Farmer Focus: When I was a lad, smart tractors had cabs
© Tim Scrivener There are days when I trudge around pig fields carrying plastic feed buckets and the outdoor pig industry feels bereft of technology. Overall, though, I’m glad to say the truth is very different.
We have portable ultrasound equipment to scan the sows for pregnancy. Its wi-fi-linked wires are barely any bigger than my TV remote control and incredibly easy to learn to use.
Not so many years ago, the only option available was a contractor visiting the farm. The ex-NHS scanner they originally brought was the size of a washing machine and needed mains power.
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Similarly, the other day I was introduced to (and trained in the use of) intradermal needleless vaccination equipment.
I’ve been vaccinating sows for many years, and if I’d been told years ago I’d be doing it without a needle, and with the equipment I’ve just used,
I’m not sure I’d have believed it. The gun functioned impressively and will bring advantages to farmers and animals. Anything that benefits man and beast, I’m in favour of.
In January, I had a day away from the farm and headed to Lamma with my nephew Charlie.
He was allowed a day off school on the grounds that an away day with Uncle Rob was going to be a highly educational experience.
He wasn’t disappointed: the halls were full of amazing tractors and machines that could do all sorts of things once beyond the realms of my imagination.
When I was Charlie’s age, a “smart” tractor was one that had a cab. These days, “smart” is a whole new level.
Autonomy, data collection and super-clean emissions are just a few of the features being widely offered.
We came across an impressive drone with a 40kg payload, the likes I have never seen.
The company was advertising it for crop spraying; the idea being to fly multiple craft simultaneously to cover the field area required.
As we drove home, we chatted, and let our minds run wild. Could we programme a drone to follow fence lines and spray off the grass below?
Even more exciting, with a 40kg capacity, could it be adapted to feed pigs? If so, it might mark the end of my plastic feed bucket and, quite possibly, even me!