Today, as we close out mid summer, the topic is access and control. At this time of year you spend a lot of time going in and out of outhouses, storerooms, milking parlors, sheds and barns.
In winter you need good light and heating, knowing which animals are in which barn. Do they have a sufficient stock of food, water and bedding, to make it through the darker days? Is it going to drop below zero tonight? Probably not. Which cow has the lame leg? Now that one is a mite more tricky, especially when summer rivers run low and other cows are in playful moods.
Water flow is always a big topic, but summer has it’s own flavor. It is low water levels and intense heat at the same time. There are usually plenty of reasons for animals to travel, but water is a common one. When you know that boundaries usually track existing water runs and streams, you know why farmers spend late spring and early summer doing intense, bloody, fencing practice.
“Farming looks mighty easy when your plow is a pencil and you’re a thousand miles from the corn field.”
Dwight D. Eisenhower
🟩 Securing a homestead
Farm buildings often store high-value equipment; tractors, machinery, tools, fertilizers, feed, etc. Conveniently for thieves, they’re often down one track roads with very few neighbors. The combination of high value and low risk is a combination many criminals favor. Farms in remote locations, with older single farmers are always a juicy target.
That’s where IoT access control holds the fort. Wireless devices monitor who’s entering or leaving buildings. You receive alerts when doors or gates are left open— via smartphone or computer in real-time. Be the first to know if your animals have jumped a fence and are running wild in the high street, not the last. We address that topic in more detail here.
🟩 Rugged hands free tools
Access control can work with remote cameras, via punching in codes or keypads. The farm environment does not suit such tools. It is wet. Damp weather is no friend to electronics. You are muddy, covered in layers, carrying something, often alone. Bluetooth or RFID works much better, by working on proximity, not touch.
Locks can be programmed to work on schedules, ensuring that storage facilities remain locked after hours or set to open when remote authorization is given, either by mobile device or “chip.”
🟩 Ventilation and Air Conditioning
Whether it’s ensuring optimal airflow in livestock barns or maintaining precise temperatures for crop storage, IoT controlled ventilation and AC systems are a game-changer, by adapting to changes in wind speed, wind direction, rain fall, heat or cold in real-time.
IoT-enabled HVAC systems come with sensors that constantly monitor temperature, humidity and air quality. These systems adjust ventilation automatically based on reducing the need for manual adjustments. Smart sensors automate adjustments and run only when needed, cutting down on energy consumption and operational costs. You are improving conditions for livestock and running a more efficient operation.
The Fence line…
The primary benefit of IoT in a farm setting is that it gives you remote control over a very large physical space. It also allows you to use weather data, farm management tools and analytics to bring your latent predictive skillset in farming to a much higher level. IOT helps with seeding, harvest, maintaining equipment, dealing with flocks, even animal husbandry and crop rotation. The potential is vast. It is not the electronics, it is what the electronics can help you do.
