Capturing impact and evidence through collecting data on-farms At times it feels that the agriculture industry is under more pressure than ever before. Production costs have increased dramatically, whilst output prices have very rarely followed suit. Pressure to reduce any negative environmental impacts is at an all-time high, and the welfare of our livestock is continually under the microscope. I strongly believe that the best response to such pressure is to innovate, adapt and evidence the good work we are doing. HUW JONES, HEAD OF INDUSTRY AND PARTNERSHIPS, SRUC
that easy.
As the quality of data being collected on farms improves, we are seeing a rise in the use of onfarm information helping to drive innovation. This brings with the opportunity to reliably quantify the impact of any on-farm improvements that are being adopted.
Over the last decade we have seen a growing focus on
We are also seeing growing interest in developing more joined
developments in Agri-tech, like electronic tagging, advanced
up thinking. Measurements are being taken and stored in such
sensors, digital cameras, use of satellite imaging, the wireless
a way that it’s not only useful for its intended primary purpose,
transfer of data and on-line data management software. We
but also linked to other data sets that are held on the farm or
now have many opportunities to generate new information that
by other partners. What that means in practice, is that over
can help you better manage your farm, whilst improving
time there should be more opportunities to gain more value
efficiency and reduce environmental impact. However,
from the information you are collecting. There should also be
innovation isn’t and can’t be a one size fits all approach, each
less need to input data in manually, and less need to input the
farm needs to evaluate what works for them.
same data twice or even several times!
As Head of Industry and Partnerships, I have the pleasure of working across SAC Consulting and SRUC, supporting and driving forward the creation of real industry impact from new innovations. I have a front row seat for many of the exciting developments in agri-innovation, but also know all too well that generating real industry impact from using them is not always
Currently, our research and consultancy teams are involved in trailing and evaluating a number of tools and approaches, ensuring we are well placed to provide independent and knowledgeable advice for farms.
Perspectives | Autumn 2023
