The Farmers Mart Feb-Mar 2019 - Issue 61 | Page 23

FARM NEWS 23
• FEB/MAR 2019
Sencrop – unlocking the power of
shared weather data for UK farmers
A network of weather stations
could give real-time support to
decision-making on UK farms,
according to Sencrop, a leading
European digital start-up business
with a new base in Cambridge.
Sencrop’s wireless network
technology uses innovative
weather stations on individual
farms. These gather a range of
local agri-environmental data
including air temperature, rainfall,
humidity, leaf wetness, and wind
speed in real time. The informa-
tion feeds into a user-friendly
dashboard, accessible on desktop
or through a mobile app, pro-
viding history, alerts, trends and
seven-day forecasts.
This new technology enables
farmers to make decisions on
a daily basis through field-level
weather statistics, with
one or more weath-
er stations providing
specific, localised data
that saves time, money
and increases efficiency.
However, the real power
of the Sencrop system
is unleashed through
the collaboration of neighbour-
ing farmers sharing data via a
seamless transmission from their
individual field stations.
Decisions can now be made
not just from the farmer’s own
personal data but via
local analysis and rec-
ommendations. This has
already been proven elsewhere
in Europe where Sencrop has
operated since 2016 and today has
5,000 farmers, wine growers and
arboriculturalists using the net-
work to manage decisions such
as sowing, irrigation and disease
control programmes.
Sencrop’s aim is to create real
value from extensive data that will
benefit the agricultural communi-
ty including farmers, agronomists,
contractors, research organisa-
tions, insurers, and industry sup-
pliers by offering more effective,
faster and automated distribution
of services and advice, tailored to
specific, individual needs.
Sencrop entered the UK market
in November 2018. Already 100
stations have been installed in the
UK, and the pipeline is growing
thanks to the company’s stand
at LAMMA 2019 generating even
more enthusiasm amongst farm-
ers and advisers. To accelerate its
growth in the UK and internation-
ally, Sencrop has just raised $10m
in funding.
Sencrop weather stations are
quick and simple to install. Low
up-front costs and an affordable
subscription model make mul-
ti-station weather data sharing
achievable for all farm businesses
and farming communities.
sencrop.com/en/
NBA BEEF EXPO 2019
THE BEST OF BRITISH TO BE ON DISPLAY
THE Beef Expo, which this year will be held
at NW Auctions, Kendal on Thursday 23rd
May, is considered a major showcase for
pedigree and commercial breed societies
which want to promote the quality of their
cattle.
Thanks to this, the event displays some
of the finest examples of British breeding
anywhere in the UK and has become
the largest technical beef event in the
Country. Over 20 breed society displays
will showcase the pedigree sectors
advances in genetics and the National
Commercial Cattle Show (NCCS) will, as
always, be kicking of the showing season
with the ultimate podium for breeders
from across the UK to showcase their
stock and compete for their share of over
£6,000 prize money.
The Beef Expo will also host the South
Devon Herd Book Society Performance
Championships in which performance
recording breeders from across the coun-
try are invited to compete. This technical
event is a showcase for Breedplan per-
formance recording South Devon herds,
to highlight the importance of Estimated
Breeding Values as a tool for breeding
selection.
‘ the event displays some
of the finest examples
of British breeding
anywhere in the UK
’
www.beef-expo.co.uk