REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne
“The Intelligent Dairy Farmer’s Assistant,” called IDA, uses artificial intelligence to track cows’ tiniest movements through their collars in order to assess diet and movement and predict health issues. The farmers showed interested in IDA as they’re in a labor crunch from years of too few young people getting into farming and need all the help they can get.
Experts are increasingly interested in uses that improve value chains in agricultural food systems in low and middle-income countries. Because more people in these areas earn a living from agriculture, blockchain stands to alleviate poverty while improving food security prospects for everyone.
Agribusiness companies may be on the cusp of a buying spree in technology as climate change emerges as the biggest disrupting element for the business. Technological improvements from boosting crop yields to data-tracking systems will be required in coming decades as companies adapt to shifts in weather patterns. That may increasingly push agribusiness companies, especially grain handlers and input firms, into acquiring agritech startups.
The Shuler family has invested in robotic technology that milks their cows without human labor or intervention. The family can monitor the process on surveillance video from their smartphones and fix errors via text message. This will help workers stay on the farm by providing them with more freedom and time away from the demands of the industry.
South Dakota State University as the only school in the nation that offers a 4-year precision-ag degree will build a precision-ag facility that will be the only one of its kind. This will provide an opportunity for the university to build upon what it is already doing and lead the nation—and likely the world—in precision-ag research, development, and training, sparking advancements in technology and equipment.