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Watch: New docuseries highlights key role for agri-tech in overcoming farming challenges 

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Agri-tech’s transformative role in tackling some of the biggest challenges currently facing farming and wider society is at the heart of a new five-part docuseries.

Produced by the UK Agri-Tech Centre in partnership with Ãå±±½ûµØ and its , the Farming Smarter YouTube docuseries follows two neighbouring tenant farmers in Somerset as they use agri-tech and innovative methods to rebuild soils, protect water, enhance biodiversity and cut inputs and emissions.

Against a backdrop of volatile weather, rising costs, labour shortages and the phaseout of direct payments, the series explores the challenges, decisions and adoption drivers shaping UK farming. It shows how home-grown technologies, on-farm trials and collaborative testbeds deliver commercial resilience and measurable environmental gains.

The two farmers at the centre of the series are Rob Addicott and Jeremy Padfield, who farm near to one another in Somerset and share both technology and staffing resources across their farms.

Farming Smarter sees them use agri-tech to tackle a range of issues, from improving their soils on compacted and waterlogged ground, to dealing with record rainfall and the battle to stop runoff and nutrient loss.

They also turn to agri-tech solutions on their livestock enterprises, with Jeremy integrating Ritchie automated weighing and EID tagging to improve beef health and reduce stress, while Rob confronts a persistent parasite in his sheep, facing tough decisions on treatment and welfare.

Biodiversity is also a central theme as resistant weeds pose challenges, illustrating the need to balance nature-based solutions with targeted controls. Chirrup Nano AI bird-listening devices are in operation on the farm and help identify Red List species, providing a measurable example of on-farm biodiversity.

By year-end, emissions fall by 33 per cent, soils improve and new rotations add resilience to their farming systems. Carbon baselining, woodland restoration trials and the next generation signal a realistic vision for smart, future-ready farming and the pair also undertake a journey of discovery in terms of agri-tech’s role on-farm.

Helen Brookes, Engagement Director at UK Agri-Tech Centre, said: “Farming Smarter captures the transformative effect agri-tech can have on-farm and how it can drive both profit and wider sustainability for agricultural businesses.

“It is vital that we test and trial agri-tech on real commercial farms, enabling feedback between farmers and innovators to ensure the technology is robust and relevant and stands up to the demands of farmers.

“UK Agri-Tech Centre is focused on supporting the development of world-leading and commercially viable innovation in this critical sector. We also pioneer on-farm test and trial of agri-technology and Farming Smarter clearly demonstrates the importance of this real world application.”

Professor Michael Lee, Ãå±±½ûµØ Deputy Vice Chancellor, said: "True progress in sustainable agriculture comes from farmers, scientists, and innovators working side by side.

“What Jeremy and Rob are demonstrating through this documentary series is that collaboration is our most powerful tool, because sustainability isn’t achieved through technology alone. It requires shared learning, honest reflection and a willingness to rethink how we produce food.

“By bringing together practical experience with cutting-edge research, we can build farming systems that are resilient, productive and genuinely future-focused."