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On-farm technical support: introducing Emily Laskin

An interview with Emily Laskin, one of the Agri-EPI Satellite Farm team members who is focused on the technical delivery of on-farm projects. As Projects Assistant, Emily plays a vital role coordinating projects on-farm which includes proposing ideas for trials to farmers, handling day-to-day project activity on farm, sourcing data for projects, assisting with bid writing, and more. Another part of her role is focused on ‘horizon scanning’, which means that part of each day is dedicated to learning about new and upcoming Ag Tech in the industry. Emily Laskin is also the Project Manager on the Paraguay Smart Farm project.

Emily LaskinWhat does a typical day at Agri-EPI Centre look like?

“A typical day is a combination of meetings, calls, email writing, research, and other unique project organisational tasks. Pre-COVID, my team frequently travelled to networking events, on-farm meetings, and conferences as well.”

What has been the best part of your job so far?

“The best part of my job has been getting to know the farmers and getting to see all of the different forms of production across the UK. I love getting out on farm and seeing how each operation is unique.”

Can you tell me about any international work you have done with Agri-EPI Centre?

“I am the Project Manager for the Paraguay Smart Farm project and was lucky to have to opportunity to visit Paraguay in February of this year. The project is currently focused on trialling AgSpace’s Contour platform in the South American climate. The trip illuminated the unique struggles South American farmers face and how different their production methods are from those used in the UK. We were able to network with other Paraguayan companies during the trip and are hoping to do more work there in the future.”

Which research topics are you interested in or currently active in?

“I am currently taking a course on Regenerative Agriculture. I am very interested in how traditional farming practices can be used alongside agri-tech in order to cultivate the land in a sustainable, environmentally friendly way (while increasing profitability!). I’m also very interested in the carbon trading market, animal welfare and sustainable livestock rearing practices, and robotics.”

What do you think the next exciting on-farm technology will be that will make a difference?

“I think one of the areas of research with the most potential to make an impact is soil carbon and the carbon market. If we can figure out how to accurately measure carbon sequestration in the soil we will be able to identify ways of maximising carbon sequestration and thus make a positive impact on climate change. The carbon market will be a great way of incentivising farmers to utilise more sustainable practices.

I think agri-tech has the potential to impact carbon management, animal welfare, and improving yields on farm while decreasing inputs. Technology like satellite imagery and a wide variety of sensors can be used to make more profitable and sustainable decisions on farm.”

Are you doing anything outside of your role?

“It might be interesting which could be interesting that I am taking a course on Regenerative Agriculture by The Savory Institute!”

Which Agri-EPI capability is one to keep an eye out?

“I was involved in the procurement process for a WingtraONE UAV that is currently deployed at Elveden Estate (one of our Satellite Farmers). The drone is used for mapping the fields throughout the growing season. This type of aerial imagery can serve many purposes including providing the framework for variable seed-rate and fertiliser application. I think this type of technology has a lot of untapped potential and I’m excited to see how its applications evolve over time.”

 


Meet the team

With national and international expertise and reach, our team are drawn from throughout the UK with hands-on farming, agri-tech and academic specialisms. Learn more about working at Agri-EPI or meet other members of the Agri-EPI Team.

World-class agri-tech in Africa

Establishing trust between farmers and investors

GRID tool

An innovative digital farming system is helping to increase yields across thousands of hectares of farmland in southern Africa while also creating new jobs locally and in the UK.

AgSpace Agriculture’s new GRID system gives farmers access to the most advanced agricultural satellite mapping and analysis available, backed by independent agronomic advice. The information helps producers to make better management decisions and allows them to offer evidence of their crops’ performance to financial providers to gain access to credit and insurance.

Partners GRID

GRID was developed under a two-year European Space Agency-backed project involving AgSpace, Agri-EPI Centre and RHIZA. It is the first tool on the market specifically allowing farmers and financial providers to track crop performance.

