Hands Free Harvest 2022 - another successful year of autonomous farming

The Hands Free Farm harvest for 2022 has been completed - marking another successful year of autonomous farming.

The farm, based on the University estate in Shropshire, is the successor of the multi-award winning Hands Free Hectare, which started in 2016 with the aim to be the first in the world to grow, tend and harvest a crop without operators in the driving seats or agronomists on the ground.

The project has run in partnership between Harper Adams and Precision Decisions, along with the UK division of Australian precision agriculture specialist, Farmscan AG.

This year's harvest saw some of the delays any farm faces at this time of year - such as the changeable British weather and machinery issues - but by September, the crops had once again been brought autonomously in.

As the Hands Free team prepare to host industry partners and invited guests today, follow their harvest -  from high summer to early autumn - with this social media round up.

Crops looking great thanks to support of @gaff1wiz @Velcourtadvice @KWSUKLtd @OMEXCompanies https://t.co/2btLovtNTf

— Kit Franklin (@AgEngResearch) July 4, 2022

Lots of activity the last few weeks preparing for the impending #HandsFreeHarvest
Servicing, tuning and field testing #autonomous machines.@FarmscanAGUK @PrecisionDec @HarperAdamsUni pic.twitter.com/1q12Uyt0Tf

— HandsFreeHectare & Farm (@FreeHectare) August 4, 2022

Hands Free #Harvest22 is started in the @KWSUKLtd wheat.@CLAAS_UK @HarperAdamsUni @FarmscanAGUK @PrecisionDec @agri_epi pic.twitter.com/AYh3i46N9t

— HandsFreeHectare & Farm (@FreeHectare) August 5, 2022

Turns out we are not immune to day one breakdowns....@CLAAS_UK have sorted a main drive belt for next week lucky coming from Germany not India like the combine!
Headland half off anyway! #HFF #HFHa pic.twitter.com/5sRnlI9tpC

— HandsFreeHectare & Farm (@FreeHectare) August 5, 2022

The @CLAAS_UK #CropTiger is back together and we are off again. Dust coming off the @KWSUKLtd Extase today in 30C+.
Great work by the @FarmscanAGUK @PrecisionDec & @HarperAdamsUni team.
Unload on the moves to come... #HFF #harvest22 pic.twitter.com/7Vw9XvyXVL

— HandsFreeHectare & Farm (@FreeHectare) August 11, 2022

Once the headlands are cut, we then cut the fields into blocks which are then cut outside to in.
Here is the combine making a turn at the end of a block.#HFF #Harvest @HarperAdamsUni @FarmscanAGUK @PrecisionDec pic.twitter.com/WAo911SqqO

— HandsFreeHectare & Farm (@FreeHectare) August 11, 2022

Still and dusty sunset.
Top Adney going well.#HandsFreeFarm #HFF #HFHa pic.twitter.com/wZFzlVY2tv

— HandsFreeHectare & Farm (@FreeHectare) August 11, 2022

Update previous calculation didn't account for our wild flower mix!
9.19T/ha!!! pic.twitter.com/DbIrHii8PK

— HandsFreeHectare & Farm (@FreeHectare) August 11, 2022

Mid afternoon montage of the first day of the Fands Free Harvest.#handsfree #Harperadamsuni #Harvest2022 #combine @HarperAdamsUni @agri_epi @PrecisionDec @FarmscanAGUK @CLAAS_UK pic.twitter.com/hrinExR1oI

— HandsFreeHectare & Farm (@FreeHectare) August 12, 2022

Apologies @iseki_uk field tweeting slip up! https://t.co/18tuNBKMpy

— HandsFreeHectare & Farm (@FreeHectare) August 13, 2022

Once the combine makes its turn it pulls up to the tractor and they resynchronise speeds. pic.twitter.com/OZLZiF119j

— HandsFreeHectare & Farm (@FreeHectare) August 12, 2022

Top Adney completed. 32.86T from 3.4ha = 9.665T/ha. 11.5% and 81.4 Bushel Wt.
That's our wheat done, total of 47.84T total from 5ha averaging 9.5T/ha pic.twitter.com/RXsNws8kdi

— HandsFreeHectare & Farm (@FreeHectare) August 12, 2022

A look back to last week's harvest action before the rain, great to see the HFF teams and sponsors effort come to fruition.#HFF #HFH #harvest2022 #agritech #driverless #wheat.@FarmscanAGUK @PrecisionDec @OMEXCompanies @KWSUKLtd @agri_epi @iseki_uk @CLAAS_UK @Ifor_Williams pic.twitter.com/zq4axUEb91

