Fargro partners with 30MHz to bring smart sensing technology to UK horticulture

Arundel, West Sussex – Fargro Ltd, a leading wholesaler and supplier of commercial horticultural products today announced a partnership with Dutch company 30MHz B.V. to offer modular, scalable and user-friendly smart sensing products to the UK horticulture sector for the first time.

The innovative 30MHz technology comprises a network of wireless sensors and an analytical platform which will give growers real-time insights on their crops and environment. Having this technology in place will help horticultural businesses to identify opportunities where they can improve processes, eliminate inefficiencies and increase yield.

The partnership will mean Fargro is the first distributor of the 30MHz products to the UK horticulture sector, making smart sensing technology accessible to growers of all sizes. By partnering with 30MHz, Fargro will offer all the elements horticultural businesses need to set up a wireless sensor network and start monitoring their crops in moments, without technical expertise. The technology is quick and easy to set up – sensors arrive pre-configured and ready to deploy out of the box, and analytics are available immediately.

The smart technology provides a flexible solution which allows growers to choose the right combination of sensors for their business needs, and can be scaled as needed by linking existing sensors with new combinations of sensors when required. The technology has the added convenience of delivering analytics, alerts and visualisations in real-time straight to a smartphone, tablet or desktop.

The 30MHz sensors, connectivity and platform have been developed and tested with leading growers and horticultural research organizations, including Wageningen University and Proeftuin Zwaagdijk and are made specifically for the needs of modern horticulture. Sensors are designed not only for accuracy, flawless connectivity and remote placement, but the devices are built to withstand the varied conditions of a growing environment – for example high levels of humidity, broad range of temperatures and extreme light intensities.

Managing Director of Fargro, Richard Hopkins comments “We are delighted to announce this partnership which combines the market leading technology of 30MHz with Fargro’s expertise in horticulture. We know growers in the UK are always looking for ways to improve efficiency, particularly in the face of growing environmental and climate change challenges. At Fargro, we want to make cutting-edge technologies widely accessible to UK growers of all sizes. The 30MHz smart sensing range is a cost-effective option for any size of business. It will help UK growers combine their knowledge and expertise with real time data to track changing conditions, allowing them to make the best decisions for their business by responding quickly to improve productivity, cut unnecessary losses and save energy.”

CEO and co-founder of 30MHz, Jurg van Vliet adds “We’ve built our product around the notion that growers of any size can use data on their crops and environments to increase yield and reduce cost. Growers in the Netherlands and UK have already seen the benefits of smart sensing tech: letting them focus on what they do best, without technical complexity or long deployments. We’re thrilled to join forces with Fargro to make this technology accessible to more British agribusinesses.”

30MHz is already making a difference for UK growers.

‘Having greater insight into what the plant is doing with 30MHz smart sensing tech is really useful, and helps us focus on improving quality and reducing disease risk. We see the impact of capturing metrics that we previously didn’t have. It’s extremely easy to use, especially the ability to decide on how we visualise our data with various graphics, giving us the control to explore what we’re measuring in different directions. We’ve just started with Klimlink as well, so we can now pull data from external sources into one central place, and see the interactions. It’s very interesting insight and has had an impact on our crop management team, helping them focus on optimising output and growth while minimising input’ Jonathan Zwinkels, Madestein UK Limited.