Agri-Tech in Africa

There has been rapid uptake of the product following its launch earlier this year. It is now operational in nine African countries, and involves financial providers including Standard Bank. Further expansion is predicted to create up to 775 jobs between the UK and Africa by 2024.

AgSpace Director, Vince Gillingham, said:

“Some 80% of the African workforce makes a living from agriculture but many are crippled by a lack of access to financial products to develop their businesses. Price fluctuations for inputs and products, along with crop failure, due to pests, diseases, temperature or variable rainfall, hold the entire agricultural ecosystem back. 

“It is very difficult for credit providers to measure risk in the face of such variables without good data from farmers. GRID offers a precision data-driven opportunity for overcoming this barrier, giving providers the evidence and confidence they need to support farmers in increasing yields, growing their farms and ultimately contributing to wider economic development.”

GRID uses high resolution satellite data to monitor crop performance while providing local weather data for every farm on an hourly basis. It provides soil mapping and soil health monitoring, supports fertiliser planning for increased efficiency and higher yields and calculates yield predictions.

Farmers access agronomy advice by smart phone to improve production while financial providers use the same satellite data to monitor crop performance and build a clear picture of each farm, whatever its size and however remote.

Dave Ross, Agri-EPI Centre CEO said:

“We are delighted to have contributed to the emerging success of the GRID product. By using our company assets, including our database of high-resolution earth observation data, combined with analytics, this has enabled the optimal refinement of the system, which has now moved rapidly to a commercial offering. We are particularly pleased that Agri-EPI has assisted in the near-future prospect of up to 1000 jobs shared between the UK and Africa. This makes a valuable contribution from Agri-EPI input and continues to show evidence of world-class agri-tech solutions from the UK being exported around the globe.”

Francesco Feliciani, Head of the Commercial Applications Section of ESA, added:

“We are proud for having hosted the development and validation of the GRID service as part of our Integrated Applications Programme. We are convinced that GRID is a game changer in supporting farmers and associated financial services to understand the performance of farming businesses virtually everywhere in the world. This is key especially in times challenged by extreme weather events.

We have directly witnessed how the GRID service is used by farming companies in Africa, and we are fascinated by its capability to turn complex datasets and analytics into easy to understand information through a very intuitive and appealing user interface.”

More information

For further information about GRID, please download the GRID information brochure or contact Vincent Gillingham, AgSpace Director.

Stay informed

Keep up to date with the latest impact and results of our work, plus, news, innovation and approaches across the sector. Read our latest agri-tech news and Agri-EPI blogs.

Demonstration of positive effects of Precision Soil Mapping

Agri-EPI Centre hosted a Precision Soil Mapping Showcase Event to demonstrate how Precision Soil Mapping can take precision farming to the next level. The project, in conjunction with AgSpace, IPF, Cranfield University and James Hutton Institute, is near completion. This event presented the commercial benefits of the projects. Specifically, how it can lower the entry cost to precision farming making it more viable for a wider community.

The challenge

The benefits of precision farming, dividing land into management zones according to soil characteristics, has been proven to yield better results when compared to conventional farming. The perceived high entry cost into precision farming has long been a barrier to entry for some smaller arable farmers.

Agri-EPI Centre held a number of workshops over the country in conjunction with LEAF and Innovative Farmers to gain feedback on the development of the precision soil map and identify areas of future development in the wider precision farming industry. These events were held at Agri-EPI Satellite Farms across the country each with a specific focus such as conventional arable, mixed farming and organic farming.

Read more information about the Soil Mapping project here.

If you would like to know more about the outcomes of the project or this event, please contact us via enquiries@agri-epicentre.com.

Collaboration partners

Precision Soil Mapping Showcase event August 2018 partners

Stay informed

Keep up to date with the latest impact and results of our work, plus, news, innovation and approaches across the sector. Read our latest news and Agri-EPI blogs.

Tag Archive for: AgSpace

Tag Archive for: AgSpace

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