AG Products has been awarded funding to develop an autonomous cow cubicle bedding unit that aims to boost cow health and welfare while improving farm productivity and reducing costs. The AG ARC project will monitor and respond to key sensor data to optimize the dispensing of bedding, reducing manual labor by farmers. Additionally, the Potato-LITE project received funding to explore optimized systems for potato cultivation. The project aims to develop reduced tillage technologies to enable regenerative agriculture in potato and other root crops systems. These projects were funded as part of the Large R&D Partnership competition, which is part of the UK government’s Farming Innovation Programme worth £270m. The funding will support research and development of proposals that will increase productivity in the agricultural sector, including robotic crop harvesting systems for horticulture and an eco-friendly approach to potato cultivation. The adoption of cutting-edge technologies in the agriculture sector could significantly reduce costs and increase productivity.
Over £9m Funding Awarded for Cutting-Edge Farming Technology Development
The Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (Defra) has awarded funding worth over £9m to three cutting-edge projects aimed at enhancing farming productivity. The funds will be utilized to support research and development of proposals that will increase productivity in the agricultural sector. The projects receiving funding include developing a robotic crop harvesting system for horticulture, an autonomous system to change cows’ bedding to improve productivity, and a more eco-friendly approach to potato cultivation.
The three projects were awarded funding under the Large R&D Partnership competition, which is part of the UK government’s Farming Innovation Programme, worth £270m. The Agri-Opencore project led by APS Produce received £3.8m to accelerate the delivery of robotic crop systems for horticulture. This funding will create the world’s first open development platform for agri-robotic crop harvesting, allowing cross-sector collaboration and demonstration of technologies on English farms. The goal is to accelerate the adoption of robotic picking by two years and reduce costs and labour requirements in the horticulture sector.
The AG ARC project led by Garnett Farm Engineering received over £2.5m towards the development of an autonomous cow cubicle bedding unit. This project aims to improve cow comfort, which is a critical factor in reducing the chances of cows suffering from mastitis. The autonomous cubicle bedder will monitor and respond to key sensor data to optimize dispensing of bedding, which is currently done manually by farmers.
The third project awarded funding is for developing an eco-friendly approach to potato cultivation. The project is expected to reduce the amount of water and fertilizers used in potato farming while increasing yields.
Farming Minister Mark Spencer expressed the importance of funding such innovative projects to support sustainable food production and environmental protection. He added that innovation, research, and development are key to keeping the sector at the cutting edge of technology.
The second round of the competition is currently open for applications, providing an opportunity for more innovative projects to receive funding. With the ongoing labour shortages affecting the horticulture sector worldwide, the adoption of cutting-edge technologies in the agriculture sector could significantly reduce costs and increase productivity.
AG Products Receives Funding for Autonomous Cow Cubicle Bedding Unit
AG Products has been awarded over £2.5m towards the development of an autonomous cow cubicle bedding unit, which aims to boost cow health and welfare while improving farm productivity and reducing costs. The AG ARC project will collaborate with the University of Liverpool to develop innovative cattle bedding solutions to improve cow welfare and productivity. The project will revolutionize the industry’s approach to cattle bedding by monitoring and responding to key sensor data to optimize the dispensing of bedding, reducing manual labor by farmers.
Another project that has been awarded funding is the Potato-LITE project, which received £2,830,000 to explore optimized systems for potato cultivation. The current systems require cultivating soil to create a deep and uniform seedbed free from stones and clods, providing a favorable environment for potato growth. This project aims to develop reduced tillage technologies to enable regenerative agriculture in potato and other root crops systems.
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