Dairy - Agri-EPI Centre - Engineering Precision Innovation

Dairy

Supporting the many dairy herds around the UK, Agri-EPI explores and delivers precision farming engineering, technology and innovation in UK agriculture. Seeking to improve yield, efficiency and the welfare and wellbeing of our milking herds; collaborating and promoting novel technology and husbandry in partnership with farmers, scientists and retailers.

Pioneer dairy centre re-launched to test state-of-the-art technology

Cutting edge facilities supporting sustainable milk production

Dairy production innovators have a novel, state-of-the-art facility in which to test technology following the relaunch of Agri-EPI Centre’s South West Dairy Development Centre (SWDDC).

Already established as a high-performing dairy innovation unit, the SWDDC has reopened following an extensive upgrade to install the latest robotic and sensor technology. Additions include a high-welfare, free access system for cows, integrating Lely A5 robotic milking systems with precision-grazing, while incorporating the existing GEA robotic feeding system. Galebreaker side curtains ensure the climate within the building is continually optimised.

The resource offers a truly innovative environment for developing, testing and demonstrating new technologies and techniques to support sustainable, efficient, high health and welfare, cost-efficient milk production. Located close to Shepton Mallet in the heart of the region’s milk field, the unit features a typically sized 180-cow herd run on a commercial basis and provides a platform for higher technology readiness level developers.

The building and facilities are run by precision engineering specialists, Agri-EPI Centre, while the herd is owned and managed by the Christensen family, trading as Steanbow Farms. and noted throughout the farming community for their efficient dairy and poultry enterprises. The project is supported by Innovate UK. All milk goes to local processors, Barber’s cheese.

“We are thrilled to reopen the Centre for business following the installation of an R&D platform focussing on integrating free grazing and automation ready for innovation,” explains Agri-EPI Centre Head of Agri-Tech (Dairy), Robert Morrison.

The Centre key areas of focus are to

· Provide state-of-the art facilities for research, development and demonstration with an emphasis on optimising productivity

· Integrate robotic milking with precision grazing

· Demonstrate profitable and resource efficient milk production techniques

· Demonstrate the highest standards of animal health and welfare and how technology can be used to optimise this

· Demonstrate routes to sustainable milk production by adopting circular dairy principles in all aspects of the production process

Steanbow Farms’ Neil Christensen comments:

“We’re keen to work with Agri-EPI as service providers on our farm. We want the Centre to do well which is why we created that relationship in the first place – for the future of the industry. A robotic demonstration farm is becoming more and more relevant as the industry tackles ever increasing labour challenges. This Centre is demonstrating systems and an approach; it’s a place for technology testing but also knowledge exchange and industry engagement.”

Robert Morrison adds:

“We look forward to developing new partnerships and projects – both funded and private research, which will continue our current themes featuring animal health and welfare, environmental sustainability, farm business sustainability, and feed and productivity.”

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Agri-EPI expands farms team

Agri-EPI has developed its farm offering, including the addition of new members to their Farm management team over the last few of months.

Ross Robertson, head of mixed farms said:

“Over the last few months Agri-EPI has been investing heavily in its Mixed Farms Team and network of farms, bringing in an on-farm technician, enabling us to implement assets on farm, as well as speeding up the process of collecting data. In doing this, it will allow us to pick out gaps which could benefit from the use of technology to help aid on-farm decisions, as well as help to form project ideas & future collaborations with tech companies.”

 

Agri-EPI’s new crop farms technician, Richard Round, studied biology at the University of Bristol and received his Master’s in future food sustainability from Cranfield University. These studies equipped him with an understanding of the relationships between agriculture and the environment, and the challenges facing both in the 21st century. As crop farms technician, Richard ensures that all equipment on farm functions optimally, and that a strong line of communication is maintained between Agri-EPI and the crop farmers within the innovation farms network. By working on a variety of projects, Richards hopes to help bring forward innovation within the agricultural sector and promote both efficiency and sustainability within farming.

