Grove Smith Turkeys brings new technology to traditional farming
Grove Smith Turkeys are bringing modern digital agricultural technology to the heart of the Essex countryside.
A family-run farm with over 30 years’ experience in producing award-winning turkeys is not where you would expect to see the latest technology. But Grove Smith Turkeys are investing in their future with the very latest tractor-technology to meet with increased demand.
The new Massey Ferguson tractor increases the efficiency of Grove Smith Farms. By implementing the latest satellite navigation technology to map the fields with the GPS receivers it provides navigational accuracy down to one inch. Within the farming industry, this accuracy is critical to ensure that every seed is in the right place, with the right depth and spacing to ensure it grows to a full-producing crop. This precision is invaluable when it comes to ensuring no overlap in seed which leads to reduced wastage.
The United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation predicts that the world’s population will reach 8 billion people by 2025 and 9.6 billion by 2050. In order to keep pace with this, food production will need to increase by 70% by 2050.
“The rise of all this new technology has led to new opportunities to implement more efficient systems for us,” says William Grove Smith. “We’re one of the first in the industry to start using these types of tractors, and it’s made a huge difference to us already – we can no longer stick our heads in the sand and ignore it -we can’t afford to not use it anymore.”
Grove Smith continues, “Turkey meat is increasing in popularity and it’s no longer just for Christmas anymore. It’s a leaner, healthier meat and we’ve seen demand for our product spike in recent years. People are also concerned with how their food is produced, and we’re obsessive about the welfare of our turkeys – we’ve even introduced a free-range section on our farm.”
“The advances in precision agriculture has transformed what we do. Although it’s originally designed to automate the more mundane or easy tasks, it’s had a knock-on impact across the business – lower costs and less wastage which has enabled us to really focus on the welfare of our turkeys.”
William Grove Smith, a third-generation farmer, jokes “The next step will be driverless tractors. And when my children are running this farm it will probably be just be them and a few robots.”
The new Massey Ferguson tractor increases the efficiency of Grove Smith Farms. By implementing the latest satellite navigation technology to map the fields with the GPS receivers it provides navigational accuracy down to one inch. Within the farming industry, this accuracy is critical to ensure that every seed is in the right place, with the right depth and spacing to ensure it grows to a full-producing crop. This precision is invaluable when it comes to ensuring no overlap in seed which leads to reduced wastage.
The farming industry is facing big challenges with the rising cost of supplies, a shortage of labour, and customers wanting more transparency in the farming process which is why the rise of smart farming is transforming modern agriculture. New advances are reducing the environmental footprint of farming and helping to reduce costs.
Grove Smith Turkeys are committed to producing the highest quality turkeys for its English Rose turkey brand all year round and they operate field to fork within 5 miles of their farm – meaning that all their turkeys are fed and raised on wheat and barley that is grown within 5 miles of the farm.
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For further information, please contact: Claire Beaumont, T. 07740 357433, E. clairewigglesworth@gmail.com
About Grove Smith Farms
• Grove Smith Farms is set in the heart of the Essex countryside
• They are a 3rd generation family farming business run by William Grove Smith, wife Jo, and his committed team
• Grove Smith Farms are obsessively committed to the highest welfare standards of their turkeys