Farming and Agricultural Surveillance Cameras

Farming has always been a massive core component of society, so it is not surprising that every technological development has had some kind of impact on the industry. Until recently it has been largely limited to innovations in machinery where the focus was to increase productivity by reducing labor. Examples would include tractors to plow fields, pumps to milk cows, and combines to harvest crops. With so much happening on farms and fewer people operating them the access to information is more important than ever.

Today’s farmers are integrating weather and temperature sensing equipment with wireless surveillance cameras to stay abreast up to the second of all situations on the farm. Farmers need to monitor crops, dams, irrigation levels, livestock, heavy equipment, barns, and workshops. During foaling and calving season animals can be monitored from home, eliminating the need for frequent trips to the barn to check on them. Hidden mini cameras can be placed in remote areas where approach of thieves or poachers would be hard to detect otherwise, which is important when protecting high value stud animals. Cameras also allow employee productivity to be tracked and ensure that tasks are being completed up to standards.

A farm or acreage presents some unique security problems. Large open spaces with miles of border or fence to watch require utilization of many cameras, since thieves are not likely to enter and exit through the front entrance. These security cameras need to have a long and wide field of vision yet still provide a quality picture. This is why an automated system that can alert workers of trouble points instantaneously is most effective. One way of accomplishing this is to rig cameras up with infrared lasers which detect motion. When an intruder trips the motion sensor the camera begins recording and an alarm is sent out. Information can even be routed to a mobile phone, so there is no worry of missing an alert.

While information can be routed through land lines, this poses some problems. With so much movement of earth on a farm unless cables are buried deep enough breaks can occur. Overland cables are visible and can giveaway hidden camera locations to trespassers. Fixing or even locating a broken cable can be difficult. The drawback of wireless cameras is powering them. Most cameras operate at 12 volts, so a common car battery can be used, or alternatively solar panels. Batteries need to be checked regularly. Aside from being an obvious giveaway in a hidden camera situation, solar panels are prone to damage or theft. Vandal and weather proof cameras should be used at all locations.

Having all this information is great, but farming is a ‘git er done’ business. An automated security system can save farm operators and employees thousands of hours of labor per year enabling them to focus their work in the right areas at the right time.

About the Author: Mike Ward is the owner and operator of Protection Depot, a leading online provider of security cameras and wireless surveillance cameras. For more information about security cameras, please visit Protection Depot.