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Countryfile - Farm Innovations
Transcript
00:00Robots picking fruit, drones spreading crop seeds and satellites diagnosing poor soil.
00:08The days of the horse and plough are a distant memory.
00:12But what difference does it all make to our farmers and to us as consumers?
00:30The government has recently announced £45.6 million in funding for research and development in farm technology
00:57with the aim of improving our food security.
01:00We're here in Herefordshire to find out just what's being developed and how effective it could be.
01:0682% of this county is farmland with 1 in 10 people working directly in agriculture.
01:13So it is the perfect place for us to experience farming innovation.
01:20When it comes to the science of strawberries, it's a battle of the fittest and sweetest.
01:26Six years to go from 60,000 to three varieties.
01:30And they may not even be a variety in the future.
01:33That is a lot of work just for the perfect strawberry.
01:37Yeah.
01:38It's man versus robot in the beet fields.
01:42What, are you going to start it from your phone?
01:44Oh, yeah.
01:45I love it.
01:46You don't want to be stood near it, do you?
01:47I love it.
01:48Push that button.
01:49That starts beeping.
01:50And off ready goes.
01:52Could an ancient Japanese method hold the key to future-proofing our soil?
01:57Oh, yeah.
01:59Get going, Margarita.
02:00We need to get this done.
02:05And Adam hears how tech is helping farmers cope with the warmest UK spring on record.
02:11It's called a spray irrigation.
02:13It's what we call a rain gun.
02:14We can go on our phone and we can look at it and we can adjust how much water we're putting
02:18on.
02:19And then we can back that up by using rain gauges to see how much we put on.
02:24Herefordshire lies along the England-Wales border, carved in two by the River Wye.
02:32This rural county is famous for its fruit and cider production.
02:37And Hereford cattle.
02:39But this is a farming community that isn't stuck in the past.
02:44These rolling hills are a hotbed of innovation and technology.
02:49Ali Hunter Blair is a dutchy tenant farmer running the same arable farm that his father
02:55Graham did before him.
02:57Morning.
02:58Morning, boy.
02:59Okay.
03:00Haven't had much rain, have we, sadly, again?
03:01I thought it was going to really set in this morning.
03:03You just put it away for the summer, are you?
03:05No, no.
03:06I've still got about another 20 acres of bird mix to put in.
03:10Oh.
03:11Is it going well?
03:12I am wearing metal like it's going out of existence.
03:13Oh, Lord.
03:14It has got a bit thin, hasn't it?
03:16Since taking on the tenancy from his dad 13 years ago, Ali's been looking into new ways
03:22to manage the farm efficiently.
03:24So what are you going to do today?
03:27I'm going to go and have a look at how the weeding's going on the robot.
03:33This spring, Ali's managing one of his crops with the trial of a new farming innovation.
03:40What crop have you got in here then, Ali?
03:42So this is a crop of sugar beet that we're growing, have been growing for a long time
03:46now, so we planted this about the first week of April.
03:49Right.
03:50It hasn't seen a lot of rain since, but yeah, sugar beet that we used to grow for sugar,
03:54and now we're growing it for renewable energy and livestock feed.
03:57Right.
03:58And you're growing plenty of it.
03:59I mean, this is a big old field.
04:00Yeah, this is about 25 acres, this field in total.
04:02We grow about sort of 30 to 40 acres a year, something like that.
04:05So this is quite a large proportion of what we are growing.
04:08So what are the main challenges of growing sugar beet in this part of the world?
04:12So the main challenges are we have a big weed burden, using herbicides to take the weed out.
04:16Okay.
04:17But that's also damaging the plant.
04:18Yeah, a real challenge.
04:19Yeah.
04:20A real challenge on that front.
04:21But you're sort of heading into a new chapter, aren't you?
04:23I mean, there's robots on the horizon.
04:25There are literally robots on the horizon.
04:27That horizon.
04:28That horizon over there, yes.
04:29Engineer Angus Stevens is overseeing the trial of a robot that's designed to seed and weed Ali's beet crop.
04:38He's come to check on how it's been doing so far.
04:42It's been an ideal year for trying it, because we haven't had any rain.
04:46So in an average or normal year, part of the machinery on the front here, we've got a rain gauge.
04:51Oh, yes.
04:52We can set the parameters so that when we get a heavy shower...
04:55It'll stop.
04:56It'll stop itself.
04:57Oh.
04:58And then after a period of time, it'll restart.
05:01Now then, lads.
05:02How are we going?
05:03Hello, Matt.
05:04How are you?
05:05Nice to meet you.
05:06This is it, then.
05:07This is the magic.
05:08Yep.
05:09Freddie, as I've nicknamed it.
05:11All right.
05:12Freddie the farm droid.
05:13Yeah.
05:14Yeah.
05:15And this is our trial sugar beet cedar slash weeder.
05:18That's incredible.
05:19Let me have a...
05:20Is that the...
05:21That's the solar panels on the top.
05:22Absolutely.
05:23So, yeah.
05:24Completely solar powered.
05:25Charges the batteries during the day.
05:26And then, actually, as we found out, can run all night from what it's charged.
05:29Yeah.
05:30And, yeah.
05:31So, it's gone out and it's planted.
05:33Each of these sugar beet.
05:35Wow.
05:36So, it can work 24 hours a day.
05:3724 hours a day.
05:38Mm-hmm.
05:39So, the whole point is sort of time saving, as well as, like, for us, herbicide saving.
05:42Yeah.
05:43There's 504,000, roughly, out here.
05:45And it's marked each individual beet with GPS.
05:48And then, the clever part is now, which is, it can now weed in between the rows, but also
05:53in between the plants.
05:54Ah.
05:55Because it knows where it dropped the seed.
05:56Because it knows exactly where each seed is.
05:57So, there's a little hooky arm in there, for want of a better word.
06:01I'm sure there's a proper name for it, but it's a knife that comes in and it comes in
06:04and out between each plant.
06:06So, yeah.
06:07We can weed between the row and also between the plant.
06:09This is unbelievable, isn't it?
06:10It is.
06:11Especially if you've got a camera and you can sit at home having a cup of coffee, watching
06:14it working.
06:15Is that your job?
06:16No, no.
06:17I don't know.
06:18I think it's a brilliant idea.
06:19I mean, it's quite small, really, isn't it?
06:21Yeah, it doesn't weigh anything, so it's not damaging the soil.
06:24Yeah.
06:25It's brilliant.
06:26I think it's incredible.
06:27It's silent as well.
06:28That's the lovely thing.
06:29There's no engines.
06:30There's just two electric motors at the back that power the wheels.