 

Agri-EPI’s new mixed farms technician, Murray Watson, works on the ground with mixed farms in Agri-EPI’s innovation farms network as the point of contact for the farmers. Murray comes from a family farm in Scotland, farming beef, sheep, and poultry. He has experience working on large dairy farms specialising mainly in calf rearing and herd management and he studied Agriculture at SRUC. Murray assists with the implementation of new tech and management of assets on Agri-EPI’s mixed farms.

 

Chukwudi Okolo has been at Agri-EPI since 2021 as project coordinator but has recently joined the Farms team to assist with the coordination and support of farm network activities. Having studied business management and business psychology, Chukwudi came to Agri-EPI eager to further his knowledge and experience in project management. He is now assisting with asset procurement and deployment for the farms, managing records and documents, and maintaining communication between Agri-EPI and our innovation farmers.

 

The Heads of the farms team include Claire Hodge, head of agri-tech (crops), Ross Robertson, head of agri-tech (mixed), Duncan Forbes, dairy project specialist, Robert Morrison, head of agri-tech (dairy) and Mike Jones, dairy technical manager.

 

Claire Hodge brings to the role as head of crops her in-depth knowledge and experience of the crop sector, and wide network of connections. Based at Agri-EPI’s Northern Hub in Edinburgh, she works both nationally and internationally and plays an especially important role in expanding the activities of Agri-EPI’s farm network. After graduating from Newcastle University in 2005 with a degree in agriculture, Claire worked on farms in New Zealand before joining Greenvale AP in 2006. It was here that she was introduced to the opportunities within the potato industry. Taking on various roles in procurement, trading, agronomy and factory production, she learnt about the challenges of the cycles in potato production.

 

Ross Robertson, head of mixed farms, comes from a farming background and has worked on farms from a young age. Ross graduated from SAC Craibstone with an HND in agriculture and went straight to work on a pedigree Aberdeen Angus farm. He progressed into sales after several years and then into area management and product development with a local manufacturer of quality livestock equipment. Working with technology equipment at development and design stages in an IUK project then led to furthering his career into his role at Agri-EPI Centre.

 

Dairy project specialist, Duncan Forbes, has great record of experience in the dairy industry. After several years in practical farming, Duncan moved into farm management consultancy and worked over twenty years as managing director at Kingshay. In his role at Agri-EPI Centre, based in Somerset, he is focussing on the development of the dairy research and demonstration facility for 180 cows combining robotic milking and feeding in a state-of-the-art building with precision grazing.

 

Agri-EPI’s head of dairy, Robert Morrison, has dedicated himself to the advancement of technology within the agri-tech sector throughout his career, with a particular focus on bringing tech to market. He served as the product manager at Fullwood Ltd, playing a crucial role in a global team responsible for conceptualising, designing, and introducing automated milking products within the Fullwood Packo Group. As head of dairy at Agri-EPI he is able to collaborate with a diverse range of exciting innovators, and work towards developing the next generation of agri-tech products contributing to the global effort of feeding the world, while also striving towards a carbon net zero future. Robert is deeply passionate about leveraging technology to enhance the productivity of farmers and facilitate them to work more sustainably to meet the growing needs of our society.

 

Finally, Mike Jones, dairy technical career, has centred his career on sustainable farm management in the dairy sector, including as Farm Manager of Wyndhurst Farm, Langford. Latterly he was precision technical manager at Cogent Breeding, where he was responsible for development and application of precision technology. Mike is based at Agri-EPI’s South West Dairy Development Centre but is responsible for dairy assets UK-wide. He plays a key role in steering Agri-EPI’s technical strategy in the dairy sector, as well as providing technical expertise and guidance in agri-tech R&D projects. He has a passion for dairy farming and in particular cow health and welfare. He brings experience in cow health monitoring technologies, remote management of dairy herds, cow mobility and fertility management, and in the practical deployment and use of agri-tech on dairy farms.

