Outfield’s New York Tour
It was late at night and snowing when Jim and I arrived in Rochester, New York, and the air was a balmy 28°F (or -2°C). Fortunately the pineapple themed Airbnb that we had rented was nice and warm! We had …
Kicking Off the Ground Breaking POME Project
November 2023 saw the start of a bold project, developing precision farming tools for top fruit growers that will cut on-farm fruit wastage and slash the use of chemical inputs. Precision Orchard Management for the Environment, or POME, is an …
Outfield’s 2023 Recap
Another year and another season has flown by. As 2023 draws to a close, it’s the perfect opportunity to look back on the year that’s just passed before we prepare for all of the exciting things ahead. It’s been a …
Project Underway Bringing Outfield’s System to Vineyards
Vineyard growers around the world face an erratic and uncertain future. Climate change is shifting where, when, and how grape varieties can grow and the viticulture industry is having to adapt quickly. On top of that, rising labour costs, pressures …
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From Vision to Reality: The Outfield Story
In the fast-paced world of technology and agriculture, remarkable stories often begin with a casual chat between two determined individuals. Meet Jim and Oli, the founders of a groundbreaking venture that employs drones and machine learning to provide apple growers …
Precision in the Skies: How Drones are Reshaping Sustainable Apple Farming
As the demand for food grows, so does the need for innovative solutions that prioritise resource efficiency, and long-term viability. That’s where drones come in! Drones offer unique capabilities that enable growers to monitor and manage their orchards in a …
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The May 2023 Outfield Team Meetup
May is a busy time of the year for us here at Outfield, with the blossom season coming to an end in the northern hemisphere, harvest drawing to an end in the southern hemisphere, and of course the twice-annual team …
Trying to catch up with the 1950s
Leslie Acott (left) in his greengrocers in Tunbridge Wells. (Picture taken around 1950) My Grandfather, Leslie Acott, was a greengrocer in the town of Tunbridge Wells (South East England). Although he passed away shortly after I was born, I’ve been …
The Future Of Apple Blossom Thinning
Apple growers around the world know that achieving a bountiful crop of high-quality fruit is both an art and a science. Apple blossom thinning is a crucial aspect of this process, which requires precision and efficiency. But have you ever …
Wine, Sun And Braai… Oh And Apples Of Course!
It has been a busy start to 2023 here at Outfield and what better way to kick things off than a two week trip down to our winter getaway, Cape Town, South Africa. The Western Cape has become a crucial …
Outfield’s 2022 Recap
Well it’s nearly the end of 2022, and I want to take this opportunity to reflect on everything that we’ve been up to at Outfield over the course of a very busy year. From new features to new geographies, from …
The November 2022 Outfield Team Meetup
At the start of November it was time once again for Outfield to come together for our twice annual team meetup. In a very rainy Cambridge, the team gathered together for a week of planning sessions, workshops and fun activities. …
The History of Apples: A timeline of Apple Evolution
Humans have been eating apples for more than 10 thousand years, though of course a lot has changed since the first apple tree was planted. The first known apples were far from the juicy, sweet, varieties we know and love …
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Outfield, the Big Apple and beyond
Honeycrisp apples, Niagara Falls and deep-dish pizza – it must be America! Last month, my colleague Emil and I travelled to the United States for Outfield’s first visit to the country. US growers have been using the Outfield platform since …
Is Unpredictability Here To Stay? How To Combat the Negative Effects of Climate Change on Your Crops
As the effects of climate change become increasingly concerning, many farmers will be put under pressure to mitigate events out of their control. How do you mitigate the negative effects of climate change on your crops? What will it be …
The science and business of orchard magic
Announcing the award of grant funding for “Project Crystal Ball” – A year long IUK funded collaboration between Outfield and Yagro to bring crop value insights and business analytics to orchard management decision making. A modern day farmer is a …
A precision approach to crop load management
Precision agriculture can be a vague term for many, but at its core, it is getting a more accurate picture of what’s going on across your farm, using various sources of data to support management decisions. For tree fruit growers, …
They’re Drones Jim, but not as we know them..
