculture,” says Ms Brisset. “By integrating all the technology at work on a farm, we can link software, services, data management and the machine. It’s a big change for our customers.” Trimble technology has developed rapidly in recent years to anticipate the changing demands of the agricultural market, with new products and software enabling an integrated precision farming package.
42 ANGLIA FARMER • APRIL 2019
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