At the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in Agriculture seminar, Teagasc director Prof Gerry Boyle Director of Teagasc said there is limitless potential to generate new data with sensors on farm.

Listen to an interview with Prof Boyle in our podcast below:

This was highlighted when John Daly, Dairymaster, said that they generated three million data points for each cow every day.

Boyle said the key will be to generate real-time information that farmers can use to make management decisions. However, he said farmers have to retain ownership of data they generate to ensure they reap the benefits. Dr John Bell of the European Commission said there is already a battle among companies for control of the data generated by farmers.

Carlow tillage farmer Kevin Nolan showed how he is investing in GPS technology to deliver variable rate lime, P and K and N spreading as well as using the telematics on machinery which record data every 15 seconds.

The cost of these technologies is reducing to make it affordable once you have the scale. Kevin identified that the saving in time, fuel, machinery wear as well as reduced inputs can amount to €15,000/year on a 500ha tillage farm.

Vincent McKey, IBM, said the company has 3,400 researchers focused on smart agricultural research across the world. They work with partners to develop platforms for the analysis of the data to create added value. IBM recently purchased The Weather Company, which McKey said is a significant game change in what IBM is going to be doing as it gives access to over three billion weather points around the world.