The platform enables more frequent datasets to be gained with no additional stress. (Image source: UK Agri-Tech Centre)

Following a partnership between David Ritchie (Implements) Ltd and the UK Agri-Tech Centre, a project, named ‘Lamb Monitor’, was created that aims to measure and monitor lamb performance, reduce farmers’ labour time and protect the welfare of lambs during the weighing process

The partners recognise that one of the most essential tasks involved in the production of lamb is the weighing of growing lambs in order to monitor their liveweight gain and suitability for sale. However, this is a time-consuming process and can be stressful to the lambs being gathered and weighed. Traditionally, weighing is carried out as often as once a fortnight, meaning the gap in daily live weight gain is not being monitored.

The platform enables more frequent datasets to be gained with no additional stress. Such data would allow lamb producers to monitor growth rates, enabling advanced and accurate predication of lamb sales as well as providing information with which to alter feeding, grazing and breeding management. In order to turn lamb weighing into a less stressful and time-intensive activity, this project aims to design, prototype and validate on-farm an automated, in-field lamb weighing solution.

Three different designs will be evaluated, with a walk-over weigher, creep feed attractant and climb on platform designed to utilise a lamb’s play instinct, with a data-handling app being developed alongside which will work with all three designs. The project will also develop a metered feed creep system, which prevents the dominant animals getting more than their share of feed and provides a restriction on intake of feeds which could cause ill-health if over-fed.

Using one of Ritchie’s trial farms and three of the UK Agri-Tech Centre’s satellite farms, Ritchie will construct initial prototypes for each design of weigher and commission them on-farm for validation. Farmers will continue to weigh their lambs as they currently do, with data gathered from this and the auto-weighers being compared to gain insights into the reliability and value of the data gathered from the auto-weigher, versus conventional weighing practice by the UK Agri-Tech Centre’s data and automation team.

Lamb weight data will also be carried through to Ritchie’s existing auto-drafting equipment to allow for lambs with sufficient weight data to be drafted automatically, reducing lamb stress and operator time at drafting. Lifecycle assessment will be used to examine the differences in carbon intensity between lamb systems with and without auto-weigher solutions to quantify the difference high-resolutions Daily Live Weight Gain monitoring may bring.

Charlie Brown, product development manager at Ritchie, said, “We hope to bring some level of automation and improved efficiency to the sheep industry with this product. The first prototype was created after farmer-led interactions resulted in us making efficiencies within the industry. Following field trials and farmer feedback we are refining the product for our Mk2 trial of the prototype.”

Hayley Gerry, project manager at the UK Agri-Tech Centre, said, “This project has enabled the UK Agri-Tech Centre to bridge a gap that the industry has identified where efficiencies could be made. Using our farmer network, we are able to test and validate the prototypes in a commercial set up to allow for feedback from the farmers. This will allow Ritchie to commercialise a product that will make farming more efficient.”

Research conducted by CIEL in 2020 showed how using measures such as data capture and use can have significant impact on Green House Gases (GHG) intensity of lamb production.

By finishing lambs at a younger age and reducing age at first lambing, amongst other factors, two hill farms had a 68% and 49% reduction in GHG emissions (kgCO2e/kgLW), and a lowland farm showed a reduction of 37% using these measures. In addition, Morgan-Davis et al (2018) estimated that precision livestock farming (PLF) tech can save farmers between 19% and 36% labour depending on the farm.

This study did not include an auto-weigher, rather just performance recording using electronic identification and software packages. The ability to use a lamb-monitor to expand on this will only add to the savings PLF tech can afford. With regard to welfare, the sheep weigher will significantly reduce the time requirement for farmers by not having to gather and weigh regularly, allowing them to better use their time either on other needs in the enterprise or to help improve the work life balance of farms and farm workers.

Improved animal welfare is achieved through less gathering and handling of sheep, ensuring a higher welfare food product is produced at the end as well as reducing the inherent risk in livestock handling to the farmers.

