High flying hopes for the future
The opportunities for using technology and data to support farming businesses, as well as career opportunities for the next generation of farmers, will be one of the areas covered at next week’s meeting of the Borders Monitor farm.
Speakers at the event will include David Owen from Owen Farm Services, who will highlight the potential uses of data and technology in agriculture. The organisers said that, weather permitting, there would also be a demonstration of the practical uses of drones in farming.
“The use of drones has increased in popularity in agriculture in recent years ,” said Owen .“The devices can be fitted with cameras and sensors to help farmers assess their fields from above for poor yielding areas or to spot problems such as soil compaction. They can also be used to monitor livestock and survey farmland.”
The unit is farmed by Robert and Lesley Mitchell, working in partnership with their son Stuart who has recently taken on the day-to-day responsibilities for running the farm.
“I am very keen to future proof the business here at W hit riggs ,” said Stuart, “The use of more advanced technology in today’s agriculture is becoming more
easily accessible and I feel we must use this to make our farm more efficient and productive.”
This session will be run jointly with the Borders Machinery Ring, who will highlight the opp or tunities for farmers in the area to get involved in a new pre -apprenticeship pro - gramme.
The meeting nextWednesday will be held at W hit riggs farm, near Denholm, and will begin at 10am and is expected to finish by 3pm.