06:33How does it know where to go and what to do?
06:36So, at the beginning, we will have mapped the field perimeters and that creates a boundary
06:42which the droid will not go outside.
06:45Right.
06:46We then configure and set up our row spacings to suit the crop.
06:50It must be fascinating for you, though, to make that comparison because you're doing
06:53it, you know, the conventional way, aren't you?
06:55Yeah, absolutely.
06:56Sort of in the next field there.
06:57So, actually, the beet in here are far ahead of what we've seen in the sugar beet field,
07:01and that's purely because we're not having to herbicide it, so this will have no herbicide
07:05at all.
07:06That's the plan.
07:07That's the dream.
07:08Yeah.
07:09It'll save us costs as well.
07:10We've spent £120 a hectare on that field so far just on herbicide.
07:13It's hard to see it going backwards from here, isn't it?
07:16When you look at what this is giving and offering right now.
07:20There's a lot further to go, yeah.
07:22Well, the incredible thing is, Graeme, we don't need to stand here in the field, do we?
07:26And you're away now.
07:27You have to play bridge, I understand.
07:28Yes, that's right.
07:29And this man's got to get on as well.
07:31Exactly.
07:32And the solar panel's got to go down so it can work.
07:34Let's get the robot cracking.
07:38Join us later in the programme, when we really put the robot through its paces, facing the
07:42challenge of Ali's hilly fields.
07:50Herefordshire is home to some of the largest fruit producers in the UK.
07:56But facing squeezed profits and stiff competition, growers are constantly looking for new ways
08:02to create crops guaranteed to sell.
08:06Decades ago, the average strawberry was the size of a pound coin.
08:10Today, they're more like golf balls.
08:12And science has had a big part to play.
08:15Inside these tunnels, 60,000 different varieties of strawberries are on trial to be whittled down
08:23over time to just a handful in a bid to find the ultimate strawberry.
08:30This is fruit engineering for the future.
08:34Oh, my goodness.
08:35Look at this place.
08:36It's absolutely incredible.
08:38And the smell.
08:40It's the sweetest, most beautiful strawberries.
08:43But then in overdrive.
08:46Roger Vogels is the growing director for the largest independent strawberry producer in the UK,
08:52supplying one in seven strawberries to retailers.
08:56It's his job to make sure their fruit is the cream of the crop.
09:01Roger, great to see you.
09:03Hi, Margarita.
09:04How many varieties of strawberry are we looking at here?
09:07We currently have 60,000 different strawberries.
09:10Each one of these pots is a different strawberry.
09:12You see white flags in between.
09:14And in between the white flags, that's a group of strawberries where they all have the same mother and the same father,
09:19but they're all different.
09:20So this is a bit like having a lottery ticket.
09:22We've got lots of lottery tickets here, and we just want to have that one winning goal.
09:27Here, on their five-acre research site, is Europe's largest strawberry breeding programme,
09:33cross-pollinating plants in search of the ultimate strawberry.
09:39Someone will go through here and spend three seconds on each plant to assess is that a good plant or a bad plant.
09:45Somebody will select 16,000.
09:48We'll get reduced down this year to end up with 600.
09:51And the following year, we'll end up with 120 plants.
09:54And the following year after that, we're left with 60 plants.
09:57And then the final year, we're down to three plants.
10:00So six years to go from 60,000 to three varieties.
10:04And they may not even be a variety in the future.
10:07We have to make an assessment.
10:08Can we now commercially grow it?
10:10Can we pick it?
10:11What's it like to harvest?
10:12That is a lot of work just for the perfect strawberry.
10:16Perfect strawberry, yeah.
10:17What exactly are you looking for?
10:19Because to my eyes, they all look delicious.
10:21This is very early in the stages.
10:24What we're looking for is the characteristics initially.
10:26So we're looking for something that continually flowers.
10:28We then look for something with good shelf life, good appearance.
10:31Why are you searching out this perfect strawberry?
10:34For us, probably the most important thing is something which is sustainable in the future.
10:38Something which we don't have to use chemicals on.
10:40So mildew, for example, is a really big problem for us in strawberries.
10:44So here, for example, we've got a strawberry.
10:46You can see this whitening on the berry.
10:48That's what we call mildew.
10:49It'll affect the whole of the berry eventually and the whole of the plant.
10:52And if we can have a variety that is resistant to mildew,
10:55just by selecting, that's going to help us in the future against the battle of mildew.
11:00In the neighbouring polytunnel is the next stage of this epic breeding programme.
11:07So now we've jumped forward in time by three years.
11:10So what we saw earlier on, this is three years later.
11:13And now we're down to 20 varieties in here.
11:16And here we make quite in-depth assessments now.
11:19So we start recording yield.
11:20We start recording the flavour, the shelf life.
11:23There's a lot that goes on here now.
11:25And is there a winner here in terms of taste?
11:27Two different varieties.
11:28If I take this berry here and I take a berry from here, for example, this one, you can see they're very different.
11:34Am I allowed to taste, Tess?
11:35Go ahead.
11:36That is summer great.
11:39That's gorgeous.
11:41Oh, wow.
11:46That's really juicy.
11:47Difference?
11:48Very different.
11:49Yeah.
11:50Wow, that's so juicy.
11:52Which one go forward?
11:53This is a very firm strawberry, which is perfect what you want in a punnet.
11:56So it's got a good shelf life.
11:57This one's got a really nice flavour and juicy.
11:59That juiciness makes me think, is it a little bit too soft?
12:02And it could juice in the punnet and have a poor shelf life.
12:05But we have to keep testing.
12:06And we've got two more years before we take any of these two as a variety.
12:10We may not even take them forward as a variety.
12:12It's a tough criteria.
12:13It is.
12:14Over the next two years, 20 strawberries become three and are subjected to the next stage,
12:22the lab.
12:23In charge of testing is Dan Smith, Head of Research and Development.
12:27So there are two sort of fruit quality attributes that were really important for us in the breeding
12:33programme.
12:34First being fruit firmness and the second being the sort of flavour.
12:37So fruit firmness is actually quite easy to measure using this penetrometer.
12:42Firmness is really important for not only that sort of eating experience, but also the
12:46shelf life of the berry.
12:48Can I get you to launch the cycle and the grams on the PC?
12:51OK.
12:52That one there.
12:53Yeah.
12:54OK.
12:55You can see here now, it's going to take a firmness measurement so the probe is going
12:58into the berry.
12:59So that's a little squeeze.
13:00That's the little squeeze there, yep.
13:02And we've got, oh, got a reading of 949.
13:04So...
13:05In berry terms.
13:06That's a firm berry.
