PENNSYLVANIA, USA — Technology is changing the world we live in every day, and that includes the agriculture industry.
“[There are] technologies that can identify weeds individually and spray just the weed that needs to be removed and not the rest of the field," said Andy Bater, a state board member of the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau and chairman of the American Farm Bureau Federation's Technology Issue Advisory Committee.
It’s just one example of how artificial intelligence is helping farmers be more productive.
“Also with cost, with operations, you have to pay people so if you can replace that with technology that’s just another benefit," said Bailey Fisher, federal affairs specialist for the Pennsylvania Farm Bureau
It’s critical at a time when the agriculture field is dealing with the same thing as many other industries—labor shortages.
“Many of our farmers actually are working jobs off the farm to support the farm so when they can have technology do the work for them, that helps them from a lifestyle improvement perspective," explained Bater.
Fisher adds that technology has also become a recruiting tool for the industry, which is pushing younger generations to take on the jobs.
“It may seem a little boring or outdated at times, the ag industry, but if you add that technology with the drones and the apps, that’s how you get the young people involved," she said.
Still, Bater explains that several hurdles remain. One of the biggest is the lack of strong broadband access in rural farming communities.
“These tools all need broadband access both for control and monitoring," he said. "An autonomous tractor needs to report back in if it were to come across an obstacle on the farm. Without some way of connecting to the farmer at a distant location, that autonomous tractor is going to be stuck until the farmer drives over and restarts that tractor. That's a real challenge."
He said there is also a big need for better data security.
“No one wants to have their farming operation shut down in the middle of planting or harvesting season because of some hacker," said Bater.
Bater and Fisher both say there’s a lot of promise and believe technology will only continue to improve agriculture.
“It’s going to fundamentally change our life going forward," added Bater.
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