Precision FarmingAutoma­tion boosts effi­cien­cies

Simon Quince, estate manager at PJ Lee and Sons, and his team have adopted several autonomous John Deere solu­tions since he started at the farm eight years ago – demon­strating their confi­dence in the tech­nology. High­flyer Hall, near Ely, Cambridgeshire, comprises 5,100ha, and Simon works along­side farm direc­tors Richard, Andrew and Christo­pher Lee, while Pretoria Lee is estate co-ordi­nator.

Growing a mix of predom­i­nantly pota­toes, wheat, sugar beet and maize within a 35-mile radius, Simon believes that John Deere’s automa­tion tech­nology has trans­formed the farm’s manage­ment. “Automa­tion has changed my world as a manager,” says Simon. “Each feature bene­fits us differ­ently – but it has made the busi­ness as a whole run more effi­ciently.” The farm is spread out, which poses its own chal­lenges. And it employs 35 full-time staff, with the numbers increasing during potato harvest. This is where the John Deere Oper­a­tions Centre is crucial for team manage­ment, as Simon can check all 16 trac­tors’ loca­tions, progress and fuel consump­tion on the app.

AutoPath is useful for plan­ning field passes, for example during sowing.

Oper­ator Ed Butler frequently works with one of High­flyer Farms’ 9RX trac­tors and enjoys the bene­fits of auto­mated machine solu­tions.

High-Tech Tools for effi­cient manage­ment

The fleet comprises an X9 1100 combine harvester, two 9RX, two 8R, eleven 6Rs of different horse­power, with 14 extra hired in busy periods also a R975i trailed sprayer, along with two Agrifac sprayers which run John Deere satel­lite and Modular Telem­atics Gateway (MTGs). This allows them to link to the John Deere Oper­a­tions Centre, meaning data can be streamed back and forward, with all drivers able to use the John Deere tech­nolo­gies, other equip­ment like potato harvesters are also harvesters, linked up to John Deere tech­nology. The team use a variety of tech­nolo­gies in everyday farm manage­ment, including section control, Machine Sync, Data Sync, Auto­Trac, AutoPath and the Oper­a­tions Centre. So what bene­fits do they find? Section control auto­mat­i­cally turns sprayer nozzles on and off at specific loca­tions in a field, which reduces over­laps and gaps in appli­ca­tions. “We have been taking that for granted for years now but it is a vital asset,” Simon says. “It reduces any over­laps with the sprayer, causing less crop damage and has a smaller envi­ron­mental impact.”

Machine Sync synchro­nises the posi­tion of machinery working together to make unloading safer and easier. This is partic­u­larly useful when it comes to arable and potato harvest, enabling seam­less transfer of crops into trailers.

Data Sync allows farmers to manage their data from various sources, elim­i­nating the time spent trans­fer­ring files from computer to tractor and back. “Data Sync saves so much time; it is consis­tent between trac­tors which means that even the trac­tors that are used solely for road work could be used in the field if required,” says Simon.

Auto­Trac includes features such Auto Steer, Auto Path and Turn Automa­tion and can be added to a variety of machines to increase effi­ciency. Simon believes these make jobs easier while also securing savings in chem­ical and seed inputs. “Our stock level is at an all-time low; we are able to order an exact amount so there is nothing left in the shed.”

More than just machines: How automa­tion bene­fits the whole team

Simon has seen bene­fits from autonomous tech­nology across the busi­ness – and impor­tantly in staff morale and job satis­fac­tion. “Automa­tion reduces driver fatigue; I’ve found staff are happier to work longer hours because we can give them an esti­mated time for how long a field/job will take them to complete,” he explains. “Mental health in farming is at an all-time low; by decreasing the pres­sure on our workers we are able to minimise this.” A surprising benefit of the Oper­a­tions Centre has been fuel savings. By uploading field data, Simon can plan work such as tillage and drilling and know how long these actions will take. “We are able to look to see if tractor is able to finish a field on its current tank,” he says. The Oper­a­tions Centre is the hub of the whole oper­a­tion and has enabled the farm to go paper­less. In addi­tion, it provides complete trace­ability, so Simon can bring any docu­ments up in a few clicks, including the weather on any partic­ular day.

Digital bound­aries enable consis­tent perfor­mance across the team

“Setting up field bound­aries in the Oper­a­tions Centre was time-consuming, but the bene­fits have completely outweighed this,” remarks Simon, who created all the bound­aries himself to avoid any confu­sion. “Once the bound­aries were set up, features like Auto Path, Auto Steer and Turn Automa­tion fell into place, which means now, our drivers are passen­gers when in the field,” he explains. “The drivers are always updating us on any changes that need to be made to the bound­aries, which I can do from the Oper­a­tions Centre.”

Key lessons have been learnt around adop­tion and adap­ta­tion too, with Simon believing that that newer kit which is more tech­no­log­i­cally advanced is more attrac­tive to new employees. “Farm workers enjoy the low stress role,” he says. “And for us the work is consis­tent; less expe­ri­enced drivers are able to produce the same work as those who are more expe­ri­enced.” Despite some crit­i­cism at first, Simon’s staff are now all on board., “The newer gener­a­tion of farm workers are adapting a lot faster – they are really keen for it.”

Autonomous future for more produc­tivity

Looking to the future, Simon is hopeful that, when it becomes avail­able in the UK, there will be the possi­bility to use fully autonomous trac­tors on the farm. He also believes that this could help tackle labour issues in the UK. “The trac­tors have unlim­ited work hours, meaning they could work 24 hours a day – some­thing that drivers cannot do,” he adds. “But autonomous agri­cul­ture doesn’t mean less staff on the farm, it would mean the current staff are able to be more produc­tive.” In Simon’s opinion, the tech­nology is going to continue to develop, and it is in farmers’ best interest to work with it. “A lot of farmers who haven’t used it are wary of it, but once they see the possi­bil­i­ties they see how it can make different aspects of the farm more effi­cient.”