13:07Really we're saying anything around 500 is something that maybe we'd be a little bit concerned
13:11about in terms of its softness.
13:13But up here, round about 900, 750, that's a really nice firm berry.
13:17So after firmness, we want to really do a Brix measurement.
13:20Brix is sort of the industry standard measurement.
13:23It gives us a good approximation of the sweetness of the berry.
13:26So we need to squeeze some juice.
13:28If we can then use the dropper pipette and fill that little tray up there for me.
13:32OK.
13:33Fantastic.
13:34And if we press the start button, 9.2.
13:39So that's really good.
13:40What am I looking for?
13:42It's between...
13:43So a reading of about 7 to 7.5 would be like an acceptable strawberry variety.
13:48OK.
13:49We can get as high as 15, but sometimes it almost gets too sweet.
13:52So 9.2 is a really good result there.
13:54So who else is testing to this kind of level?
13:57I would probably say not too many people.
14:00It's all about collecting the data for us.
14:02Me as a strawberry breeder, I'm looking for a variety that performs consistently across the full season.
14:07So we'll collect all of the data of the firmness, the Brix, the acidity, put that into a massive database, a massive spreadsheet.
14:13And I'll be able to plot that across the whole season.
14:16And then when I go out into the tunnels with Roger, making our decisions, we will literally compare variety A versus variety B and choose the best one to progress to the next stage.
14:26Their work here last year won the company the prestigious King's Award for Enterprise in Innovation.
14:32And now it's time to meet the star of all this labour, the strawberry that has survived every rigorous round of testing.
14:41So this is our new and latest variety, Lady Sophia.
14:45Eight years ago, where we were this morning, Sophia was that one plant which we was looking at.
14:49And it's taken that time to get it to here.
14:51Now this is the first year, we have 100,000 plants.
14:54And when this is successful, we will multiply the plants up.
14:57And we'll also commercialise it to other growers in Europe and in England and many places in the world.
15:03And at this point, what makes you so happy with this particular brand?
15:07It stands out. It's got a really nice shape.
15:10Here's an example, one here, look.
15:12It's got a really nice shape, nice seeds displayed on it.
15:15It's got a nice shoulder, I call this a shoulder at the top here.
15:18And the taste?
15:19It's that balance of sweetness to acidity that gives it that nice flavour.
15:27That's really good.
15:28Yeah.
15:29Really lovely.
15:30Definitely said on Sophia as a name.
15:31Definitely Sophia as a name.
15:33Margarita next year, maybe.
15:35Maybe after my wife Rebecca, probably.
15:38I can't argue with that.
15:39I can't argue with that, Roger.
15:41And is there a risk, Roger, in some of the varieties that we're losing or...?
15:46I think it's the opposite.
15:47I think we're improving a strawberry all the time.
15:49We're constantly looking to improve the strawberry and be better than the last one.
15:53So maybe when I'm not here in 30 years' time, Lady Sophia doesn't exist anymore.
15:58And we maybe do have Lady Margarita, and she's around for the next 25 years.
16:02That's an interesting thought.
16:04Oh!
16:12This spring has been the warmest since UK records began, and the driest in more than 50 years.
16:19For farmers, they're increasingly relying on tech to be resilient.
16:23Here's Adam.
16:24I'm at Little Pengettley Farm near Ross-on-Wye.
16:27And like most farmers, keeping the land here healthy and productive is a constant challenge.
16:34And the dry conditions this spring certainly aren't helping.
16:37I last visited Mark Green and Sean Mason in 2019
16:41to see how they've turned potato farming into big business
16:44by developing and manufacturing their own crisps in a sustainable fashion.
16:49This year, they're hoping to start making beetroot crisps too.
16:53So far, it's been a dry start.
16:55But technology is increasing their ability to be resilient and more sustainable.
17:00Hello, gents.
17:03Adam.
17:04It looks quite intense. What are you looking at?
17:06Well, we're just looking at the beetroot seed here in this dry soil.
17:09There's two million of these to the hectare.
17:12Right.
17:13These have been in the ground now for about a week.
17:15As you can see, it's exceptionally dry.
17:17So that seed in that ground isn't going to germinate.
17:20No, sure.
17:21And that's where you're irrigating now?
17:23We're using water now that we probably want to use when the crop is actually growing.
17:28You know, the weather patterns are changing.
17:29They've probably changed through history.
17:30But we seem to be having sustained wet periods and sustained dry periods.
17:34And this all comes back to our soil health in getting the soil to retain the moisture when we need it
17:38and drain when we don't need it.
17:40Because that's hugely important to help the soil cope with the change in weather patterns.
17:45And where's this water coming from then?
17:47So Adam, this water's coming from one of our reservoirs.
17:50Once it's gone, it's gone?
17:51Yes, once it's gone.
17:52When that reservoir's empty, there is no more.
17:54And is there much tech on that?
17:56It's called a spray irrigation.
17:57It's what we call a rain gun.
17:59It's putting on about 12 mil to the acre.
18:01We've got now technology that's working again from satellite that's monitoring that machine.
18:05And we can go on our phone and we can look at it and we can adjust how much water we're putting on.
18:08We can change the arc of the gun to make sure we get all the field.
18:11And then we can back that up by using rain gauges to see how much we put on.
18:15So, you know, technology is coming even for the watering in the field.
18:19For you with the crisps and what you're selling, I mean, is this story all part of it?
18:24Water management, soil conditions, soil health is equally as important as compostable packaging and renewable energy.
18:30I think it's all achievable, but it's having an understanding and that's where modern technology can play a big part in helping us.
18:38It's pretty bad. You know, we don't see any rain now in the next couple of weeks.
18:42We'll be in what we call serious drought.
18:44A couple of months now since we've had rain.
18:46It's just coupled with the fact that we've had the most impossible 18 months to farm and been so wet for 18 months.
18:52And all of a sudden we've come out of that and all of a sudden we're not getting any rain at all.
18:57And conserving water then, that's got to be the way forward.
19:00Every farm should be encouraged to conserve water.
19:03You know, it is tough, it's expensive and, you know, it can take six months of a year just going through the paperwork for somebody to give you permission.
19:09And this is water that's running through the farm all winter and people are complaining about it because it could be flooding their house.
19:15And we're saying, crying out to conserve it. So it's a real challenge, but we're working on it.
19:19It seems to me that you find that frustrating. Very. Huge frustrating.
19:24The farm generates much of its own energy using solar panels and an anaerobic digester.
19:30And they've got several irrigation reservoirs to see them through the dry spells.
19:34They're also using mapping and soil analysis to farm more sustainably.
