Comment – The robots are coming. 

 

The whole idea of Agri-tech has taken a beating over the years. Many of the arguments carry water. Expensive, un proven and an often difficult to identify business case. 

However, this week, I attended the Institution of Agricultural Engineers annual Landwards conference at Harper Adams. The theme being Automation in Agriculture: From Innovation to Impact. 

I must admit, I fully expected to be bombarded with the usual theoretical models which may be getting out in the field (subject to additional funding) within 5 years. Boy was I wrong. 

A full day packed with practical examples from a fruit picking humanoid, a tree seedling sorting system, the reality of autonomous safety, through field scale high value salad technology and an arable farmer with a season under his belt with an agbot prime mover. 

I tend to be a bit of a grumpy old man when it comes to technology. Despite loving lane assist and adaptive cruise control in the truck and a tractor which has guidance for the all-important fertiliser spreading and drilling. 

Your truly came home encouraged that autonomy is moving into the field and like most things, it just takes time. 

Congratulations to the IagrE President Kit Franklin and the team for pulling together such a useful and fascinating day. 

Have a good week. 

 

Andy