— HandsFreeHectare & Farm (@FreeHectare) August 18, 2022

https://t.co/AghS2p76XP pic.twitter.com/Nxq3Gx4htU

— HandsFreeHectare & Farm (@FreeHectare) August 19, 2022

Middle Moor headlands complete. System running smoothly into the evening. #harvest2022 #HandsFreeFarm #HFF pic.twitter.com/9U6s5kbDYY

— HandsFreeHectare & Farm (@FreeHectare) August 19, 2022

The team also welcomed David Gregory-Kumar from the BBC - with a piece going out live on the lunchtime news, a further piece on BBC News 24, and an interview on Radio 4's Farming Today which you can listen back to here.

Morning visit from @DrDavidGK @bbcmtd to catch up on developments from @FreeHectare to the Hands Free Farm.
Catch us on the lunchtime bulletin. @HarperAdamsUni @PrecisionDec @FarmscanAGUK pic.twitter.com/ThshVhP3Zq

— Kit Franklin (@AgEngResearch) August 25, 2022

Back up and running after a few days of rain. #Autonomous #Harvesting @HarperAdamsUni #AgriculturalEngineering #AgriTech pic.twitter.com/Mjepg6dyaC

— HandsFreeHectare & Farm (@FreeHectare) August 25, 2022

You know it's a nice day on the #HandsFreeFarm when you can clearly see the #Wrekin. pic.twitter.com/7iv6FRhy00

— HandsFreeHectare & Farm (@FreeHectare) August 25, 2022

Unloading on the move in the evening. #autonomous #tractor and #combineharvester pic.twitter.com/rKxLsTiEaB

— HandsFreeHectare & Farm (@FreeHectare) August 25, 2022

After a late finish on Saturday to clear our first 12ha of spring barley, it's nice to be making good progress on the next this morning. #HFF #harvest22 #autonomousdriving #combine pic.twitter.com/fUj4NXPC3Y

— HandsFreeHectare & Farm (@FreeHectare) August 28, 2022

Cracking on today in some mixed weather but the suns come out to keep us moving this evening.
c4ha cut since 11:00. #HFF #AutonomousVehicles #harvest2022 pic.twitter.com/ERgc7DkZws

— HandsFreeHectare & Farm (@FreeHectare) August 29, 2022

Another late one for the team: @iseki_uk, @CLAAS_UK & @Ifor_Williams pic.twitter.com/FeD3h2xZdd

— HandsFreeHectare & Farm (@FreeHectare) August 29, 2022

Into our last 5 blocks of spring barley c1.8ha to finish 12ha field. @CLAAS_UK #harvester running sweetly and the #HandsFreeFarm control system working really well. pic.twitter.com/B8EvjgvEL8

— HandsFreeHectare & Farm (@FreeHectare) August 30, 2022

That's a wrap on #HandsFree cereal harvest 2022.
5ha = 47T of wheat in 2 fields in 2 days.
First 12ha of spring barley in 8 rain interrupted days.
12.5ha more spring barley in second field in 3 warm sunny days.
Yields confirmed tomorrow once all in the store. pic.twitter.com/ZUPWZZ8qgx

— HandsFreeHectare & Farm (@FreeHectare) August 30, 2022

Today after waiting for the sun to dry off last night's showers and as we got to the field to start cutting this happened!! #wet #RainStopPlay pic.twitter.com/6MlvqjbPoy

— HandsFreeHectare & Farm (@FreeHectare) September 9, 2022

Little late but the yield results for our spring barley are as follows:
Middle Moor 41.44T from 9.92ha = 4.18T/ha
Near Moor 49.36T from 12.61ha = 3.91T/ha
Average of 4.03T/ha

Some lost yield with patches of crop having gone flat. https://t.co/s9kZW7Gami

— HandsFreeHectare & Farm (@FreeHectare) September 12, 2022

Winter Beans are disappearing as we head towards fishing #HFF #harvest22 in Poor's Land our trickiest field with obstacles and EM interference. @HarperAdamsUni @FarmscanAGUK @PrecisionDec @agri_epi pic.twitter.com/VR8Mfm16br

— HandsFreeHectare & Farm (@FreeHectare) September 15, 2022

Hands Free Farm fieldwork complete. @HarperAdamsUni @PrecisionDec @FarmscanAGUK @agri_epi @innovateuk pic.twitter.com/kdEmYCgIrq

— HandsFreeHectare & Farm (@FreeHectare) September 15, 2022