Research grows into field tests on farms

Chulalongkorn University's Faculty of Veterinary Medicine has completed 18 months of research into the use of radio frequency identification (RFID) in farm automation. The project, called "A Study and Field Test of Farm Automation System Using RFID Microchips", was granted a research and development budget of almost Bt4 million by Nectec.

Vivat Chavananikul, an associate professor at Chulalongkorn's Animal Husbandry Department, as the head of project, said during a demonstration at the university's pilot farm in Nakhon Pathom that the university had completed the research and development into using RFID microchips in farm automation systems.

The research will be applied to field tests in two selected farms - SPM Farm, a pedigree pig farm, and Nam Fon Farm, a dairy farm - in the next few months.

The objective of the study is to encourage the local development of RFID systems including microchips and readers, and to enhance local agricultural efficiency.

"These days, farm operators have to spend a good deal of money to improve their farm systems with technology, especially RFID facilities with imported components. The aim is to develop our own technology to release farm operators from the more expensive imported RFID systems," said Vivat.

The project's aim is to turn farms into automatic systems. Eventually the study could enable farm owners to reduce costs, improve management efficiency and increase productivity.

At SPM Farm, which requires a 24-hour automatic feeding system for its 8,000 pigs, the research was designed to develop embedded RFID ear tags containing each pig's identification, age, weight and size.

It also requires an RFID reader at the gate of each food lane, so that when an animal passes through, its identity can be detected and sent to a central computer system where its personal data can be called up. The system will then feed each animal in accordance with its computerised "body score" and condition.

With this system, farm owners know the body score and condition of each swine individually. It helps them breed the animals more efficiently.

Nam Fon Farm required an RFID identification chip in bolus form - a soft ball or pill - to embed in its 1,200 cows as well as the gate system. The study is to monitor the milking of each cow, and the milking machine is also equipped with a flow meter to measure the amount each cow provides.

This information is stored in the RFID system, giving farmers the status of each cow for further analysis.

"Farm-owners will be able to determine which cows produce more milk and which give less. Meanwhile, they will also know the total amount of milk the farm produces and how it can improve productivity," said Vivat.

Asina Pornwasin

The Nation