09.10.07
Farms in Cornwall on brink of precision farming revolution

actnow, the Objective One partnership project that is led by Cornwall Enterprise and is spearheading the use of broadband and IT in Cornwall, has said that Cornwall is poised on the edge of the next revolution in farming – the use of technology to engage in precision farming.

The actnow campaign to drive the take-up of broadband and IT in farms in Cornwall, has already seen take-up amongst farmers soar to levels which are currently the highest in the UK, according to recent research. Bill Holliday of the Rural Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Partnership, which is funding the project through the SWRDA ‘Modernising Rural Delivery’ scheme, says: “We are now seeing farms in Cornwall step up to the next level in their use of technology.”

Belinda Waldock, actnow farming ICT adviser, says: “In recent months, we have been seeing a surge of interest in the latest precision farming tools, for example the use of satellite technology to increase effectiveness and productivity.”

David Rodda of the Cornwall Agricultural Council, says: “There is no question that precision farming represents one of the next big steps forward for Cornish agriculture. Until recently it has only been cost effective for use on large farms and to see it being introduced on farms in Cornwall is a prime example of how the industry is embracing technology to improve its productivity. Through the use of the latest technology, farmers can increase yields, reduce input use and save time on record keeping. These all contribute to improved profitability.”

Marsh Farm is a 700 acre dairy and arable farm on the banks of the river Tamar, owned and run by Malcolm and Jane Best with their son Richard.  They grow corn, maize and silage that is fed to the dairy herd.

Having already embraced wireless broadband within the farm office with the help of actnow, in April 2007 Richard contacted actnow again to discuss extending the use of technology into the field through a GPS Positioning and guidance system.

Richard says: “I have recently returned from Australia where I spent time working on some very large arable farms. Their use of this sort of technology was commonplace and I could see first hand the benefits it could bring to our own farm.”

actnow helped to identify suitable solutions and provide investment towards the cost.  After looking into various packages, Richard chose a solution that provides a computer display and GPS receiver for the tractor and mapping software for the office computer.

“The tractor display enables a job to be accurately recorded,” says Richard. “Once the width of the unit and the field boundary are set, the system guides the driver at each pass and shows the ground covered including position, speed, area covered and field size.”

Richard says: “I occasionally help out a local contractor when he is busy. When contracting, it helps to know exactly how much area has been covered, for accurate application and invoicing.

“The guidance system reduces passes and overlapping, repeat application and highlights missed areas.  This saves on average 10% overlapping and helps to reduce time and costs in fuel and sprays.  Your position can be saved so you can return to a fixed point in the field when reloading is necessary.  It also enables work to be carried out day or night and in foggy or misty conditions making work more flexible. The new system has proved to be invaluable to us, really improving efficiency and productivity on arable and grass land.”

Richard explains: “Currently we can transfer saved jobs from the unit to the laptop via a memory stick, we can then print out a report which shows a map of the field and the area covered, plus the job name, date, time, field size and area covered. We can attach this to the agronomist’s recommendations to show the work is completed which helps with traceability in a number of ways, for quality assurance and cross compliance.  We can also map and record areas such as set aside for Single Farm Payment.”

Richard concludes: “The information can be analysed on the laptop helping us to plan future jobs and costings. There are a huge number of benefits. Now we really don’t know how we managed without it!”
For more information about bringing the benefits of precision farming to your farm, call Belinda Waldock at actnow on 0800 800 935.

For further information please contact Lynn File at Brand Innovation on 01208 821787 or email lynn@brandinnovation.co.uk.

The Objective One Programme for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly has invested in the actnow project through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF).

Editor's notes:

The actnow programme is a demand-led initiative to encourage businesses in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly to gain the support they need to move into the broadband economy. It is one of the largest private and public sector partnerships in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly since it was granted Objective One status by the European Union in 2000.

The £20 million pound Objective One project is part financed by the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF).  Other project partners include Cornwall Enterprise, the Objective One Partnership Office, BT, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the South West of England Regional Development Agency, Cornwall County Council, Business Link Devon and Cornwall, Cornwall College and the Rural Cornwall & Isles of Scilly Partnership.

Clare Morgan
Media Relations Manager
Objective One Partnership Office
Castle House
Pydar Street
Truro TR1 2UD
Mobile: 07973 813647
Telephone: 01872 223439

cmorgan@cornwall.gov.uk

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