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Over the past 50 years, the job description of the farmer has changed dramatically. Farms are much bigger, there’s less manual labor, livestock is typically raised indoors, and farmers are able to cater to many different types of animals. Today’s plants grow bigger, fuller, and healthier due to tweaks and enhancements uncovered by the growth of technology.
Old McDonald’s Farm is much more elaborate today, thanks to the enhancements of technology in the field of agriculture. Take a quick peek at just a few of the most influential changes technology has made on modern farming, and consider what the industry may look like in another 50 years.
Agricultural Drone Package
When drones were first introduced to the agriculture industry, farmers were a bit hesitant to invest in the technology. Flying the drone, collecting the data, and stitching the whole thing together seemed a bit too difficult.
AeroVironment’s Agricultural Drone Package makes handling the many facets of drone technology simple and seamless. Quantix will initiate and fly the drone in an automated pattern, while the AeroVironment Decision Support System helps farmers to apply the information the drone uncovers.
Watson Decision Platform
IBM brought their Watson to the farmer’s table with their decision-making platform. The Watson Decision Platform for Agriculture works by gathering an array of data surrounding a particular plot of land and putting it all together for the most intelligent course of action.
Weather forecasts, soil conditions, evapotranspiration rates, and other data are all put together to derive the best-suited course of action for the year’s crops. The work farmers used to do on their own over a course of several years can be done instantly by Watson’s Decision Platform.
Digital Irrigation Control
Technology brings added success to farming irrigation procedures as well. Irrigation was one of the first pieces of agriculture to be impacted by tech, so you’ll find the most effective gadgets in this arena.
Irrigation is now a fine-tuned machine for farmers. From the convenience of a smartphone, you can set the timing, duration, and location of the water on the farm.
Autonomous and electric machines
It sounds a little alarming to consider the concept of farm machinery running unmanned around the farm, but the practical application is much safer than you may imagine. Autonomous farming equipment means higher production, and farming operations can work with fewer hands.
Crop genetics and pest management
Modern farmers breed their crops just as particularly as they breed their livestock. Improving plant genetics isn’t new, but the technology surrounding the science has drastically improved over the years. Farmers are now able to breed plants which are immune to certain illnesses and infestations to assure a full harvest.