19:39And they're working on reducing the amount of chemicals they use through precision tech.
19:43Their newest tool utilises advanced satellite imagery that can measure the leaf density of crops like wheat and barley.
19:50Today, they're using that data to work out a precise nitrogen fertiliser plan.
19:56What we're here to do today is to create a final nitrogen application for Mark's Wheats using the satellite imagery.
20:03So this satellite picture was taken on Saturday.
20:07We've got three fields here, two that were earlier drilled and one that was later drilled.
20:11And from the pretty colours on the map, we can see that the darker green parts of the field are much further forward.
20:17We've seen this year, we've had a very, very wet winter.
20:20And we're just subsequently running into a very, very dry spring and early summer.
20:24So that's affecting the crops going forward.
20:26And using this imagery and data, that then helps us to make the right decisions out in the field.
20:31Now then, you will be able to make decisions of the quantity and amount you're applying to those areas from this.
20:38We like to think that we're using our nitrogen in a sustainable way.
20:41We're going to put where the crop has potential.
20:43That's where we'll spend the money.
20:45That's where we use the product.
20:47And where it hasn't got the potential, we'll just call it a day on that.
20:50Yeah, so we take it from a calibrated image that we're seeing on that screen over to a nitrogen plant on the second screen.
20:57And as we can see on this model, the best parts of the best field are getting 96 kilos of nitrogen.
21:03And the poorer parts are getting 64 kilos of nitrogen.
21:06We can now target the nitrogen for the yield potential on these wheats.
21:11So the parts of the field that are going to hit that top yield, we're going to apply more nitrogen to.
21:16And where it doesn't require it, where it's going to get leached and wasted and we're going to pull back on.
21:22So, Mark, nothing wasted and you're looking after the environment at the same time?
21:27Yeah, and this gives me the confidence to know that when we're putting our artificial fertiliser on,
21:31that we're doing the very best we can with that fertiliser.
21:33A, to get the very best out of the crop.
21:35And B, obviously make best use of it and not put it somewhere it's not needed.
21:39Once the mapping data is complete, Alistair can upload it straight to the sprayer in the field.
21:45So the sprayer's operating in here?
21:47Yes, we're putting the liquid fertiliser on.
21:49And so that's just been sent via the cloud?
21:52Via the cloud.
21:53Into the cab of the tractor?
21:54Yeah, and the operator will look at it, arrive at the field, it'll tell him what to put on, he'll set it and away he goes.
21:59Amazing.
22:00And it's the right stuff at the right time in the right place?
22:02Exactly.
22:03Potatoes are like big sponges that soak up all the nutrients from the soil.
22:09So Mark and Sean give each field a six-year break between potato crops before planting them again.
22:15In the meantime, they rotate with food crops like wheat and soil-boosting plants to help the ground recover.
22:22And for you guys, I mean, wheat is my cash crop really, but for you it's a break isn't it?
22:27It's a break crop, yeah.
22:28Yeah, this is just the in-between because as we go back to potatoes is the main thing,
22:32so we've just got to grow other crops over that six-year plan.
22:36But even with all the planning in the world, the weather's still the one thing they can't control.
22:41After last year's downpours, the dry start to the year was a blessing at first.
22:45It meant they could get the potatoes in as early as February.
22:48But now, those same dry conditions are starting to cause problems.
22:53These potatoes have hardly seen any natural rainfall since they went in.
22:58They are just starting to look a little bit hungry for some water.
23:01Normally we wouldn't really start irrigating these potatoes until we've got a full canopy over here.
23:08We will be coming in here now in the next couple of days using valuable resource water,
23:12which we would be using to grow the crop.
23:15Here's our potato.
23:17So that's what it's all grown from.
23:19That's all, yeah.
23:20All these root hairs are going out now searching for water.
23:22These are going to need a lot of moisture now.
23:24If we count the amount of potatoes on here, that gives a rough idea of yield.
23:27Yes.
23:28So I would probably say at the moment 15 tubers on here.
23:31So we would relate that to being roughly 12 to 15 tonnes an acre of potatoes.
23:36And what you're saying is if you didn't water this crop now, it would start aborting tubers and would be low yielding.
23:44Yeah, it could be.
23:45You know, it's the most important crop of the farm.
23:46So everything else we're doing on the farm, it revolves around this six year rotation of these potatoes.
23:51So the wheat, the maize, everything else all revolve around this crop.
23:56We'll be feeding this soil all the time.
23:59The land likes to grow things, that's why we grow other crops, to help that soil help.
24:03And with the way you're growing then, is it anything different to more conventional growers?
24:08We're slightly changed on our present system of the potatoes.
24:11We're planting four rows on a bed system.
24:14So every row is virtually the same across the whole field.
24:17Every part of this row is going to absorb water.
24:19So we haven't got two rows and a wheel mark.
24:21If it rains, we'll hold more water.
24:24It also helps that each plant is getting the same amount of daylight throughout the field.
24:29So you haven't got gaps between them.
24:30So all these things are helping us again to be able to perhaps make better use of our soil and even it out.
24:36When it does rain, that water doesn't run off.
24:39Yeah.
24:40It absorbs it in these rows.
24:41So intensive farming, you know, on scale, can actually be helped using technology for its sustainability?
24:47Oh yeah, definitely.
24:48Because, you know, we're coming away from what we used to call the blanket treatment.
24:52We'll be targeting specific things and then that will ultimately help nature.
24:56We can target certain weeds, certain diseases in the field specifically to that.
25:01That's going to have a huge effect.
25:03Well, it's great to spend time with you again, gents.
25:05And let's hope the heavens open soon and we get some rain, but not too much.
25:09Not too much.
25:10Yeah.
25:23In the last 20 years, farming has embraced huge technological changes.
25:29And for those in the dairy industry, with its long and testing hours, there could be benefits from some of the recent offerings.
25:39But with soaring costs and pressures on milk prices, are these new technologies worth the investment?
25:45John Brewer is one farmer who's recently taken the plunge.
25:5218 months ago, he and his family moved over to a robotic milking system.
25:58A very hands-off approach to a labour-intensive part of dairy farming.
26:07It's mid-afternoon, normally a really busy time of day for dairy farmers.
26:15Oh, everyone's home.
26:17Yeah.
26:18Hi.
26:19Mum and Dad, Simon and Carol, and my brother Peter.
26:21You're the boss, of course.
26:24Don't tell.
26:28So who looks after what?
26:30So I mainly look after the crops, so wheat, barley, maize, just about anything that will go into the cow.
26:37And so you used to look after all of this?
26:39Carol and I took over for Mum and Dad in 2001,
26:42at which time we had not quite so many acres, but we employed a herzman.
