Frederick Hiam uses ROBOTTI to provide automated weeding of parsnips

Automation of farming operations offers promise but integrating robotics on-farm when there has already been a significant investment in equipment creates many challenges. ROBOTTI, a type of autonomous tractor is designed to work with conventional approaches and machinery. It is appearing at REAP on 8th November 2022.

Mechanised weeding

Jamie Lockhart is Managing Director of Frederick Hiam Limited, a diverse farming and fresh produce business with farms in Suffolk and Cambridgeshire growing a wide range of root vegetables, including parsnips, potatoes and onions, on light sandy and rich fen soils.

Jamie explains: “We are looking to increase the accuracy of our mechanised weeding to reduce the use of herbicides and move to a more preventative approach to weed control.”

Farm-centric automation with ROBOTTI

Jamie met Tom Beach through his father at Mudwalls Farm in Warwickshire; Tom had recently co-founded Autonomous Agri Solutions to bring a farm-centric approach to automation.

“I was impressed by Tom’s enthusiasm for all things autonomous and how we could use them in a practical and immediate way. It was at this first meeting that a trial with a ROBOTTI was suggested.”

The ROBOTTI is like an autonomous tractor – it can navigate the field fitted with attachments for various operations, such as seeding, weeding, spraying etc. Autonomous Agri Solutions is using an N-Trip RTK system for navigation that offers sub-2cm accuracy. Sowing the crop with this level of precision allows a sequence of automated operations to be conducted with confidence.

Jamie continues: “We offered a 40-ha block as part of the trial. We were keen to learn the true costs of operation and how they compared with our existing conventional system.

“The ROBOTTI has drilled the parsnips on this block and weeded them on several passes. Initially it was about getting confidence in the accuracy and reliability of a fully autonomous system. In this regard the machine hasn’t put a foot wrong and, on several occasions, we left the machine running all night whilst weeding and the accuracy was perfect.

“We don’t see the ROBOTTI as a direct replacement for our manned equipment. Our biggest asset remains our highly skilled team, who are essential to ensure consistent results with these high input crops, but we absolutely see opportunities for the ROBOTTI to work alongside these teams going forward.”

Complementing conventional approaches

Tom Beach agrees; he sees automation as a complement to farm operations: “It’s about the systems integration. Our first customer in the UK, Home Farm Acton, based in Suffolk, wanted to use ROBOTTI from day one for weeding in potato ridges. Unfortunately, with the inaccuracy of their planting system and the way the beds were created, this was not possible. But this was something we could rectify and improve.

“We made sure that the level of guidance being used on the conventional agricultural equipment, the tractor, was of a high enough level of accuracy and precision. The management systems were in place to support that all the way through; the same guidance lines were used, making sure it all matched up and flowed together.

“This year they’ve had absolutely no issues weeding their organic potatoes with ROBOTTI – it’s gone perfectly, because we were able to support them in putting this in place, and they are now able to introduce other forms of automation.

“It’s all about understanding the needs of the farmers and the reasons for doing things. Next year we are planning to weed a greater area of crop than we’ve actually seeded; that is, to weed a crop that’s been planted using a conventional tractor.

“As we can’t guarantee the level of accuracy that the tractor’s been able to achieve, we will be using a vision system to add a side-shift element to move the implement left and right within the constraints of the ROBOTTI, to adjust for that inaccuracy.

“We have a variety of technology that can work on-farm and this type of hybrid solution means that farmers can use their legacy equipment where most effective and we can help automate the elements that will be most beneficial.

Need for actionable insights

“The volumes of data available in farming is enormous. What I’m interested in and what I’m looking for is actionable data – ‘what data will make a difference to a real decision we’re making on-farm?’ If we have appropriate information, then we can really make changes in our farming practices.”

Jamie shares Tom’s sentiments: “One of the main uses we see going forward for the ROBOTTI is for crop monitoring throughout the growing season.

“The company is a developing a ‘crop eye’ system that will monitor crops and, through a series of algorithms, will decide on precision applications and actions. This will have a big impact on reduction of inputs and creating a more focussed management plan.”

Jamie Lockhart and Tom Beach will be at the REAP conference on 8th November 2022 to continue the discussion with other farmers. Autonomous Agri Solutions will be demonstrating ROBOTTI and showcasing videos of the robot in use on-farm.

REAP 2022: ‘Making Sense of Agriculture’ – Tuesday 8th November 2022

From yield mapping and precision livestock through to digital twins and cloud computing, at REAP 2022 we will be exploring the technology and looking at the implications from a field to landscape level. Making technology farm-centric is core to Agri-TechE ’s mission so a key feature of the conference will be a panel of farmers and producers discussing the emerging technologies and future scenarios.

reapconference.co.uk