Harper Adams University utilised the public mobile networks and LoRaWAN connectivity to demonstrate how they could be harnessed to deliver a range of Agri-tech use cases within their own working farm in Edgmond near Telford. They also hosted a major showcase of the technology in March 2025 attracting a large audience from the sector.
The use cases deployed on site included
- Christina – Camera traps using AI image recognition to observe farmland wildlife.
- Margaret – Infrared drone cameras detecting ground nesting birds.
- Happy Cow – Monitoring the risk of heat stress among the dairy herd with a combination of internal and external environmental sensors.
- Cheiron – Measuring the temperature, humidity and CO emissions within Harper Adams’ broiler unit.
- Demeter – Predicting crop yield through regular drone surveys and cloud analytics.
The University also extended the project to reach partner farms and sites around the region through two further use cases
- Green Box – Deploying acoustic bird sensors on farms and a range of different habitats around Shropshire in partnership with the Shropshire Ornithological Society, Wildlife Trust, Shropshire Hills National Landscape and local landowners. These sensors utilise AI algorithms to detect different bird species and present the results on a global open access dashboard. Read the Technical Report to find out more.
- Fortuna – Distributing a Skentel ‘ag in a box’ pack to farms across Shropshire, Powys, Staffordshire, Warwickshire as well as to Overbury Farm in Worcestershire. These packs included a DIY LoRaWAN network and selection of sensors tailored to measuring water, gas and electricity consumption, crop store levels and detecting unauthorised access.
Harper Adams also developed a bespoke platform to ingest and visualise the disparate data streams into one single dashboard.