By Natalina Sents, Digital Content Editor, Meredith Agrimedia
Walking the aisles of any of the
recent agriculture trade shows, it’s apparent: technology is changing
agriculture at a rapid pace. Farmers and ranchers are producing more with less than ever before. Growers now have real-time seed
and soil information at their
fingertips from the comfort of their
air-conditioned cabs. Sensors tell livestock farmers
that their animals are sick long before symptoms
can be seen by the human eye.
Technology has deep roots in
agriculture. Innovation has been helping farmers and ranchers raise better
food, feed, fuel, and fiber more efficiently for decades. Just think about the
dramatic improvements on family farms around the country when the John Deere Waterloo Boy first made its way to the countryside 100 years ago.
Since horse-drawn planters
revolutionized farming in the 1800s,
farmers have grown to cover up to 48 rows in a single pass.
As the world continues to change,
agriculture has led the early adoption of autonomous machines and advanced genetics. Farmers rely on Successful Farming to keep them up to
date as technology becomes available for their operations, and impacts the
markets they sell to.
So, technology has also
revolutionized the way we share stories with farmers. The Successful Farming magazine
is now 116 years old and still delivers the news and information farmers need
to be successful. But now, growers can get that information in their email
inbox, on their television, through radio, social media, and even the Alexa home device.
Agriculture will continue to
transform as the capabilities and the supportive infrastructure for technology
continues to advance. What will the future hold? It has been said, the best way
to predict the future is to create it.