Young company making an asset from farm waste

A young company is working on a new way for farmers to make money from farm waste.Somerset-based BioFactory are developing a modular anaerobic digester which can be scaled to any size of dairy farm. The company has been working with precision engineering and innovation experts Agri-EPI Centre, to develop and refine their system with a view to bringing it to the market.Whereas anaerobic digesters – which ferment organic matter to produce biogas for heat and power generation – are well established in the industry, systems are often too costly and high-maintenance for most family farms.Agri-EPI Centre have helped BioFactory access funding, provided technical assistance, and introduced them to potential funders and advice to help them scale their product and sell it to dairy producers.Having won funding from Innovate UK and Defra for a 12-month feasibility study via the Farming Innovation Programme, BioFactory are now raising working capital to commercialise the company fully, while Agri-EPI Centre continue to provide analysis and consultancy.Charlie Bowyer, business development manager for livestock and aquaculture at Agri-EPI Centre, said: “Slurry is nutrient-rich, and returning it to the soil is a vital part of circular agriculture. Anaerobic digestion is a great way to add value to it whilst retaining nutrients, reducing GHG emissions and becoming more energy-independent.

“Digestate has long been recognised as a high-quality fertiliser, and the heat and power created from biogas can create a meaningful income for farmers or reduce their energy bills. Commercial AD systems are simply out of reach for most dairy farms due to capital and operational costs, as well as barriers such as planning permission and a changed subsidy landscape since the “AD-boom” of the early 2010s.“Working with young companies like BioFactory is Agri-EPI Centre’s bread and butter; helping them develop a good idea into a successful business and providing solutions to farmers at the same time.”

Jon Blake, chief commercial officer at BioFactory, said:

“If you’re a dairy farmer, you will always have slurry, but we can help turn it into an asset rather than a by-product. There is nothing to say that we can’t resolve farming’s impact on the environment as well. Our ethos is to build something simple and reliable for the dairy farmer. Our units are 40’-long shipping containers and easily scaled; if you want to increase your herd, you can simply add another reactor.

“We were so lucky to be in the right place at the right time. Our young company had been waylaid by Covid-19 when we came across a pot of funding for developing technology to help with net zero targets. Agri EPI-Centre helped us get hold of our grant and develop our product in real-life farming conditions.

“Even though the initial 12-month project has concluded, we are so pleased to continue our relationship with Charlie and his colleagues on laboratory analysis of the biodigestate, and with others at Agri-EPI Centre who are helping us with leveraging further funding and sales contracts.”

Agri-EPI’s Farm Tech Circle

Last summer Agri-EPI Centre launched the Farm Tech Circle, a new platform for farmers, growers and producers to discover and connect on topics that focus on enhancing the profitability and sustainability of agriculture.​ To learn more and to share this new network with members of the farming community who you think would like to be kept up to date with the latest news in agri-tech, please see below:

Farm Tech Circle

 

FTC Newsletter 1

FTC Newsletter 2

FTC Newsletter 3

FTC Newsletter 4

Agri-EPI network explores data needs for farmers online

Agri-EPI Centre hosted a member community online special interest group titled What has data ever done for you, that brought farmers and tech developers from across the agri-tech sector together online to discuss data needs, successes and challengers for farmers.

The event was chaired by Eliot Dixon, Head of Agri-Tech (Engineering) at Agri-EPI Centre, and discussions were led by David Smurthwaite, Head of Dairy at Mackie’s of Scotland, and Jose Chitty, COO of Smartbell.

Jose Chitty began the conversation with an overview of his Smartbell project, an animal health monitoring and management system that provides unique data insights, focused on detecting health issues in calves. Smartbell makes it easy to gather data and present insights directly on a phone, and allows for farmers to spot problems faster and more easily, and create benchmarks for tracking changes and improvements on farm. This kind of data gathering can help to improve profitability, improve animal health, justify spending, and help to access funding.

