Could private networks lay the groundwork for the connected farms of the future by demonstrating the transformative power of technology? CPM visits the Overbury Estates, where 4G and 5G-based solutions are being trialled to help improve farm efficiency.
“Our objective is to radiate the entire farm with 5G technology.” STEPHEN SARGOOD
By Janine Adamson
Historically, if you invited farmers to share a list of their key asks, a reliable internet connection with faster download speeds would undoubtedly be close to the top. This is because in a rapidly-accelerating digital world, those in the most rural UK communities have often felt left behind when it comes to accessing online services and internet-reliant solutions.
However, that could be about to change thanks to a government-funded project which aims to showcase the benefits of using 5G private networks in agriculture.
It involves a collaboration between Virgin Media O2 Business and River Severn Advanced Wireless Innovation Region (RSPAWIR), where a 4G/5G private network has been installed at Cotswolds-based Overbury Estates, demonstrating how enhanced connectivity can boost crop production and environmental preservation.
Selected due to its high standards of environmental stewardship, Overbury Estates is acting as a testbed – utilising 4 and 5G to power technologies such as AI-trained camera traps, fertiliser monitors, weather forecasting and real-time data analytics.
But what is a private network? In the simplest terms, it’s a dedicated and secure wireless network installed within a specific enterprise to offer high speed, low latency, and reliable connectivity. Perhaps important to note, is that it operates independently of public carrier networks therefore can only be accessed by individuals with a specific, authorised sim card.
By installing wireless radio antennas and other transmission resources, it’s possible to open up a range of use cases, as being demonstrated through the project at Overbury Estates.
“Our objective is to connect the entire farm with 5G technology, although we’re using a hybrid 4G/5G solution,” explains Stephen Sargood of Virgin Media O2 Business.
“The reason being, we have powerful long-range 4G antennas which can cover a radius of up 1-2km and are suitable for low-bandwidth applications or snap-shot type data transfers from the field. This is in contrast to 5G which offers higher bandwidth capabilities for large amounts of data or video material, suitable for use within buildings or for closer to the farm office,” he adds.
Once data has been captured and fed into a server, it’s then available for interpretation via a series of integrated iPad dashboards, enabling the estate to be managed remotely. This is also where device management takes place, with the capacity to remove registered sim cards should there be a security breach.
One use case currently being explored is monitoring pest activity within the farm’s grain store, points out Andres Cruz Gordon of Virgin Media O2 Business. “By installing a pheromone-enhanced camera trap, it’s possible to not only classify the species of insect being detected, but to also indicate when that pest pressure will be at its threshold and therefore intervention is required, suggesting the most optimal window to intervene.
“This is achieved by integrating the camera trap data with information from the farm’s weather station, so utilising insights such as temperature and humidity. Farm data can often be fragmented, but by connecting data silos in this way, we can demonstrate its greater value,” he says.
According to Stephen, the end goal is to create a digital twin of Overbury Estates with everything that’s monitored being available though one dashboard. “By making more of the data available and interpreting in a useful way, it’s possible to achieve greater efficiencies and productivity across the business.”
Another application being tested is using sensors to monitor liquid fertiliser levels, a concept to assist with stock control, says Overbury Estates’ farm manager, Jake Freestone. “In an ideal world we’d like to have sensor equipment installed across all of our sites, for an accurate assessment of the fertiliser we have in stock.
“By managing this remotely, it mitigates me having to drive to our different locations which saves time. Also if we have a sudden, significant drop in level, we’ll instantly know there’s a problem meaning we can contain it and reduce any environmental impact.”
Similar technology is also being used to monitor water trough levels for the estate’s livestock and racehorses. As with the fertiliser tanks, the sensors send an alert if there’s a drop in level as well as providing a constant loop of information including water temperature.
“Although we inspect our racehorses several times a day, for the more remote troughs used with some of our livestock this could really save time,” explains Jake.
At a field-scale, the private network is supporting remote AI-enabled pest observations, similar to what’s being deployed in the grain store. This has been achieved by using existing cabbage stem flea beetle camera traps plus new aphid and ladybird-trained camera traps.
“The cameras take pictures throughout the day, using AI to identify the number of and insect species,” explains Virgin Media O2 Business’ Sarah James. “That can then be correlated with information from the farm’s weather forecasting app to identify trends; the aim is to limit the over-use of insecticides,” she suggests.
Jake says this is particularly useful for monitoring pest flights and therefore could help to mitigate aphid-vectored barley yellow dwarf virus, as well as the threat posed by orange wheat blossom midge. “With a small window of opportunity to control adult OWBM before they lay their eggs on the insides of wheat ears, this technology provides a chance to learn when the first midge have arrived in the crop, and to then consider the likelihood of a population increase.”
He adds that the camera traps also monitor beneficial insect activity. “As a business we prioritise integrated pest management, so this provides critical insight to help us to minimise our insecticide use.”
Andres highlights that the project is constantly evolving with sensors now being installed to remotely identify nitrates levels in a nearby watercourse, whereas long-term, the team hopes to address the ever-prevalent issue of farm safety.
“With a lot of lone working happening on the farm technology has the ability to provide alerts for if someone has fallen or hasn’t moved for a considerable about of time. Equally, this could be part of the farm’s security system as an intruder alarm,” he says.
And this is made possible because the equipment used during the trial is carrier-grade and should have a 10-15 year life span at least, comments Stephen. “Rather than home-use or basic IT-grade, it’s the same quality as network service providers use for their infrastructure,” he concludes.
This article was taken from the latest issue of CPM. Read the article in full here.
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