26:47And then he retired in 2015 and both boys sort of came home.
26:53And it became a real family labour, a family farm.
26:56And then I suppose the next progression was sort of help for the future and we've ended up with the robots really now.
27:02Can you believe it, the difference that it's made?
27:07Not really, no. It's just amazing really.
27:09Three o'clock in the afternoon we would have been walking up the field to get the cows in.
27:13As nice as it was, it's just nice to see them walk in on their own and come and go as they please.
27:18And are you getting to see a bit more of everyone now?
27:20Now the machinery is helping out a little.
27:23No, no, they still managed to disappear.
27:26Still busy.
27:28Yes.
27:29I don't think we've reduced the amount of work we do.
27:31It's just changed the time of day we do it.
27:33Yes.
27:34We're not as tied to fixed times.
27:36Cows love routine, but at the moment they have their own routine and do what they want.
27:41And we fit in around them more than them fitting around us.
27:45So you've got time to just add a...
27:47Occasional cup of tea.
27:49Occasional.
27:50Occasional.
27:51Fantastic.
27:52It would be great to see these independent ladies.
27:58The heifers in there and then once they've carved they'll move across into the main herd.
28:04These are two robots.
28:06So just two machines?
28:07Yes, just two machines to milk the cows.
28:09They're quite quiet.
28:10Yeah, but because they've got access 24 hours a day, some cows could come through six times,
28:15some cows come through two or three times, just depending on what they want to do.
28:19Up to six times a day?
28:20Yeah.
28:28I can't get over how quiet the whole shed is.
28:30Yeah, there's so little noise.
28:32So calm.
28:33Yeah.
28:34They're quite content in there.
28:35Yeah, yeah.
28:36There's a camera in there that maps the teats and then it uses the camera to attach it.
28:42So the machine takes care of absolutely everything?
28:45Yeah.
28:46And then once it's attached, it washes and cleanses the teat internally.
28:51So that's the image that the camera can see.
29:00So day or night, you can be with the herd in a way?
29:03Yes.
29:04Watching if you want.
29:05Yeah, watching what's going on.
29:06And it's also telling you there's been an issue or?
29:10Yeah.
29:11Is that reassuring because you know what's happening to your animals at all times?
29:15I think so, but it's also you're addicted to watching a camera milking your own cows when
29:20you could have been doing it.
29:22Do you miss some of that?
29:23I don't think so because we're still in with the cows all the time.
29:27I've probably seen more of actual cows rather than just the udder of the cow.
29:36The tech doesn't stop at the milking.
29:39So how many have you got in total?
29:41So there's 86 cows milking at the moment.
29:45A robot also controls which field John wants the cows to graze in next.
29:50So we've got a gate there that diverts them left or right depending on where we want them to go,
29:54which field we've got them grazing in that time of day.
29:57If I'm not here to do that, the robot tells the gates to change.
30:02And if a cow's not got milking out occasionally comes through the gate,
30:05then it will divert her out as well so that she goes and eats more grass.
30:11When they want to go back out, once they've milked, they can just come and go as they please?
30:15Yeah, well you can see here now they're queuing up.
30:18Oh, they're all queuing up. Yeah, yeah.
30:20And they'll queue up at the different machines as well.
30:22Different cows like to go in the different robots.
30:24They're exactly the same.
30:26They've found a favourite. Yeah, definitely.
30:30And it doesn't end there.
30:34John's kept maybe the best robot for last.
30:39So that's the other bit of technology we put in when we did the robots.
30:42It's a slurry collector.
30:43So it goes round after the cows, gathers up the muck and goes back into its station.
30:47Docks empties and recharges itself.
30:50That's probably one of the biggest time savers.
30:53Because if we had to move all the cows out every day and back in,
30:58that would just ruin their routine.
31:00And they're quite happy with it?
31:02We put it in and we were like, oh, I don't know what the cows are going to think of this.
31:06They looked at it and they were like, wow, you don't look like much of a danger.
31:09We'll just carry on as we always have.
31:12And he'll let off little beeps as he's driving along.
31:16So they know to get out of the way.
31:18It's amazing when the cows are all laid down.
31:21If they've got the legs stretched out, they'll pull it in as it goes past.
31:23They've got so comfortable with it.
31:25Yeah, they are.
31:26Oh, you again.
31:27Right, you're clearing up.
31:28And if a distracted cow does come into contact, the bot will politely move backwards.
31:33There's no erratic driving with him.
31:35He just goes slowly along like a little robot hoover in the house.
31:39And does the toughest job on the farm.
31:40Yeah, does do the toughest job on the farm.
31:42Least glamorous.
31:43Least glamorous.
31:44Yeah, least glamorous.
31:45What a piece of kit.
31:53So what have been the pros and cons of this investment?
31:56Nearly everything's been a pro.
31:58The cows have adapted so amazingly well to it.
32:01We have seen an increase in milk yield, which has benefited us, but it only goes against what we've invested.
32:08But yeah, it's now changed from five hours of the day in the milking parlour putting cups on.
32:14The robot does the cups.
32:16We're here doing the management, hopefully trying to improve the lifestyle of the cow, really.
32:22We haven't gained any time.
32:24We're still as busy as we ever were.
32:27We also don't switch off as much.
32:30Our phones are always live with information.
32:33We're just too inquisitive, I guess, ourselves.
32:36It seems like such a win.
32:38Why hasn't everyone switched over?
32:40It's not cheap.
32:42There's a lot of investment here.
32:44But the old parlour was getting towards being 30 years old.
32:48So it was either invest in something similar again or go robotics.
32:54So that then meant time was a little bit more available to do things with the family.
33:00Try and see a little bit more of the boys and things like that.
33:03I don't think we'd ever go back to what we were before.
33:07We always looked through roads into spectacles about what the past was.
33:11We only ever remember the good bit.
33:13Whereas hopefully nearly all of this is good bit now.
33:15Now from farming tech to future talent, it's time to launch our search for our young countryside champion.
33:33Countryfile is in search of a young countryside champion for the BBC Food and Farming Awards 2025.
33:47You could be a young farmer innovating to increase yields.
33:51Or embracing environmentally friendly farming practices.
33:55A young naturalist protecting our wildlife.
33:58Or a volunteer raising awareness of the opportunities in the countryside.
34:03However a young person is making a difference, we want to hear about it.
34:07So if you or someone you know is aged between 16 and 24 and passionate about improving the British countryside, then please get in touch.
34:15To nominate for the Countryfile Young Countryside Champion or in any other categories, go to bbc.co.uk forward slash food awards where you can also find the terms and privacy notice.
