On Tuesday 14th March Agri-EPI hosted a live demonstration of the Crover grain monitoring robotic solution at Manor Farms, Stratton-on-the-Fosse, kindly hosted by Jeremy Padfield and Rob Addicott who farm in partnership together.
They are both tenants of the Duchy of Cornwall and have been a LEAF Demonstration Farm since 2006 and members of the Agri-EPI Innovation Farm network since 2017. Working together as neighbouring farmers has brought many benefits to Rob and Jeremy such as shared machinery and investment costs. It has also allowed them to take up a number of precision farming techniques to help their businesses become more sustainable, such as engaging in the Crover project.
Crover’s first-of-its-kind grain monitoring robotic solution allows for a greater understanding of the real situation of grains stored in bulk, thanks to its patented method for locomotion through bulk solids, enabling grain storage operators to implement accurate Integrated Pest Management (IPM) practices to maintain the quality of their stock. The CROVER robot is the world’s first ‘underground drone’ in the sense of the first device able to propel itself below the surface of dense granular media such as sand, grains and powders.
It was a very successful event with great feedback and engagement from the guests and the demonstration in the grain shed went smoothly.
