A Norfolk software company is transforming farms by making decades-old equipment "digitally smart" - avoiding the need to spend thousands on expensive new gear.
Greenstalk, based in Loddon, is working with farming businesses to upgrade existing machines ranging from weighbridges to production lines, with multiple outputs monitored on a single software platform, via a mobile device.
At Brandon-based vegetable producer Frederick Hiam, sensors were installed on an old weighbridge which now photographs and records the details of vehicles arriving on site and analyses the weight, type and condition of the load.
The system combines existing CCTV cameras with bespoke software that can also monitor the vehicle throughout its time on site.
Frederick Hiam's managing director Jamie Lockhart said: "I had spoken to other companies about upgrading the weighbridge and they said we would need to buy a new one at a significant cost, but I knew David [Greenstalk managing director David Aarons] had clever ways of making machines talk to each other, so I shared what we wanted to achieve.
"We were having to do everything manually and no one knew what was on site until a ticket was delivered to the relevant person.
"Now we know, as soon as something arrives, what the load is and how much there is – and we haven’t had to spend a whole load of money on new cameras. We get instant recognition that it’s the right vehicle in the right place at the right time."
Other innovations at Brandon Fields include digitally monitoring and analysing the power usage of production lines, and creating a "geofence" around the farm’s fuel tanks to protect them from theft.
CCTV cameras now trigger a recording 30 seconds before any vehicle enters or leaves the fuel area, preventing the need to review hours of footage if an incident occurs.
Mr Lockhart added: “It’s great for us because we can develop the technology to be exactly how we want it to be and we can redeploy it on other machines to monitor other things, like the output from our packing machines, or the amount of rejected produce.
"It has been a breath of fresh air and the sort of thinking we want to engage with because, as an industry we are fed up with people selling us the dream and then we buy the reality, and the reality is somewhat disappointing. We are not in the dreams business."
David Aarons, managing director of Greenstalk, has a string of national and international awards for innovation and technology design, including in the fields of signage and lighting.
But it was a chance discussion about an unreliable old "gas gun" bird scarer at the Raveningham Estate in South Norfolk that sparked his interest in the farming sector.
He developed ideas for a more efficient bird scarer that doubles as a soil sensor and weather station - relaying key crop information via mobile phone. But the collaboration also went on to transform other elements of Raveningham's business, such as retro-fitting monitors to irrigation pumps and grain stores, enabling power usage and efficiency to be monitored via Greenstalk’s web-based software platform.
Mr Aarons said: “At Greenstalk, our vision has always been to build the solutions farmers need, from the ground up, by listening to their needs and adapting our technology to suit.
"Enabling devices, sensors and platforms to talk to each other helps farmers to manage their operations more efficiently, monitor crop health in real-time, and make data-driven decisions.
“Many people are nervous of investing in new technology, but this is different – it’s about making existing machinery smarter and more efficient and it’s something we can apply to so many applications, which is what makes it so exciting."
Comments