The Farmers Mart Feb-Mar 2018 - Issue 55 | Page 62

62 TECHNOLOGY
FEB/MAR 2018 • farmers-mart.co.uk
AGRICULTURAL
AUTOMATION
In recent years technology has gone from strength to
strength, and farming has seen a growth in technological
innovation. Automation and AI are revolutionising the
way all industries work and how people are employed.
The technology revolution has been quietly changing
the farming industry for the last 10 years or so.
IN the 1980’s there was a tech-
nological shift towards ‘Precision
Farming’, tractors first started to
utilise GPS devices and on-board
computers. The shift focused on
maximising returns whilst utilising
minimum resources.
Self-driving cars have become
one of the current technological
advances that several companies
are chasing, now many farm ma-
chinery manufacturers are devel-
oping autonomous tractors along
with other AI driven machines.
Autonomous tractors will imple-
ment many of the same features
that are utilised by other forms of
driver less vehicles. Many tractors
already implement auto steering
systems for additional control in
low visibility. GPS is being utilised
to guide tractors across the field,
saving fuel and being more effi-
cient, and this is a step closer to
fully automated tractors.
‘ “Our robots will
seed and care for
each individual
plant in your crop.
They will only
feed and spray
the plants that
need it, giving
them the perfect
levels of nutrients
and support,
with no waste.
’
The idea of a driverless tractor
isn’t a new, as far back as 1940
Frank W Andrew in the US invent-
ed his own version. To guide the
tractor Frank would place a bar-
rel or fixed wheel in the centre
of a field, around it would wind a
cable attached to a steering arm
on the front of the tractor. In the
1950’s Ford developed a driver-
less concept called ‘The Sniffer’
but were unable to put the idea
into production. Due to the only
way it could be operated was to
place wires underground of the
field.
The advantage of a driverless
tractor is the ability to work well
into the night, practically running
24 hours a day, a driver requires
rest, plus in the dark its harder
to be accurate. Whereas an
automated tractor has sensors
that allow them to operate in the
dark and still be accurate. Now
the technology has moved to the
point where autonomous tractors
are possible and not something
from a science fiction movie.
With the global population
expected to grow from 7.3 billion
to 9.7 billion by 2050, farmers are
under growing pressure to feed
this expanding population. The
question is, how does the farmer
feed the masses, the answer is
precision farming. Many experts
believe that agriculture will need
to embrace new technology to
feed the growing global popu-
lation. One area that currently
being developed is robotic
automation.
“The most pressing reason that
farmers should consider agritech
robotics is profit. 85% of farms
are not viable without subsidies,
and farms are getting less prof-
itable. Revenues and yields for
combinable crops have remained
steadily flat for a quarter of a
century. Margins are static at 1-4%
per annum. But production costs
keep going up - and so do prices
for big, expensive, machinery.
“Then there are environmental
considerations. Current farming
practices are having a negative