Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Farms of the future.

Farmers might be some of the most old fashioned people around. Tricks of the trade are passed down from generation to generation  with no real variation from the norm. To stay competitive and try to optimize every harvest (and monitor livestock) the farmers of today are looking to technology for a competitive advantage. Precision agriculture has completely revolutionized how the farmers of today run their farms. Precision agriculture uses predictive analytics to allow farmers to see real time data pertaining to soil and air quality, weather conditions and even real time imaging of crops and livestock
What are the benefits? Well first and foremost it provides farmers with data on when and where to plant their crops to ensure an optimal harvest. It also allow farmers the ability to monitor livestock to avoid lost or stolen animals. The farms of the future are going to steer away from the tried and true turn to the shiny and new to  stay afloat in todays economy. What do you think will be the effects of these technological advances? What other advances do you think could advance the agricultural industry?
 
 
 

9 comments:

  1. I think the farmers will have more advantages if they use technology in agriculture. Machines help farmers reduce manual labor, help farmers to produce more products quickly and have products with better quality than before.

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    1. I agree. I think that it can only prove to be an asset when used properly. Working smart and efficient will allow farmers to produce a better product and make more money!!!

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  2. I think this is really useful. However, farmers should be knowledgeable about technology. In some developing countries where farmers are usually lacking of knowledge, it is hard to apply this.

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  3. I believe this will be a tremendous milestone in the farming industry, just like tractors were decades ago. This is a great time we are living in when we can use technology to find out where to place certain plants and their overall status as they grow inside of the ground.

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  4. It def is a milestone for the industry. Being able to apply technology to give you the best chance for a successful crop seems like a no brainer. It will be interesting to see where this goes and what might be next.

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  5. My point was going to be the same as Thuy's. Technology is only as useful as it's users. The reasons company's rarely upgrade their systems is because it's a hassle re-training everyone, especially those who don't want to learn anything new. Despite how great the improvements are, farmers who are as stubborn as mules aren't going to take advantage of them. Hopefully whomever invents the systems will have a good customer service department in place who can go out into the fields and teach hands-on how to use the equipment.

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  6. I think technology can greatly benefit farmers. You mentioned that it would help monitor livestock, which is very true. Although you probably on see it in the movies, people do steal cattle and or other animals. This could help with things like that, or even see where they are most of the time, maybe that piece of the land has better grass, who knows! I just think that technology can only help farmers instead of hindering anything.

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  7. Using technologies for farmers to keep track of their live stocks and when to grow their crops for the upcoming season is even better. It will save them money and time. Especially a lost Cow or horse can easily be located etc...

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    1. Being from a family that raises livestock and has thus had some that have gone astray I can attest to how great this technology is. All of our cows are fitted with microchips. This technology proved to be a life saver when some of our cows broke through the fence last year and were wondering in the woods that a adjacent to the pasture. Without those chips there is no telling if we would have ever been able to locate those cattle.

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