34:29Nominations close at midday on Monday the 30th of June 2025.
34:33Good luck.
34:34Chemical fertilizer transformed farming in the last century, helping boost crop production to feed the nation.
34:48Now with prices rising and growing concerns over soil and water health, a farm in Herefordshire is looking to Japanese innovation for an alternative.
34:58Twenty years ago, Heather Gorringe began selling small-scale home composting kits from the family farm, made with a Japanese method known as bokashi.
35:11Hi Heather.
35:12Hello Margarita, come on up.
35:16We're going to be making live bokashi bran.
35:19Alongside husband Phil, they're taking the innovative step to supersize its production,
35:26to reduce chemical fertilizer use on their mixed arable farm.
35:32Oh wow.
35:33What is this?
35:34So this is a bag of wheat bran, which is the by-product of making flour from wheat.
35:41So we're just going to use this as the carrier to make live bokashi bran.
35:47Bukashi is a Japanese composting method that uses fermentation to turn everyday food waste into a powerful soil improver.
35:56This big bag of bran is the first ingredient they're using to make it.
36:01Here we go.
36:02Okay.
36:03Oh yeah.
36:04It doesn't quite flow, so we're going to use a few farmer techniques.
36:10What's that?
36:11What are they?
36:12Here is your broom handle.
36:13High-tech.
36:14Here we go.
36:15Get going Margarita, we need to get this done.
36:18And what is bokashi?
36:20Bukashi itself is a Japanese word meaning ferment.
36:24So it is the process and the product.
36:29A professor in Japan brought together 31 different beneficial microorganisms and he knew that it was perfect for fermenting waste.
36:40While conventional fertilizers use chemicals to feed plants, bokashi uses friendly microbes to nourish the soil.
36:48It's much more about helping your soil recover than it is about fertilizer.
36:56It reduces methane and it just does a great job for the soil in the longer term.
37:03So we're trying to do something that makes a real difference, not just for this year but for many years to come.
37:11With 350 kilograms of bran emptied into the mixer, it's time for the next step.
37:17So this is the sugar that's going to feed all those bacterias and microorganisms.
37:23I'm going to put this in with the water and I'm going to turn the tap on.
37:28Oh there's a lovely smell that molasses, wow.
37:30It's lovely isn't it?
37:31This is cooking on an industrial scale.
37:34I'm going to give it a bit of a stir.
37:36Yeah.
37:37And then we're going to get the key product which is all those bacteria and microorganisms.
37:44So they're in that tub there.
37:46What is this exactly?
37:47So this is packed with microorganisms and what we are doing, stop, is multiplying them.
37:56So we are taking this small batch, turn it into millions.
38:00So I'm going to put this in, get it all mixed up.
38:04Give it a stir.
38:05Yeah.
38:06And then we're going to pump it into the mixer to get all that bran wet and fully microbed up.
38:15Once mixed it's time to bag it up with the help of husband Phil.
38:28Now we've got the technical bit now.
38:30OK.
38:31So the idea is to get a perfectly central heat in your bag.
38:40Currently Heather and Phil are making three tonnes of bokashi bran every month.
38:45And is there a lot of uptake for this?
38:48I don't think there's that many that are doing this sort of live bokashi bran on this scale.
38:53Less of this chit chat.
38:54We've got work to do.
38:56For the fermentation process to begin, all the air in the bag is removed to prevent mould and the mixture stored for three weeks.
39:06Why do you think that more people haven't taken this up in terms of farming yet?
39:11So farmers since the war, they love the silver bullet.
39:16And ammonium nitrate was such a thing.
39:18It was cheap.
39:19You put it on, your crop grew.
39:21It was simple.
39:22And there were figures associated with it.
39:24With this sort of thing, it's much less data driven.
39:28You can see that the soil is getting better.
39:30You can see that you're using different things.
39:33But it's not that instant hit.
39:36And so it's a long term journey, if you like.
39:39The ambition is to get rid of Borton fertiliser.
39:42Do I think we can get rid of all of it?
39:45Probably not completely, but we go a long way.
39:48And Heather?
39:49I definitely think that this method can change the world.
39:53So this makes living soil.
39:56And living soil for gardeners, it's already been proven that you don't need to put on ammonium nitrate onto your veg in the garden.
40:05So why can't you do it on the farm?
40:07It's just a question of us getting the scaling and then finding different bacterias and different microorganisms to do a great job.
40:17This Bukashi mixture becomes activated as a soil improver when it's combined with organic matter.
40:23Traditionally, home gardeners use kitchen and garden waste.
40:27But if it's going to work for farmers, they'll need supersized amounts.
40:32I think you're going to meet Monty.
40:34Great.
40:35That will show you all about it.
40:37Son Monty is experimenting with scaling up the farm's Bukashi production by using something they have in abundance.
40:45Manure.
40:46Hi Monty.
40:47I heard you could use some of this.
40:49Yes, I think we could.
40:50Yeah.
40:51Good timing.
40:52Yeah, no, that's perfect.
40:54So what we want to do is spread as much of it evenly across the whole shed.
40:59So as it is now, it's in sort of a dormant state.
41:02The microbes are sat there waiting to go, but it's only really once they get into the muck that everything starts to happen.
41:10Once we spread all this on this muck and it's trampled in by the cattle, this will really start to ferment.
41:16Considering we're standing on a foot or two of manure, there's hardly any smell here.
41:22Bukashi is really well-renowned for reducing smell.
41:25And why do you think the process isn't more widely known or used?
41:29Us farmers don't really do stuff until we've seen someone else succeed with it.
41:34So it's so new that it really needs more people doing it and trialing it out and seeing good results.
41:41Well, here on the farm, they're already seeing progress.
41:45This is one of our trial plots.
41:48We've done about half the farm in general.
41:50But this one, hopefully, we're about to see some results of what last year's trial produced.
41:56And it's still a work in progress, but we're definitely seeing a more crumbly texture.
42:01There's a lot of microbe activity going on in here that you can really, really find.
42:05But on the roots, you see a white fluffy mycelium, which shows bacterial activity in the soil.
42:11Another good test for soil is to smell it.
42:14If it smells foul or off, then it's not good.
42:18It smells great.
42:19This is quite a sweet-smelling soil, which is a positive sign of good life.
42:23We've had an extremely wet winter here, so to see any sort of crop out here is a really positive for me.
42:32There's a lot of work to be done, but hopefully, now we're getting into our second and third year of percashing our manure.
42:38Hopefully, we'll see an accelerated improvement in the soil.
42:41Well, one thing's for sure, our farmers have had to cope with a very dry spring.
