As tractors and combines traverse the fields, the agricultural sector faces difficult times due to low prices, a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic that affected restaurants, hotels and other large food buyers.
Some farmers have opted for a high-tech solution to improve yields and reduce costs. For example, the combines introduced this year by Deere & Co. include high-resolution cameras and sensors linked to A.I. software.
The system monitors grain as it is harvested and adjusts dozens of settings on the combine in real time to maximize the amount of grain that is cut from each stalk and minimize waste. An X-9, as the new machine is called, can harvest a field 45% faster than older Deere equipment that lacks the automated system and uses 20% less fuel.
escalating trade wars between the US and China, as well as declining demand. of their crops due to the pandemic. Widespread use of precision agriculture methods could reduce agricultural costs by $ 100 billion and save 180 billion cubic meters of water by 2030, according to a McKinsey study conducted for the World Economic Forum. Using data processing and A.I.
So far, the tech battle is largely between established agricultural giants like Bayer’s Deere and Monsanto, and startups backed by venture capital. Three years ago, Deere bought machine learning startup Blue River Technology for $ 305 million to accelerate its efforts.
But the tech giants are on the move. Microsoft, for example, has been increasingly moving toward agriculture and this summer established a wide-ranging partnership with the Land O’Lakes agricultural collective that covers data collection and analysis using Microsoft’s Azure cloud service. . . . .
However, technology may not be a panacea for the struggling agricultural sector. Some areas that were once promising, such as using robots to collect fruit or autonomous drones to monitor fields for droughts or pests, have not worked as quickly as expected. Technologies have not improved as fast as expected and are still expensive.
That hasn’t deterred Deere from adding a host of AI-powered features to fuel its push toward precision farming. In addition to smart harvesters, the company is also developing technology that uses cameras to inspect individual plants and weeds in a field to modulate the amount of fertilizer and pesticides applied as needed. Called “See & Spray,” the feature should arrive next year and could reduce herbicide use by 40-50% in some applications, analysts at Morgan Stanley said in a report earlier this year.
So far, Bowery has built three large farms and focused on producing leafy greens and fresh herbs for grocery chains such as Whole Foods and Stop & Shop. Each farm serves only its local area, ensuring product stays fresh and minimizing the cost and environmental impact of shipping long distances.
But the plan is to expand into all kinds of products, from tomatoes and peppers to berries and potatoes, and build indoor farms around the world. However, it is not economically viable for mass crops such as corn or soybeans.
