Walton at the World Ploughing Championships 2022

Walton Institute joined colleagues from South East Technological University (SETU) at the Irish National and World Ploughing Championships on 20-22nd September 2022. Europe’s largest agricultural and outdoor event welcomed over 250,000 people across the three days in the countryside of Ratheniska, Co. Laois, approximately 90 minutes from Dublin City. 

The first year as SETU, colleagues from Waterford, Carlow and Wexford showcased their research, projects, and student courses to a diverse audience of future students, prospective commercial clients, and future career researchers. Walton staff also welcomed the Minister for Higher Education, Simon Harris TD who demoed Walton’s Mixed Reality equipment, funded by Enterprise Ireland.  

Within the SETU marquee

Walton Institute had a booth within the SETU marquee where projects including mixed reality, eTextiles and Agri related projects were showcased. European funded Agri-Tech projects were of significant importance to the audience at the event. DEMETER,, agROBOfood, Cities2030, NIVA4CAP, and SmartAgriHubs were all represented. The recently launched Digital Roadmap within the AgriDiscrete project, funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine (DAFM) saw a lot of interest from the farming community.  

Walton Institute is at the forefront of Agri-Tech research in Ireland and Europe, with researchers enjoying conversations with end users about the impact and prospects for the agricultural sector as a result of these projects. Walton staff outlined who Walton Institute are, how it operates and the opportunities SETU will bring to the region to interested farmers, industry experts, the general public, and budding students who will soon be attending lectures on SETU campuses. 

Explaining the benefits of the projects we do here at Walton to farmers is crucial to the agricultural sector in Ireland and Europe as we try to bridge the gap between technology and farming in its current state. The exchange of information at events like this with numerous small and big farmers is a great opportunity to grow networks and create excitement about the future, it also highlights the benefits of working closely with farmers that not only increases awareness of EU-funded initiatives but also provides extremely helpful ideas for future projects and real-world practical suggestions that would be otherwise difficult to see. Walton Institute is excited to promote the development of the agri-food sector by introducing new methods and technologies.  

Project Highlights

VistaMilk was a topic of interest at the ploughing this year. Vistamilk SFI Research Centre is a collaboration between Agri-Food and ICT research. Funded by Science Foundation Ireland (SFI) and the Department of Agriculture, Food, and Marine (DAFM), its goal is to maximise the efficiency and effectiveness of the entire dairy production chain, integrate new technologies, and facilitate the development of and deployment of new knowledge regarding the sector.

Farmers were particularly interested in learning about the development of new integrated smart-sensor systems that use nano electrochemical/spectroscopic/MEMS devices for various modalities that will be integrated in tandem where appropriate to provide orthogonal sensing results. This will assist the farmer in monitoring their animals and ensuring the herd’s prosperity and sustainability.

The positive impact on the environment, animal welfare, and consumer health excited the public and farmers at the Ploughing Championships about the future of dairy farming. VistaMilk Leads the Agri-Food technology sector through innovation and increased sustainability throughout the dairy supply chain. Internationally, the advances made at the centre will apply to dairy systems in many countries, catalyzing global growth in the Agri-Tech sector. This will be accomplished by significantly improving the soil-to-gut supply chain connectivity, thereby improving resource efficiency, meeting consumer expectations, and increasing profitability and resilience.

Dave Hearne of NIVA4CAP has developed an app called Agri Snap which helps farmers to map their land if satellite photographs are unable to see it. The app also provides sustainability and environmental incentives, as images of hedgerows and wildlife areas can be photographed and then re-photographed in 6 months to see if the area has grown and is being conserved. Farmers can profit financially from government schemes such as this one, which has been adopted in ten countries and has a total investment of ten million euros thus far.