The stainless stell lift provides an efficient and safe way to move raw materials and products within a hygienic production environment. (Image source: Dinnissen)

This innovative stainless steel lift saves space, accelerates work processes, and minimises safety risks through automated, safe vertical movement of raw materials and goods

Designed to meet strict hygienic standards and made entirely of stainless steel, the lift guarantees full reliability. The idea for the stainless steel lift emerged during a project in the United States. Dinnissen built two mixing lines there for a major multinational in dietary supplements (collagen powder). During this project, Dinnissen specialists Frans Bakker and Melvin van Hilst noticed that the design was not sufficiently safe. Pallets with raw materials had to be placed on a platform at a height of 8 meters, which involved significant risks. Back in the Netherlands, they decided to develop a safer solution together: a lift to safely elevate the pallets with raw materials.

The idea was immediately well received by the client. They searched for a supplier capable of delivering fully stainless steel lifts without hydraulics, due to stringent hygienic requirements. However, the search brought no outcome. When it became clear that no suitable supplier could be found, Dinnissen decided to design and build the lifts themselves, fully tailored to the client’s needs.

The stainless steel lift for pallets, IBCs, and FIBCs provides an efficient and safe way to move raw materials and products within a hygienic production environment. This innovative system meets the strict hygiene standards of the food industry, saves space, ensures safety, and accelerates work processes.

The lift’s design is fully aligned with the highest safety and hygiene standards, with stainless steel as the primary material. Stainless steel is not only corrosion-resistant but also easy to clean, minimizing the risk of contamination. Moreover, the stainless steel lift is highly versatile: it can easily handle various product types, including pallets, drums, big bags, and sack goods.

Dinnissen has further enhanced the lift’s safety by opting for a mechanical belt drive instead of hydraulics. This not only improves hygiene but also makes the system more reliable and durable. Additionally, the lifts comply with safety standards, such as CE certification, thanks to collaboration with the Liftinstituut in The Netherlands. This partnership ensures compliance and safe operation in industrial environments. The fully stainless steel lift features its own control system, including LOTO provisions and fall protection, to ensure maximum safety. Everything is fully compliant with the EN 81-30:2010 regulations.

Dinnissen designs the stainless steel lift entirely according to the specific requirements of the customer. This includes considerations such as height, capacity, or the specific configuration of input and output routes. Dinnissen ensures that the lift seamlessly integrates into the production process. The lifts can be built in various heights and have a lifting capacity ranging from 500 to 2000 kg.

Dinnissen has already built several stainless steel lifts and is currently producing multiple units for various customers.

The ‘Elefant’ can be equipped with a powerful turbo filler to ensure top suction performance. (Image source: Fliegl)

Fliegl presents the new 'Top Line Plus' vacuum tankline, a vehicle specially developed to meet the requirements of modern operations and sets new standards in efficiency and user-friendliness

With ease of use being the main focus, this advancement ensures that smart lighting strategies are intuitive and accessible for growers at every level. (Image source: Heliospectra)

Heliospectra AB, a global leader in smart LED lighting for controlled environments, recently announced the launch of its Dynamic MITRA X multi-channel LED solutions 

Featuring advanced 3-channel and 4-channel configurations, the new lighting systems bring unmatched precision and customisation in combination with the new Spectrum Design Tool and Dynamic Zoning, allowing growers to optimise crop growth, quality, and operational efficiency.

The new MITRA X C3 and C4 multi-channel systems seamlessly integrate with Heliospectra’s HelioCORE software, which enhances light management capabilities for both professional growers and researchers. The launch of these systems has been a stepping stone for the company to introduce its proven dynamic lighting technology to greenhouses, empowering growers with greater flexibility while maintaining the efficacy that defines their solutions.

With ease of use being the main focus, this advancement ensures that smart lighting strategies are intuitive and accessible for growers at every level.

“The modularity of MITRA X allows growers to customise installations and adapt to their unique needs, whether they require static, flex, or dynamic lighting solutions, said CEO Heliospectra, Bonny Heeren. “As we have supplied the Agtech and research segment with the dynamic spectrum for more than 10 years, it was a natural next step for us to introduce it also in our MITRA X platform to bring control and flexibility also to greenhouse growers.”