David Smurthwaite, one of Agri-EPI’s innovation farmers, then took over the discussion to comment on the farmer perspective for using data and tech on farm. He uses Smartbell on his farm, and though he was cynical and had a hard time believing in the data at first, the app has improved and the system is working well for his team. For David, data needs to be user friendly, as implementing changes and getting an older team on board to use tech can be a challenge. He would like for the information to be more accessible but has very much started to rely on tech to aid him and his team in improving the welfare of their animals.

Discussion followed, where a number of questions were posed to the audience, and an array of thought-provoking answers were shared:

 

Q: What is the ultimate destination for this technology in the future?

A: Data transfer across the industry for benefit and joined up decision making, data that drives actions to help business, and a hand holder for farmers improving sustainability and profitability.

 

Q: What data sources are already vital for farmers?

A: Data associated with productivity, data that mitigates known risks, data that enables yield to be optimised, and data that provides efficiency on farm.

 

Q: What are specific challenges on farm that could be solved with data and information now?

A: Yield forecasting, connecting environment with individual animal performance, prediction rather than just alerting, investment, storing data, and statistical analysis for data.

 

Q: What is stopping farmers from getting the most information out of the data they have?

A: The data isn’t always the farmers but rather the equipment manufacturers, the data is too complex, farmers may lack certain skills or digital knowledge needed to understand the data adequately, farmers may not have enough time or have inoperable systems on their farm, and a lack on interoperability.

 

Q: What are disadvantages of using information and data?

A: Becoming over-reliant on certain companies and pieces of tech, the lack of accuracy of some data, or getting landed with the wrong application. Trust in the system needs to be ensured.

 

Q:Who should own the rights to the data from farms?

A: Farmers should own the data and be able to have a say on what is done with it, but secondary information could be owned by third party. Both parties should understand contractual laws and come to their own agreements, since data sharing is extremely important for the agriculture sector.

 

Agri-EPI will host their next member community special interest group in person at Cranfield University on 17th January, entitled Accelerating robotic systems for agriculture. Find out more here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/special-interest-group-accelerating-robotic-systems-for-agriculture-tickets-464983296557

Dairy welfare and World Milk Day

This world milk day we are highlighting the importance of collaboration and working together to support the development of sustainable and efficient dairy technologies that prioritise animal health and wellbeing.

Agri-EPI Centre recently hosted a dairy research collaboration event with our sister centre, CIEL and member, Westpoint Farm Vets, at our state of the art South West Dairy Development Centre. The event brought together delegates from 13 companies and academic institutions involved in dairy welfare, including Agri-EPI Centre, CIEL, Westpoint Farm Vets, Farm Vets South West, Kingshay, Bristol Vet School, Vet Partners, Innovate UK, Duchy College, Aberystwyth University, Queen’s University Belfast, Steanbow Farms, and University of Nottingham.

Discussions involved the importance for the farming industry to prioritise high welfare, achieved by being compassionate to the mental and physical condition of animals. Dr. Reynolds, a professor of large animal production at California’s Western University, stressed the importance of collaboration across research and industry to address welfare issues, a message which resonated with the participating researchers, vets and farmers.

Matt Dobbs, Managing Director of Westpoint Veterinary Group and close partner of Agri-EPI Centre said:

“I was pleased with Agri-EPI hosting leading dairy researchers from across the UK at the new state of the art Dairy Development Centre in Somerset. With a keynote speaker passionate about animal welfare and the backdrop of the new welfare focused Dairy Centre to stimulate discussion, we were delighted that the group committed to continue collaborating to further enhance the UK’s leading reputation for farm animal welfare. Key to the future will be the application of technology and the group agreed to focus on early detection of farm health and welfare issues.”

Agri-EPI’s South West Dairy Development Centre is a state of the art dairy facility that demonstrates profitable and resource efficient milk production, uses the latest technology available to optimise animal welfare and sustainable milk production, integrates robotic milking with precision grazing, and provides state-of-the-art facilities for research, development and demonstration.