Interest in farm technology investment is rising, but farmers still want stronger evidence before committing scarce capital.
A survey of 151 farmers in Tesco's UK supply chain found that 58% had introduced an innovation during the previous year, up from 46% in its 2025 survey. At the same time, 76% described bringing new technology onto farms as challenging or very challenging. Nearly half-48%-wanted subsidised opportunities to trial systems before buying.
Those figures were released with the winners of Tesco's 2026 Agri-tech Challenge. AgroSustain won the early-stage category with a crop coating, while Aberdeenshire-based Herd Advance won the later-stage category with a cattle monitoring and drafting system.
The survey is useful but should not be treated as a census of British farming. It covered Tesco suppliers who responded online or at agricultural shows between 27 July and 21 August. It shows the views of that group, not every farm type or size.
The wider barrier is nevertheless familiar. In a written answer on 4 September, Defra recognised that small and medium-sized farms can face high upfront costs, limited access to finance, skills requirements, uncertain returns, connectivity constraints and integration problems.
The practical response is not to avoid innovation. It is to make every trial answer a commercial question before the sales demonstration becomes a purchasing decision.
1. Start with one measurable problem
Do not begin with the product. Begin with the problem it must solve.
Define the current baseline in terms that can be measured: labour hours per week, fuel per hectare, missed heats, treatment delays, crop loss, machine downtime, rejected loads or time spent entering the same data twice. Record the period, field or livestock group and the people involved.
Then set a target. “Improve efficiency” is too vague. “Reduce drafting labour by four hours a week without increasing handling risk” or “identify water-system faults within two hours” gives the trial something to prove.
If the supplier cannot explain how its system affects that measure, it may be interesting technology without being the right investment.
2. Trial it in the real job
A show demonstration controls the variables. A farm trial exposes them.
Test the system through the conditions that matter: weak mobile coverage, dust, rain, gloves, night work, different operators, older machinery and busy periods. One field or season may not capture variable soil, disease, weather or livestock routines.
Agree the trial length, responsibilities, training, consumables, insurance, data use and removal costs in writing. State what happens if the equipment fails or the trial ends early.
Keep a sensible comparison: an untreated area, existing process, matched group or before-and-after baseline. Without one, a good week can be mistaken for a proven result.
3. Calculate the whole-life cost
The purchase price is only the first line.
Include installation, connectivity, subscriptions, replacement sensors, training, integration, finance, support, calibration, consumables and disposal. Ask what happens after introductory pricing and whether features can move into a higher tier.
Model at least three cases: expected, disappointing and strong. Use realistic utilisation rather than the maximum in the brochure. If the payback depends on perfect adoption, uninterrupted connectivity and no downtime, it is fragile.
4. Test data, connectivity and integration
Many systems are sold as hardware but live or fail as data services.
Ask who owns the raw data, processed data and benchmarks. Confirm where it is stored, who can access it and whether the supplier uses it to train models or compare farms. The contract should explain retention, security, breach notification and deletion.
Test what works offline and how information synchronises later. Check whether data can be exported in a usable format and moved to another supplier. If an application must exchange information with herd, crop, accounts, telematics or assurance software, demonstrate that integration using your actual systems before purchase.
5. Verify support and business continuity
Farm technology is operational equipment, even when it arrives as an app.
Record support hours, response targets, escalation contacts, spare-part availability and expected repair times. Ask how many trained technicians cover your area and what happens at weekends or during peak seasonal work. Confirm whether remote access is required for diagnosis and who authorises it.
Consider the supplier's resilience. What happens if it changes platform, withdraws a product or stops trading? Seek provisions for data export, replacement parts and subscription termination.
Create a fallback process before the trial. Staff should know how to work safely if the sensor, screen, network or automated function is unavailable. A technology that removes an old manual check may need a clearly documented emergency substitute.
6. Put safety and people into the acceptance test
Productivity gains do not excuse new risk.
Update the relevant risk assessment and involve the people who will use the technology. Check guarding, isolation, emergency stops, safe access, visibility, distraction, alarms, maintenance and interaction with existing machinery. Follow manufacturer instructions and obtain competent advice where the system changes a work process.
For in-cab equipment, mount screens and controls so they do not obstruct the driver's view, vehicle controls, safety equipment or access. Configure alerts to support rather than overload the operator. Training should cover normal use, limitations, fault states and when to stop relying on the system.
7. Agree the decision before the trial starts
Write the pass, revise and stop criteria in advance.
A pass might require a defined labour saving, reliable performance across specified conditions, acceptable data quality and no unresolved safety issue. A revise decision may justify a longer or narrower trial. A stop decision should apply when costs exceed the limit, integration fails or the benefit cannot be measured.
At the end, compare the evidence with the baseline. Record benefits, failures, operator feedback, hidden costs and the assumptions behind any projected return. Decide whether to buy, renegotiate, repeat or walk away.
Make innovation earn its place
The new survey does not show that every farm should spend more on technology. It shows that interest is growing while financial and practical barriers remain.
That makes a disciplined trial more valuable. A good trial is small enough to control, realistic enough to expose problems and measured well enough to support a decision. It tests the supplier as well as the product and leaves the farm with useful evidence even when the answer is no.
The best investment is not necessarily the newest machine, sensor or platform. It is the one that solves a defined problem, works in the farm's real conditions, fits the people and systems already there, and produces a return robust enough to survive a difficult season.
This article provides general business information and does not replace financial, legal, data-protection, safety or technical advice for a specific farm or system.
Sources
Tesco: 2026 Agri-tech Challenge winners announcement - 28 September 2026
FarmingUK: “Farm tech uptake grows but cost barriers still bite” - 29 September 2026
UK Parliament: barriers to agricultural robotics adoption - answered 4 September 2026
Tesco: 2026 Agri-tech Challenge launch and trial model - 18 May 2026
