DEMO FARMS INVESTIGATE WIRELESS AGRI TECH
IN north Powys a large, free-range poultry shed is bristling with sensors, inside and out: between them they constantly monitor humidity, temperature and levels of ammonia and carbon dioxide.
When the sensors identify unwanted spikes in environmental conditions, they trigger automatic misters to spray non-infective bacteria on the unit’s Bovans Brown hens.
The bacteria work by preventing uric acid being converted to ammonia, which can affect vaccines, cause damage to the throat of chickens and increase mortality rates.
Without lifting a finger, the system allows Osian Williams to maintain optimum conditions for 32,000 birds at Wern farm, near Welshpool.
The holding is one of a network of 18 demo farms in Wales that are investigating the potential of LoRaWAN wireless technology to automate farm systems.
Set up by Farming Connect, the technology is being delivered by Cymru Digital, a consortium of specialists led by enterprise body Menter Môn.
Dewi Hughes, Farming
Connect’s technical development manager, said the project has lofty ambitions.
“We want to know if, and how, this technology can benefit farming, so that the industry in Wales can lead the way on new technological developments.
“We are also mindful that this project could benefit the whole of rural Wales,” he said.
The LoRaWAN (Low Power Long Range Wide Area Access Network) radio frequency is not new but it hasn’t been used extensively in Wales until now.
It can be especially useful in rural areas where communications infrastructure falls short.
On its demo sites Farming Connect is funding the installation of LoRaWAN gateway devices, which have a small antenna that can be attached to farm buildings.
These can connect to sensors which send data to mobile phones and other devices, helping farmers with day-to-day management.
As each gateway has a wide geographical reach, other farmers in the vicinity can piggy-back on the wireless network, enabling them to trial sensors and apps on their own holdings.
Matthew MacdonaldWallace, a LoRaWAN specialist from Mockingbird Consulting, worked with Farming Connect to install the gateways.
He says the possible benefits were endless.
“Because these sensors are low power they can run on two AA batteries for up to 10 years,” he said.
“It means they can be deployed across the farm, perhaps in soils or crops to pinpoint the best time to plant crops.
“They can be left there for years to capture and relay data to the farmer.”