42:55But the question is, what's the weather got in store for the week ahead?
42:58Let's find out with the Countryfile forecast.
43:09Hello there. It really was a remarkable spring, the warmest and sunniest on record and one of the driest.
43:15But how things have changed as we moved into June, the start of summer.
43:20This was yesterday in Bournemouth, can you believe?
43:23We had almost an inch of rain yesterday here, more than we had during the whole of last month.
43:29Those downpours have moved away.
43:31It was dry in Dorset today, even with a bit of sunshine as well.
43:34We have seen a few showers across the UK, but nowhere near as wet as it was yesterday.
43:39Any heavy showers are soon going to move away and generally it's becoming dry with some clear spells overnight.
43:45But it's still quite cool out there.
43:47Typical temperatures down to six, seven degrees.
43:50It may be even a bit chillier than that in eastern parts of Scotland.
43:53Now, tomorrow, if you're up early, it may well be dry.
43:56There could be some early sunshine, but I think it's going to cloud over fairly quickly tomorrow.
44:00There'll be a few showers breaking out ahead of this more persistent rain that's going to be affecting Northern Ireland.
44:05And it just gets wetter through the day in Scotland and Northern England.
44:08So these areas are always going to be pretty cool.
44:10Further south, fewer for any showers.
44:12Yes, there's going to be a lot of cloud around, but it's generally dry.
44:15It's a bit warmer than today. Temperatures getting up to 20 Celsius.
44:19At the moment, though, temperatures are below average for the time of year.
44:22It's quite cool. But if we look what happens over the week ahead, it really is going to warm up.
44:26The colours change. Temperatures are going to be rising.
44:28Humidity will be rising as well.
44:30We start to see temperatures picking up on Tuesday.
44:32We've got more sunshine.
44:34Just one or two showers for northern parts of the UK.
44:36Most of the cloud will be in the south.
44:38Could produce a few spots of rain.
44:40Nothing more than that.
44:42But temperatures will be up to 18 degrees, I think, for Scotland and Northern Ireland on Tuesday afternoon.
44:47And despite the cloud in the southeast of England, temperatures of 22 degrees here.
44:52Now we've got low pressure trying to come in from the Atlantic.
44:55High pressure is getting steered to the east of us.
44:57And that means we pick up a southerly wind.
44:59And that's going to draw in the heat all the way from Spain.
45:02And the humidity will be starting to rise as well.
45:05Now we'll have some showers across northern Scotland on Wednesday.
45:08Otherwise generally dry.
45:09The cloud breaking up from the south.
45:12And those temperatures really starting to climb.
45:14So in the afternoon we've got 22 degrees in the central belt of Scotland.
45:18And the mid-20s at least through the Midlands towards the southeast of England.
45:22But remember, there's low pressure to the west of us.
45:25It's getting a bit closer overnight and into Thursday.
45:27And it could start to bring with it some outbreaks of rain.
45:31Now we may well have some dry weather and sunshine for most of Thursday for eastern parts of the UK.
45:36But there is rain out in the west.
45:38This rain is moving northwards and eastwards very slowly.
45:41May well be heavy and thundering.
45:43But the details here could change.
45:45Where the rain falls will impact those temperatures greatly.
45:48So the higher temperatures ahead of the rain across eastern parts of England.
45:52But again, it's humid.
45:53It's muggy.
45:54And it will be to end the week as well.
45:56We still have this low pressure to the west of us.
45:59Still bringing the threat of some rain.
46:00But we've still got those southerly winds coming in ahead of that.
46:04So some warmth and some sunshine.
46:06Particularly for eastern areas again on Friday.
46:08But we've got these showers or longer spells of rain out towards the west.
46:11And potential for some storms to push up into southern areas later on in the day.
46:16Again, the details may change.
46:17But there is a pattern that's developing.
46:19A theme that's developing.
46:21Still, we've got temperatures though of 26 or 27 degrees.
46:24And over the week ahead it's just going to be getting warmer by day and by night.
46:28Humidity will be rising as well.
46:30But with that we've got the potential for some heavy rain and some storms later in the week.
46:36We've seen several innovations that aim to reduce the environmental impact of agriculture on farms.
46:50And there's another new invention that might help prevent damage to the wider landscape.
46:55Pollution from sewage and farm runoff has left many local waterways in Herefordshire high in phosphates.
47:04That threaten aquatic life and water quality.
47:07Environmental innovator Jane Pearce thinks she may have a solution.
47:12I moved from financial services into an agricultural startup.
47:19And it was from there that one of the other directors and I moved and set up with the premise to solve really quite a huge phosphate problem.
47:28Phosphate is a finite natural resource and plants need it to grow.
47:34Which is why farmers spread phosphate fertilisers on the land.
47:38However, in water they actually make the plants grow as well, much like they do on land.
47:43And that causes eutrophication and essentially depletes rivers and water bodies of oxygen.
47:49And therefore kills aquatic life and other living species in the river.
47:53So creating this material that can essentially take it from where it's causing a problem and put it back on where it's required was the kicker to get going on this.
48:07Whilst researching ways to help farmers manage waste more sustainably, Jane and her team developed a method to remove damaging phosphates from water.
48:18A breakthrough that could have a big impact on the health of our rivers.
48:22Jane's idea uses a carbon material that soaks up phosphate from the water, locking it in as it flows past.
48:32The way that the material is deployed is essentially in a tea bag.
48:37So if you imagine the tea bag is inside of a gabion box like this and then pop it in the water and leave it there for six months, a year.
48:48Depending on the phosphate levels in the water, the material itself takes about 10% of its weight in phosphate.
48:54So if you deploy 10 kilos, you can take one kilo of phosphate out.
48:58So it works much like a magnet.
49:02So the material itself is put into the water.
49:05And if you imagine the blue bits in the water are the phosphate.
49:08As the material comes into contact with the phosphate, the phosphate is bound to the material.
49:15And then when the material is removed, so is the phosphate.
49:22It isn't just our waterways that Jane hopes will benefit from this innovation.
49:28The UK imports nearly all of its phosphate fertilisers.
49:33But this invention has the potential to reduce this.
49:37Once the pellets have come out of the river or the water body and they're full of phosphate,
49:42they can next go back to the land as a phosphate fertiliser.
49:45So they can be manually spread or they can be put in a spreader that the farmer likely already have,
49:52mixed in with other manure or slurry that they're spreading,
49:56and simply spread to the field and left there to do their job.
50:00Because it's in a pellet form, the phosphate is bound into the material,
50:05so it's not actually going to go straight back into the river like a dissolved phosphate fertiliser might.
50:10And because it's a carbon material, it's really good for the soil.
