03 October 2023
Virgin Media O2 has created the ‘Connected Farm of the Future’ in a trial with Cannon Hall Farm in Barnsley, designed to showcase how enhanced mobile connectivity could transform rural agriculture.
Agriculture has faced some of the toughest challenges over the past few years, from extreme weather changes to labour shortages compounded by Brexit and the pandemic. In DEFRA’s latest Farmer Opinion Tracker, farmers on over half (52%) of holdings do not feel positive about their own future in farming, up from 41% in 2022.
Virgin Media O2 is bringing connectivity to every corner of Cannon Hall Farm’s 126-acre estate, including historic blackspots and not-spots, to explore how a network of sensors and monitors can work together to transform the farm, saving time and money.
As the two most common rural crimes, equipment and livestock theft cost the rural agriculture industry a combined £49.5 million in 2022 alone. Compounding the issue are gates being left open on public footpaths that run around and through many farms, leading to livestock escaping fields and being lost or injured. Trackers, sensors, and switches like those installed across Cannon Hall Farm’s equipment, livestock, and gates as part of this trial enable the farmers to monitor in real time the location of these high-value items or receive alerts about gates left open. This means that farmers can be alerted instantly if equipment moves unexpectedly or leaves the farm, helping minimise the risk of loss and freeing up time previously spent doing manual checks.
With farmers often working alone across big areas and remote locations with little to no signal, access to connectivity can be a game changer, and in the most extreme instances be the difference between life and death. According to data from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), agriculture has the highest workplace injury rate of 4,100 per 100,000 workers, 3.5 times higher than the all-industry average. The trial improves safety by removing not-spots, providing reliable mobile signal across the farm, and giving workers the ability to get help should they need it.
Over the past 30 years, major crop yields have decreased globally by 4-10% due to climate change. To combat the impact of increasingly extreme and unpredictable weather events such as floods and droughts on crop viability and yield, part of the trial sees the installation of connected soil moisture, atmospheric temperature, and humidity sensors. These sensors show the potential to monitor the health of crops and assess irrigation needs, reduce water use, improve crop quality and allow for targeted interventions based on real-time conditions.
“We are thrilled to be partnering with Virgin Media O2 to trial the ‘Connected Farm of the Future.’ Rural connectivity opens the door to a range of new technologies that could completely change farming as we know it,” said Rob Nicholson, owner of Cannon Hall Farm. “Being able to monitor in real-time soil and atmospheric conditions, provide remote support and have round-the-clock monitoring of livestock, machinery and equipment is a total game-changer. The potential for this technology to help create a more efficient, profitable, and sustainable future for not only our family farm but many other farms across the UK is huge.”
“This trial is an example of the transformational power of connectivity and how it’s being used to power a Great Rural Revival. Through this innovative trial with Cannon Hall Farm, we have demonstrated how a network of sensors, underpinned by excellent connectivity, can make a real impact and transform the way we live and work in rural areas,” said Jeanie York, chief technology officer at Virgin Media O2.
