Smarter farm management

When he left veterinary practice, tech company CEO Matt Dobbs was already beginning to see the opportunity afforded by technology, particularly in supporting animal health and production and mitigating the carbon impact of livestock agriculture. “I could see the changing nature of veterinary practice and more importantly, could see the opportunity to bring a bigger benefit to the sector by working with and encouraging farmers to adopt technology,” Matt explained.

He has begun by developing technology to monitor livestock remotely. “We can start to tell you some real detailed insight as to how these animals are performing, how healthy they are, and most importantly, judging their production, performance, fertility, and ultimately, trying to make farming more efficient, both from a cost point of view and an environmental point of view.”

 

Farm data management

But much of the progress being driven by technology centres on data, which is a concern for some. AHDB’s Data Programmes Associate Director and Devon farmer Adam Short understands why: “It doesn't matter what sector you're in in agriculture you're having to provide tons and tons of data at that moment in quite a disjointed, disconnected way to lots of commercial players, who've all got their data governance in place. “But there is often that concern about what happens to the data, what's the onward use of that data. It's costing a lot of money and everybody's time.”

The greatest value of data, however, comes from sharing it across the industry and he described work currently underway at AHDB looking at streamlining data sharing and putting farmers in control through the data-sharing permissions: “We need farmers to understand that the value of the data they're collecting on farm [….] doesn't have as much value to them or to the industry, as data that is shared and pulled and analysed - and that is to the benefit of everybody. And what we're really focused on is putting farmers in control of that process. I think that's been missing.”

Agricultural AI 

Matt welcomed this, but stressed data needs to be actionable as well as consolidated. This is where artificial intelligence (AI) comes in, he said: “It's completely academic if you're capturing information that you as a producer can't do anything about. And so, for me, the most exciting area here is actually a tool that I believe will be able to do both of these things in a very short term and that is AI.

“It's going to be able to interrogate other data sources and create […] actionable insights for producers and talk to them in the language that they know and understand.” By assimilating data, irrespective of its source, eg. remote monitoring, feeding systems or milking parlours, Matt believes AI will be able to generate outcomes. For example, from a freeze brand number, ear tag or other official identification, AI will recognise they are all from the same animal and suggest a measure to enhance that animal's health, welfare or productivity.

It'll do it quickly and efficiently too: “It may well be doing that slightly before even the most experienced stockperson may have noticed some of those signs because they're so subtle and because it's round-the-clock monitoring. And therefore, hopefully, we're addressing any issues, whether with a positive intervention like artificial insemination or with some remedial work on a veterinary side, and therefore productivity takes less of a dip and we're getting a better result for the whole system, the whole business.”

Influencing the future of farming

As well as transforming what happens on farm, Matt suggested technology could also influence who is on farm and help overcome the current challenge of labour shortages: “I actually believe that the adoption of a greater amount of technology on farm is going to engender a new generation wanting to get involved with farming that realise that it's as much these days about the technology as it may be about a pitchfork.”

He also encouraged those already working in the sector to become involved, mindful technology in farming is changing rapidly: “They reckon that the ability of AI doubles every three months. So, it really is incumbent on all of us in the industry, particularly those people with leadership positions, to be able to encourage the industry to engage and to start to ensure that the data and the technologies deliver what they want.”

For those feeling they need to upskill, Adam recommended The Institute of Agriculture and Horticulture (TIAH) as a first port of call. And he was keen to reassure farmers, using technology is not about replacing human labour: “There is no IT developer I know who doesn't use AI to do most of the bulk of their coding work. AI will smash out 30,000 lines of code and then the skilled developer has to go through and just correct it. So, you can't entirely take the human out as you can't with a pitchfork, for example.”

Practical first steps

In the bonus episode, when asked where farmers can gain the most if new to digital tools, Matt suggested spending less time on “boring or repetitive tasks” was a good place to start. Oestrus detection collars and camera systems for detecting lameness cited as useful examples. And tools which integrate with existing systems, such as Bluetooth working with weighbridges and wands, bring quick value to a business according to Adam: “You've only got to use that stuff for 12 months to be able to start getting some actionable insights out of it.”

Learning from other farmers and seeking out demos from colleges and agri-tech centres was also encouraged. “Go and see these technologies and experience them first hand and work out how they might be applicable for you and your farming enterprise,” advised Matt.

 

A final thought on technology in farming

“Stay informed about what is possible, what is the art of the opportunity, adopt early. So, don't be frightened, get involved and look at what these technologies might be able to do for you. Take that brave step of investing in them, ensuring that there is a cost benefit and then realise that gain. Use that to be able to further invest into your farming system so that technology becomes imbedded in the way that you farm, not just a nice to have on top.” - Matt Dobbs

“I think you've got to start from a point of view that you're clear about what you're trying to achieve. You have to start with the requirements. Do you have the data that would be actionable when you invest in that tech? Otherwise, the solution is going to take you down a road that actually you didn't necessarily want to go down when you spent an awful lot of money.” - Adam Short

Showstoppers

1. Small, incremental adjustments in our use of technology, eg. new mobile phone apps, can realise worthwhile gains. It doesn’t have to involve wholescale change.
2. Technology doesn’t have to replace people; it could attract them, bringing new ideas and new skills, and help us focus on the high value tasks
3. Start with the smaller technologies to exploit the marginal gains and drive a business forward

 

Listen to the full episode below - also available via Spotify, Apple podcasts and YouTube.