Drone technology has come a long way since we started Outfield back in 2016. Back then, Outfield’s first drone was built on my dining room table from parts ordered from eBay. Today, the range, battery life, camera resolution, and obstacle …
Baboons, Penguins and Apple Counting
The start of 2022 has been a busy time for Outfield across the company. The Operations Team in particular were busy with a trip to Cape Town in South Africa, and the whole team travelled out to work with fruit …
The Direction of Agritech Part 3 – Technology, Data, and the Future of Agriculture
This Article is the final part of a 3 part series looking at the trends in global agriculture. Click here to find Parts 1 and 2. As we’re reaching the limits of what can be achieved with current farming methods, …
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The direction of Agritech Part 2 – The Fourth Agricultural Revolution
The Direction of Agritech Part 2 – The 4th Agricultural Revolution This Article is part of a 3 part series looking at the trends in global agriculture. Click here to read Part 1. As the demand on food production increases …
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The Direction of Agritech Part 1 – Agricultural Revolutions
In the days of early man, every person foraged and hunted enough to feed themselves. Although we worked together and shared, it took 10 humans to feed 10 humans. Around 12,000 years ago, man first began cultivating crops – selecting …
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Connected Places Catapult Webinar
In December Outfield were invited to present at a webinar hosted by the UK government’s Connected Places Catapult. The topic of the webinar was Drone Technology and Artificial Intelligence: Utilisation for High value Crops – which is exactly what we …
Mixing drones and hail nets
Driving past an apple orchard today, you would be forgiven for wondering why many seem to be hidden under a canopy of fabric – and the answer is hail netting! It’s increasingly more common to find growers in many parts …
Outfield Team Meetup
The Outfield team are no strangers to remote working; it’s actually a real strength of ours and something we will always both celebrate and champion! We’ve been able to hire the best people for the position regardless of where they …
So…Why Drones?
Outfield’s first drone was hand built on my dining room table. It had a 10 minute flight time and carried a fixed 12 megapixel Canon point-and-shoot camera pointing directly downwards. We affectionately named it “Droney McDroneface”. The first time I …
Announcing the Outfield Web App
It’s been a busy few months for us leading us to our official launch of the Outfield web app! This February, we began testing our new web app with early users. Their feedback was fantastic, and we are now excited …
Christmas Baubles
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas! While these baubles may look like Christmas ornaments that we’ve hung on an apple tree, they are not for decking the halls. These highly technical instruments (well ok, painted polystyrene spheres) are …
Outfield in Australia – Part 2
In February, Jim left the Cambridge winter behind and joined an exclusive 11-day trip to Australia with the EEN’s Global Business Innovation Programme (GBIP). Here’s how he got on. Unlike anywhere else I’ve heard of, Australia produces 97% of the …
Outfield in Australia – Part 1
In February, Jim left the Cambridge winter behind and joined an exclusive 11-day trip to Australia with the EEN’s Global Business Innovation Programme (GBIP). Here’s how he got on. GBIP invited 12 UK agri-tech companies to explore the farming industry …
Fruit Logistica
In February Jim and Oli flew to Berlin to check out Fruit Logistica 2020. It’s Europe’s biggest fruit industry convention, and every sector imaginable of the fresh produce business is represented there. Jim and I arrived in Berlin close to …
Food Waste in Apple Orchards
Food waste – it’s a phrase that leaves a bad taste in the mouth. As food waste is a recurring problem in apple production, what can we do to reduce it? The problem of food waste in UK apple orchards …
Outfield in South Africa – Part 2
In October Oli undertook a two week trip to South Africa to survey apple orchards during blossom, in support of Innovate UK project number 104610. Here’s how he got on. I began my surveying in Ceres and the Koue Bokkeveld, …
Outfield in South Africa – Part 1
In October Oli undertook a two week trip to South Africa to survey apple orchards during blossom, in support of Innovate UK project number 104610. Here’s how he got on. From Cape Town International Airport it’s a 30 minute drive …