Revolution on the Farm

Precision Farming is one of the most important trends in modern agricultural technology. The idea is that farmers use digital technology and data analysis to optimise their production processes down to the smallest details. To this end, a wide range of information on factors such as soil condition, moisture, or crop health is collected with the help of GPS, sensors, and drones. Based on this information, agricultural land can be cultivated zone by zone, and valuable resources such as water, fertiliser, and pesticides can be used more purposefully and therefore more sparingly. "The advantages of precision farming are obvious," says Oliver Adler, Global Segment Manager Agriculture at HELUKABEL.

"Being able to precisely control agricultural processes increases performance and earnings while minimising the use of resources. This in turn reduces the impact on the environment and simultaneously saves on costs." The acquisition of modern machines and digital infrastructures presents steep up-front costs, but these pay for themselves after only a short while. According to Adler, technical proficiency is yet another hurdle for the industry. Farmers must learn new skills such as how to interpret data and how to operate new tools. Yet even here, the advantages significantly outweigh the negatives.

Cultivation and livestock farming have traditionally required large amounts of space, which, in our modern world, is becoming increasingly rare. One promising solution for this is vertical farming. This cultivation technique makes it possible to utilise unconventional areas, such as urban spaces, for agriculture. Plants are grown in multi-storey, vertical growth houses which are often constructed either in or near cities. These closed systems function independently from climatic conditions and allow for year-round production. Intelligent lighting, sensor-controlled watering, and automatic fertilisation turn these farms into high-tech factories.

"We have already supplied a number of these vertical farms with our products," Oliver Adler reports. These factories require a host of different cables for transmitting energy and data. This includes supplying energy to lights and climate control units, automation and conveyor technology, or for the exchange of information between sensors and control systems. "Vertical farming allows for the space-saving cultivation of crops under controlled conditions and in close proximity to customers," the HELUKABEL expert explains. "Even water usage is up to 95 percent lower compared to classical agriculture." However, significant investments in new technologies and a constant, reliable supply of energy are required.

Robots are well on their way to playing an essential role in agriculture. They are already being used in many tasks including weeding, seeing, manure management, or milking operations. And they are often able to perform these tasks more efficiently, precisely, and economically than human workers. The support of AI-based systems makes them even more effective, as it allows them to make decisions in real time.

"For the agriculture industry, robotics is an immense help," Oliver Adler confirms. "Ultimately, the shortage of skilled workers in the industry is steadily getting worse. Robots are a means to counter this. They are also able to work around the clock and the quality of their work is consistently high." Many farmers, however, have yet to accept the assistance of robots, which must also be designed to be flexible enough to react to unpredictable conditions out in the open. There is also legal footing regulating the use of autonomous machines on farm fields and is a heavily discussed topic in the industry.