I grew up on a cattle farm, in a time when the internet was not yet affecting farms in a major way. Much of the work was performed through physical labour, and efficiencies were created by either working smarter, or after having a good breakfast to give you some energy. Nowadays, farming is much different than I can remember growing up. Farming is much bigger, and technology is at the core of many of the efficiencies that led to large-scale farming.
When people think of farming, many people still picture a rough-looking individual in coveralls and boots, tossing grain to the chickens or pitching straw with a fork. However, the truth is that farms now incorporate as much technology as any other major businesses. I will introduce you to some of these technologies that you may not be aware of. What you will see, is that the internet plays a larger role in modern farming than you may have imagined.
Remote control:
Farmers have cameras set up in barns to monitor livestock from any place at any time. This allows farmers to be in multiple places at once, saving time and energy. The farmer can view the input from a camera on their phone, and can also remotely control many of the cameras, to get a 360 view, or zoom-in to a particular focus. Farmers can also remotely check monitors on fuel pumps to determine inventory or levels on equipment. There is the ability to remotely turn on equipment at any time, such as milking robots in dairy barns. Other uses include controlling water pumps, turning on electric fences, or automatic gate control.
GPS:
It seems futuristic to think of vehicles driving themselves, but did you know that this currently is taking place on farms? There exists GPS guided tractors that can drive themselves, either supervised or unsupervised. This type of technology has been on the market in the agriculture industry for several years now. Farmers also make use of GPS for precision tilling, planting, spraying and harvesting. This technology use saves on many of the input costs, and can save a farmer a significant amount of money when used over a large area.
Bio-monitoring:
There are devices that can be used to track temperature, heart rate, breathing and movement on livestock. These can be used to monitor health, and to provide early warning of any decline in the animal’s condition. This can also be linked to appropriate climate and feed adjustments for animals, that can be turned on automatically or remotely. Many dairy barns currently have feed systems that are individualized for each cow, whereby a sensor worn by the animal is used to control rations when the animal accesses the feeding area. Each cow will have a pre-determined amount of nutritional needs, and a senor will release a portion of food as necessary.
Inventory Orders:
With such a large amount of inputs and inventory needed on a large-scale farm, technology has allowed for farmers to manage this more efficiently. There are connected sensors on inputs such as fuel, feed, or other products that can constantly keep up-to-date data, which can be accessed from a smartphone. Additionally, farmers can set up systems whereby when inventory drops below a prescribed level, an automatic order can be placed.
For me, I find the use of technology very interesting. As I learn more, I keep looking for efficiencies that I can introduce to my own farm. However, many of these technologies can be quite pricey to set up initially, and require a large enough farm to justify their use. With time, much of these technologies are getting refined, becoming more user-friendly, as well as becoming more affordable. It is fascinating to see how the internet of things has revolutionized farming over the past two decades of which I can remember.
For more information on this topic, and implications of the internet for agriculture, check out the following websites:
https://www.fcc-fac.ca/en/knowledge/the-internet-of-things-implications-for-agriculture.html
https://www.luda.farm/support/the-internet-of-farms/
https://www.networkworld.com/article/3071340/john-deere-is-plowing-iot-into-its-farm-equipment.html
Hi Dan, I love the connection between technology/the internet and farming. Much like you, I grew up on a farm many moons ago when farming was much different. I remember one of our first big technologies was something called a DTN (Data Transmission Network) which supplied my dad with all sorts of things like weather and grain prices. This was replaced by the internet years later, but at the time it seemed like the bees knees. The biggest thing that made my life easier since I tended to do the harrowing was the introduction of auto steer. Boy did that make things easier! I used to take books into the tractor with me since I then had so much time on my hands! All jokes aside, these technologies have made farmers live much easier and much more productive, which is important when it's your livelihood.
ReplyDeleteThank you Dan for your interesting post! I do not know anything about farming, and it is impressive to see how the Internet is used in this field and had changed things in the last 20 years. I think it is cool to be able to do many things from a smartphone. Technology, without a doubt, makes farming easier. But I am wondering, with the slow rural Internet, all this technology could be used effectively?
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