Yorkshire’s Cannon Hall Farm and Springtime on the Farm presenter Jules Hudson collaborate with Virgin Media O2 to explore the future of UK agriculture

The project headed by Virgin Media O2, Cannon Hall Farm and Springtime on the Farm presenter Jules Hudson has been created to demonstrate the transformative power of connectivity in the agriculture sector.

Virgin Media O2 is bringing connectivity to every corner of Cannon Hall Farm’s estate, including historic blackspots and not-spots, to discover how a network of sensors and monitors can work together to transform the farm, saving valuable time and money.

The trial will help create a blueprint for the future of farming that could help unlock an additional £2.5 billion for the UK economy and create 30,390 additional rural jobs according to new economic modelling by Cebr for Virgin Media O2.

The agriculture industry has encountered some of the most difficult challenges over the past few years, from extreme weather changes to labour shortages as well as the effects of Brexit and the pandemic. In DEFRA’s latest Farmer Opinion Tracker, farmers on more than half (52 per cent) of holdings do not feel positive about their own future in farming, up from 41 per cent in 2022. Virgin Media O2, Cannon Hall Farm and Jules Hudson have designed the ‘Connected Farm of the Future’ trial to help the industry combat these challenges.

Countryman and Springtime on the Farm and Escape to the Country TV presenter Jules Hudson said: “Agriculture and farming is the largest rural industry in the UK and sits at the heart of many communities across the country.

“The last few years have been extremely challenging for farmers, and the research from Virgin Media O2 coupled with this trial, highlight the potential for rural farming and agriculture to be transformed with ever more useful technologies.

“British agriculture faces great uncertainties, but without it the foundation of our rural communities would disappear. If Virgin Media O2 and other leading industry partners can develop ways of further supporting our farmers, it will play a crucial role in the fight to keep Britain farming and thriving.”

Virgin Media O2 has enhanced its network across Cannon Hall Farm to remove signal blackspots and not-spots, providing a reliable and high-speed mobile network to the area. This supports the testing of several connected technology use cases across the farm, including: Protecting valuable assets, enhancing safety, optimising yields and boosting UK agriculture.

The two most common rural crimes are equipment and livestock theft which cost the rural agriculture industry a combined £49.5 million in 2022 alone. Compounding the issue are gates being left open on public footpaths that run around and through many farms, resulting in livestock escaping fields and being lost or injured.

Trackers, sensors and switches like those installed across Cannon Hall Farm’s equipment, livestock and gates as part of this trial enable the farmers to monitor in real time the location of these high-value items or receive alerts about gates being left open.

With farmers often working solely across big areas and remote locations with little to no signal, access to connectivity can be a game changer, and in the most extreme cases be the difference between life and death.

According to data from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), agriculture has the highest workplace injury rate of 4,100 per 100,000 workers, 3.5 times higher than the all-industry average. The trial is thought to improve safety by removing no-spots, offering reliable mobile signal across the farm and giving workers the ability to get help should they need it.

When it comes to optimising yields, over the past 30 years, major crop yields have decreased by four to 10 per cent due to climate change. To resolve the impact of increasingly extreme and unpredictable weather conditions such as floods and droughts on crop viability and yield, part of the trial sees the installation of connected soil moisture, atmospheric temperature and humidity sensors. These sensors show the potential to monitor the health of crops and assess irrigation needs, reduce water use, improve crop quality and allow for targeted interventions based on real-time conditions.

Owner of Cannon Hall Farm, Rob Nicholson, said: “We are thrilled to be partnering with Virgin Media O2 to trial the “Connected Farm of the Future”. Rural connectivity opens the door to a range of new technologies than could completely change farming as we know it.

“Being able to monitor in real-time soil and atmospheric conditions, provide remote support and have round-the-clock monitoring of livestock, machinery and equipment is a total game-changer. The potential for this technology to help create a more efficient, profitable and sustainable future for not only our family farm but many other farms across the UK is huge.”

Chief technology officer at Virgin Media O2, Jeanie York, said: “This trial is an example of the transformational power of connectivity and how it’s being used to power a Great Rural Revival. Through this innovative trial with Cannon Hall Farm, we have demonstrated how a network of sensors, underpinned by excellent connectivity, can make a real impact and transform the way we live and work in rural areas.

“We will continue to work with industry partners, the UK Government, planning authorities and landowners to deliver the network upgrades to provide faster and more reliable coverage that is essential for rural communities to thrive both now and in the future.”

The Great Rural Revival shows that improved rural connectivity could enhance the UK economy by £65.1 billion and increase employment by 6.8 per cent through the creation of hundreds of thousands of new jobs.

The report shows potential for the rural agriculture sector to increase turnover by 9.4 per cent and boost employment, equating to an extra £2.5 billion per year and 30,390 additional jobs. However, as part of the economic modelling, decision makers within the agriculture sector were asked if they currently make use of connectivity and the results highlight the digital divide between urban and rural agriculture firms.

When it comes to using connectivity for video calling/conferencing, fleet management, remote stock/invetory management or making and receiving mobile phone calls, agriculture firms in urban areas significantly outscore their rural counterparts: for example, a third (33 per cent) of urban agriculture firms use connectivity for remote stock checking/inventory management compared to only four per cent of rural business.

Managing economist at Cebr, Robert Beauchamp, said: “Our analysis underscores the huge potential for improved connectivity to drive forward employment and turnover growth in the UK’s agricultural sector. As a predominantly rural industry, it stands to reap significant benefits from the resolution of today's rural connectivity challenges, unlocking new opportunities for the widespread adoption of digitally-enabled technologies.”