50:13So from a farmer's perspective, they're getting the benefit of a phosphate fertiliser,
50:16but also something that's really beneficial to the soil health at the same time.
50:21We've had really positive feedback from the farming community
50:24and other people who are worried about phosphate pollution in general.
50:31This discovery has led to Jane winning a Women in Innovation Award
50:35and the team being nominated for this year's Earthshot Prize,
50:39a global award for pioneering contributions to the environment.
50:45We're very passionate about what we've created,
50:48but it's nice that we get that external recognition.
50:53There was certainly a lightbulb moment when we made our first iteration of the product
50:57and actually being able to see it in real life scenarios
51:00and actually doing really beneficial things for the environment.
51:03It certainly keeps us spurred on and wanting to do more.
51:07I'm on the farm of Ali Hunter Blair, about to trial the beet seeding and weeding robot
51:13that he's hoping will be a new addition to the team.
51:16But first, in a nearby shed, Graham wants to show me how things used to be done.
51:22Let's have a look in here. Look at that.
51:28So that's the original steerage hoe. The first one was rear-mounted and a man had to sit on an iron seat all day getting fairly frozen.
51:34But often the driver wasn't paying attention and it'd wipe out quite a lot of heat at the same time.
51:44It's amazing actually the comparisons between what this did and what the robot is doing.
51:57the same time yeah it's amazing actually the comparisons between what this did and what the
52:01robot is doing yeah it's actually the same the same concept and this and this is the thing is
52:06actually apart from the fact that it's automated and it's solar powered and it's robotic we're not
52:11doing anything different to what dad was doing 50 years ago except for it's doing it itself
52:17so actually i don't know whether we've progressed or whether we've sort of gone back to the old
52:21times and yeah our reliance on herbicides has been so huge across our entire farm not just
52:26the sugar beet um that actually we're just going back to a sort of more old-fashioned intrinsic
52:31version of farming as opposed to just trying to batter everything with herbicide now i'd love to
52:36see this machine working again and automatic self-steering tractors if you've got a small
52:40enough one you can put it on and use it again yes you're right in the end i think agriculture will
52:47become robotic completely i'm sure in the next 50 years this is going to happen they won't need
52:52people on tractors every sort of innovation has come along just to make things easier for
52:58the farmer but obviously the work is reduced and the amount of people that are being employed
53:03is going to reduce you know they kept talking about farming the good old days they weren't the hard
53:08work you know we used to lump 14 stone sacks on our back corn sacks at harvest time well not today
53:17graham it's the robot who's now doing the hard work we're ready yep we're all set um excellent off to
53:25run we can close that and then we can use the remote operation to to set the sequence running
53:33what are you going to start it from your phone oh yeah i don't want to be stood near it do you
53:37i love it push that button that starts beeping this is mad isn't it and off ready goes
53:52first we're trying it on the flat after planting this field earlier in the year the robot's now in
53:59weeding mode so that's weeding between each part so it's not just doing one plant at a time every row
54:10a knife's coming out what we've got is our wire but we've also got a knife that's coming in and out
54:17and it knows where the plant is to within eight millimeters we can choose how close we want that
54:22arm to come in and out obviously you could never weed that fast
54:25it might be working well but it's not without its challenges
54:32but can't do curves no i can't do curves oh that's it'll come in time but yes um the
54:39maths behind everything everything's done operating in straight lines it's fared okay so far but ali's
54:47farm is by no means flat what about inclines like this because this is quite a hilly bit here isn't it
54:53that's where we have had a slight issue is just the wheel slip just because soil is so dry and loose
54:58but it has got parameters that it will slightly lift the carriage out so that it does carry on right
55:05so you can see how it turns here slipping now yeah so that's a tough section there then yeah
55:11and then as it drives forward now especially as it's turning its wheel straight again then it'll slip
55:16a little bit right and that's obviously where you do lose a bit of accuracy on the inter row yeah
55:20and that's where we struggled actually it's taken out one sugar wheat plant there because as it was
55:26slipping it was just that's where the that's where that loss of accuracy and that's why it's so
55:30important to be as accurate as as as we need of course yeah
55:41here you'll see that it hasn't weeded this part there aren't six clean rows for it to weed
55:46so it lifts up and it carries on and then comes back up again flat square fields it's an absolute
55:52dream because it would do it perfectly and it would do it very efficiently yeah but we are in rolling
55:56herefordshire and we've got to work with with what we what we've got um better be quiet now because uh
56:02freddy's getting close yeah yeah say nice things about freddy
56:05how's the relationship working have you bought this or no i haven't i haven't bought it yet right
56:16oh yes well if it could climb all our hills immediately i'd be borrowing every cent i
56:21could find because i think it's fantastic so if ali wants to take the leap and other farmers want
56:26want to buy one of these how much does it set you back for a kit like this so there's there's
56:31there's a wide range of options but a general costing on this product would be in the region
56:36of 65 to 75 000 pounds and that would be you ready and going um and feel the autonomous on your farm
56:43the headline figure does sound quite a lot but actually when you look at equipment costs across
56:48the board you know a new tractor is 160 000 okay that can do more things but actually
56:54when high value crop it doesn't take a lot to start making things add up right and for us
57:01to be able to potentially grow something slightly higher value and not have to employ lots and
57:06lots of people to do that is massive especially the job that it is doing which is a manual labor
57:11weeding it's a job that no one wants to do frankly and the challenges as well of of actually getting
57:16workers in the fields these days i mean it just yeah it solves all of those it does it does it does
57:22serves it solves a lot of those problems and it is um yeah something i'm very excited about to see how it
57:27progresses it is incredible to think that in the not too distant future look out on fields like that
57:40right and you'll see little robots working away 24 hours a day drones up above our heads we're not
57:47quite there yet but it has been lovely to see the innovation underway here and to hear about what's
57:51going on across the country yeah that's all we've got time for for this week next week hamza will
57:57be going in search of orcas off the most northerly point of mainland scotland
58:04this place is majestic dramatic absolutely amazing all right there's there's no there's an orca can you
58:15believe it one of cath's friends just shouted orca donna croat right next to the pier in the whole of
58:21the ocean they could be anywhere and they're right there in front of you and sometimes it's like they're
58:26showing off you've got to be in the right place at the right time that's next sunday at 5 25. hope you
58:33can join him then we'll see you then bye bye
58:46everyone's hiding secrets the last anniversary is full of family mystery on bbc i play i press red now
58:52we're here later on where's the money hiding the gold returns for a new series cubanville stars at nine
58:59we're walking with dinosaurs and a band of brothers fighting for survival next
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