Bots and Data: My opinion on Technology in this new age of Ag

The Kowalchuks(1974)

   I've always been one to keep up with technology throughout my life. It started back when I was around 10 years old when I was able to set up the VCR and Betamax for my parents and could always get the TV to work and had no problem setting all the digital clocks in the house. My understanding of technology continued on in High school with computers and repairing electronics.

   This love of technology flowed right into my farming career. Beginning in the early 80's things really weren't that much different from when my dad had began farming in the 50's. Equipment had changed slightly but technology wasn't moving forward very quickly. Our Gleaner combine was more comfortable to operate but the machine itself had really no added tech from our 980 NH from the early 70's. I tried to update things back then by pulling the old AM radios out of most of the early equipment and adding at the least a cassette player. The biggest update for me during this time period from 1980-1990 were nicer cabs, radios and air conditioning :)

   Then the 90's hit and Seeding technology began to change for us on our farm. We purchased a Bourgault air seeder and after I installed the  149 controller and switch in the 835 Versatile my dad put his arms in the air and said "That's it, this is too high tech you will have to do all the seeding from now on" He was not very tech savvy not unlike many in his generation. In their defense they hadn't seen any real advancements in electronics and didn't need to adapt so this era was really the first major changes they had seen. They had pioneered new crops and varieties but technology was always secondary and that was about to change.

  The 90's for me was a transition period with my dad doing steadily less and me taking on a more active roll. It was the initial roll out of genetically engineered seed and the beginning of widespread use of glyphosate. I was going to farm shows and reading as much on farming as I could. Summer fallow became a thing of the past as we looked at ways of keeping as much moisture in the ground as possible. Advancements in weed control and seed technologies helped with this transition as well. By the late 90's our production per acre had increased dramatically and we had a broader crop rotation with the full time introduction of canola. Still technology was on the back burner through most of the 90's and advancements in communications (cell phone) and the addition of a truck and grain trailer were the most useful additions I saw.




    I don't remember the exact day in the early 2000's but I stopped in at our local farm dealership and they had this gizmo they were demoing called a light bar. It used a GPS signal for triangulation and then would guide you in a straight line. Instantly I knew where I could get good use of this. So I signed up to demo it and tried it out in my sprayer. Spraying was my most disliked job on the farm. It was always so stressful because I saw the inefficiencies and felt helpless. By the end of the day of using the light bar I had a bit of a headache from following the multi colored dots but I really felt I had done a better job. I saw such potential in this and immediately bought one. This technology advanced quite quickly to include auto steer and auto shut off and mapping. In a matter of 5 years we went from nothing all the way to as-applied mapping and auto steer. What an amazing advancement in farming in these times. Not only did it help with efficiencies but saved us money. The environmental  impact of less over application was clear as well and the ROI was undeniable.


   Now fast forward to today. Once again over the last 10 years we have seen advancements in capacity in equipment not unlike the 1970's and 1980's. Comfort has gotten better as cabs become more sound proof and the use of ergonomic controls. The introduction of tracks have helped many to maintain width specs and help with flotation but honestly the tech side has come to a standstill in my opinion. Equipment manufacturers have made things more complicated as they have increased capacity. We don't see the tech as it is buried deep inside the machinery we buy. Is this good? or is this technology for the sake of technology? I know there is reasons for these changes. Some are government regulated like pollution technology and the use of diesel exhaust fluid (DEF)  but honestly some of these changes seem to be done not to make our lives easier but more complicated.

  Recently a new revolution seems to be brewing, a data revolution. Many companies have jumped on the band wagon and are claiming to help us utilize all the data/information we are creating on our own farms. Yield data and equipment-use data along with comparisons to other producers could help us to increase productivity but at what cost? Is there an ROI or return on investment? The deeper we dig into these numbers and get to field by field or even acre by acre it does give us the opportunity to see how we can work on efficiencies and by comparing numbers to other producers maybe see where deficiencies are. But is this the huge next step in agriculture? Is this the thing that will breed the next round of innovation? I honestly don't know for sure but I do know that on its own it has some value but it's limited value on my farm so far.

  In my opinion a technology deficit has started to emerge in agriculture and by that I mean it's not keeping up with advancements in other industries. For years I felt that agriculture technology was leading the way with advancements but lately I no longer see it. I think companies need to address problems on the farm and not come up with solutions looking for a problem.

I asked myself the question:
What are some problems on the farm that I'd like to see technology address?

-How about the weather?
I'm not talking Drew Lerner long terms, he does a great job but the further you go out in the forecast it's bound to get more and more complicated. I'm talking short term or 2 week forecasts. These could greatly increase our productivity by allowing us to have trustworthy forecasts that we could base farming practices on. Very often I will make management decisions during harvest based on a flawed weather forecast. If my grain marketer had the same record I would have fired them years ago. But is a better short term forecast even possible? I would hope someone out there already has the answer or is working hard to get there!

-How about Variable rate applications of seed and fertilizer?
Many companies claim to know what they are doing but in my area rain is so variable and land is rolling so can they really give me the yields I want consistently while also saving me money? There is no doubt we over apply in some areas but which areas? Will my low areas this year be my best producers or be over saturated early causing plant loss and end up being my lowest yield. Which will it be this year?  I know I'll get lots of people thinking that if he tried my program he'd be hooked because we know what we're doing but I feel it isn't fool proof and more research and advancements need to occur before it's widely accepted so don't @me :). I know the reasoning behind it is sound as over application of fertilizer isn't sustainable economically or good for our environment and I am trying Variable Rate out on my farm as I do see value in it.

-How about autonomous equipment?
Automation is a hot topic that is being mentioned more and more with the introduction of DOT, an automated multi tool for the farm. It can seed, spray. roll, haul a grain cart plus many other applications. This is amazing technology and very well could be the future of agriculture throughout the world as less and less people want to be on the farm. Imagine if this takes over? Currently around 2% of the population of the world are farmers what will that number go to? Could eventually less than 1% of humans be involved in broad acre agriculture? Is this a good thing moving forward as we move further away from the personal aspect of food production. Another question, does automation have an immediate application on my farm like the light bar did? It definitely would help somewhat with productivity. Would it make me a better farmer though? Would it save me money? Is replacing humans the answer to better productivity? Will this clear the way for large automated farms of the future? Just like most technology this product raises many new questions for me and answers very few.

My expectations for the next big thing in agriculture may be too high? I also may be getting cynical in my old age not unlike my father. But I still hold out hope that someone is out there with an idea. It might be very simple or maybe very complex. Someone who looks at the potential in agriculture and wants to see us reach that.

Maybe it's someone who embraces technology but understands it is only valuable if it makes our lives easier, solves a problem or helps us to be more efficient in this lifestyle we've chosen.

I challenge the Ag technology and equipment industry to do better. Simplify where possible while still advancing where needed!

It's not rocket science...