Vodafone teams up with Dairygold to digitise and future-proof Cork farm

Vodafone has announced a new project in Ireland to fast track the digitisation of farming, starting with helping a West Cork farm become future ready.  

Vodafone Business has teamed up with Dairygold and local Cork dairy farmer Sean O’Sullivan to install the cloud-based platform MyFarmWeb at his 280-hectare Elm Hill Farm. The application uses IoT sensors to capture real-time data and has been designed to create time and cost savings while ensuring more sustainable and profitable farm production.  

One of two farms owned and managed by O’Sullivan near Douglas in Cork, Elm Hill was selected for the pilot project alongside four other European farms in Germany, Italy and Spain. Since installation, the platform has provided valuable data in relation to soil classification, soil chemical analysis, soil micro life and leaf analysis.  

Additionally, an IoT microclimate weather station was also installed on Sean’s farm to help him determine the correct time to spray and fertilize his fields. This established significant efficiencies in terms of time, and a reduction in unnecessary travel for Sean, but also led to better grass production which in turn benefits the yield and ultimately benefitting the cow.  

The platform will be instrumental for the future of agriculture in Ireland by providing data-driven decision-making while enabling sustainable growth for farms across the country.  

Farm owner Sean O’Sullivan commented on the difference the app has made to his farm; “In the past, I haven’t been a big user of technology, but I am always looking for new ways to save time and do things more efficiently. With the introduction of MyFarmWeb however, I have already seen the significant difference that it has made to the running of my farm.   

“The data that MyFarmWeb provides has the potential to completely transform how we work here at Elm Hill Farm. Not only has MyFarmWeb helped to make running the farm more economical, but we have also seen increases in our productivity. We look forward to seeing what else can be achieved with the help of MyFarmWeb in the future.”  

Sinead Bryan, Managing Director of Vodafone Business commented; “The MyFarmWeb platform will go a long way in helping Irish farms become fit for the future with new methods to save time and resources. We are delighted to have partnered with Dairygold to pilot the platform and to see the tremendous capabilities of the app through everything that Sean has achieved on his farm in Cork. 

“At Vodafone, we are always looking for new and improved ways to help use technology for good, and I truly believe that the latest technology in MyFarmWeb will help transform farming in Ireland, by saving our farmers time while also helping them to become more sustainable.” 

As part of its efforts to encourage sustainable and eco-friendly farming practices, Vodafone Business is working with partners across the value chain, including equipment manufacturers, suppliers and research institutes to introduce new applications and technologies. The MyFarmWeb platform is already being used by 6,500 farmers across the globe.  

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