In an attempt to improve the traceability integral to the safety of food supplies, researchers at Cranfield University in the United Kingdom are developing an RFID-based automatic recording system for agricultural spraying.
The researchers, in cooperation with the AGCO Corporation, are developing an automatic chemical recording system which enables the identification of chemicals via RFID technology before weighing them within a standard induction hopper feeding into an agricultural sprayer. The system will enable automatic identification and measurement of chemicals according to a specific task file, at the same time creating job records for future reference.
“Modern sprayers have the capability of controlling precisely the applications of chemical and produce application maps from the onboard controller,” says Mark Sharitz, director of marketing for the study. “However, there is still a gap in product identification and induction that needs to be done manually – creating a gap in generating automatic records for sprayer inputs.”
The prototype for the system is being tested by a panel of UK farmers. Farmers surveyed as part of the project said they see a need for this type of system, emphasizing that it could assist in preventing pesticide misapplication, as well as increasing operator safety and data accuracy. ![[end]](/resources/bullet/archive-4.gif)
