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Know How / Technology

From nutrient sensors to auto-steer systems, budget guidance kits to electric tractors and clever combine attachments to crop monitoring drones, we’ve got everything covered.

We’ll explain how to get set up with tractor GPS, how to do it on the cheap and what the best options are on the market. Our technology area houses all the information in handy guides and product reviews for you to get stuck in to.

Key areas of focus:

  • Guidance systems
  • Livestock technology including robotic milkers
  • Alternative fuels such as methane
  • Drones and mapping technology
  • Future farm technology developments

Must reads

Case studies

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TECHNOLOGY

UK made kit converts any tractor to RTK autosteer for £3k

Barrel-straight tramlines and perfectly matched bouts are now far more attainable thanks to the efforts of an enterprising West Country farmer. Having perfected the design of his own low-cost autosteer…

ARABLE

Olly Harrison sows OSR and cover crop with quadcopter drone

Merseyside arable farmer and agricultural YouTuber Olly Harrison planted a 1ha segment of oilseed rape via aerial application with a quadcopter drone. The P40 XAG drone also broadcast a cover…

TECHNOLOGY

Dairy farmer to sell home-built GPS and nutrient mapping tool

Uninspired by the array of off-the-shelf tractor guidance systems, County Tyrone dairy farmer Andrew Wright set about building one to suit his own requirements. A key reason for him going…

MACHINERY

NI farm transforms slurry and food waste into bio-LNG fuel

A multi-million pound diversification project has allowed an enterprising dairy farm to convert slurry and food waste into biofuel, as it looks to tap into the growing market for renewable…

TECHNOLOGY

Ontario farmer gets robot fleet to complete arable fieldwork

Chuck Baresich has been on a recruitment drive – but not in the conventional sense. Over the past three years he has amassed a barnful of agricultural robots of all…

Practical advice

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TECHNOLOGY

How to get cheaper or more accurate RTK guidance

There is something to be said for keeping the old skills alive, but when it comes to driving in straight lines, few people want to go back once they’ve had…

SOILS

How new tech aims to improve soil carbon measurement

Measuring soil organic carbon accurately has always been difficult. But with the rise in interest in carbon trading in agriculture, as well as the other benefits from managing carbon stocks…

POULTRY

4 ways poultry technology can help tackle rising costs

Poultry producers are enduring crippling costs and are desperate to see some of the risk move up the supply chain as they attempt to engage with retailers. So what can…

POULTRY

11 handy tech solutions for poultry farmers

Technology can take farm management to the next level, and a well thought-out investment can help cut costs overall. Whether you want to transform flock performance, reduce labour costs or…

TECHNOLOGY

Central tyre inflation systems – the options and prices

Pump ’em up for the road, let ’em down for the field. That is the essence of using a central tyre inflation system (CTIS) to actively manage inflation pressures and…

DAIRY

How to make the most of technical data from robots

As well as easing labour pressures and increasing milk yields, robotic milking systems have the potential to generate a huge amount of data that can be used to inform key…

Insights

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ARABLE

AI aims to predict key farm data from yields to pest threat

UK researchers are using artificial intelligence to digitally simulate farms and accurately predict parameters such as output, nutrient losses and pest attacks. Rothamsted Research is making significant advances with its…

OFC

OFC 2025: How gene editing in pigs can help eliminate disease

The Oxford Farming Conference returns next January with Farmers Weekly as the media partner. Farmers Weekly talks to one of the speakers, Dr Craig Lewis. The son of a pig…

ARABLE

How 3D crop mapping can future-proof potatoes

A world-leading potato research programme at Newcastle University is hoping to future-proof potatoes through a range of tools including 3D crop architecture mapping and early detection of pests and disease.…

CROP MANAGEMENT

Why ChatGPT technology will change arable farming

Co-pilots for agronomists and farmers, rapid advances in seed breeding, and the end to colourful but relatively useless yield maps are just three of the initial applications for what is…

ARABLE

Why gene editing could help growers practising regen ag

Gene editing could help speed the widespread adoption of regenerative farming practices through introducing desirable traits into crop plants faster. This is according to Prof Giles Oldroyd, director of the…

ARABLE

9 steps to obtain accurate combine yield data this harvest

Combine yield data is increasingly being used to make decisions, but a number of factors can lead to inaccurate maps. Paul Spackman takes a look Yield mapping has become an…

TECHNOLOGY

How Precision Breeding Act is advancing gene edited crops

In-field testing of crops that have been gene edited to introduce specific traits and characteristics has become much easier in England following changes to existing legislation on crop biotechnology, with…

ARABLE

Widespread adoption of drone spraying edges closer

China is leading the way on using drones to spray arable crops, and the presence of Chinese drone giant DJI’s agriculture division at the Agritechnica event in Hanover showed it…

Technology reviews and tests

ENVIRONMENT

How do three main farm carbon calculators compare?

Want to know how much your farm is contributing to industry net-zero targets and how to improve? Or are you looking to access carbon trading markets or other financial incentives…

TECHNOLOGY

On test: New hard-as-nails Cat S42 smartphone

Many smartphones have come a cropper in merciless farmyard environments, but Cat reckons its latest drop-proof S42 can survive where the bigger names fail. The new rugged handset is built…

COMBINES

Retrofit yield monitor offers crop data on old combines

Canadian outfit Farm TRX has developed a relatively cheap retrofit yield monitor that is able to generate downloadable crop performance maps via apps that run on a standard smartphone or…

ATVS AND UTVS

How the ATVtrac tracker finds stolen bikes in under two hours

Millions of pounds’ worth of ATVs and farm buggies have been recovered thanks to retrofit tracking systems. The covert kits are fitted discreetly in the machine’s shell and ping regular…

DAIRY

Buyer's guide: Teat disinfection technology

As herd sizes increase and labour sourcing continues to create challenges, more farmers are turning to automated teat disinfection technologies to ease pressure in the parlour and promote efficiencies. Although…

TECHNOLOGY

Collar-mounted GPS tracker for lost dogs on test

Whether it’s a working sheepdog or an ancient scruffy terrier that spends most of its time by the Aga, losing a dog is pretty upsetting. Luckily, there are now serveral…

DAIRY

9 new products to be showcased at Dairy-Tech 2019

After the successful inaugural show last year, Dairy-Tech is back for 2019 and will feature lots of the latest inventions and equipment on the market. New products at the event…

TECHNOLOGY

Video: Land Rover's butch Explore smartphone on test

Land Rover fans who want a smartphone to match their rugged workhorse are in for a treat with the Explore – a tough handset built to take the punishment of…

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