By MICHELE F. MIHALJEVICH

Indiana Correspondent

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — From data collection to autonomous vehicles to artificial intelligence, farmers should see a variety of new or improved technologies over the next several years.

The goal of many of these new or enhanced technologies is to improve efficiency, said Kim Rominger, executive vice president and CEO of the United Equipment Dealers Assoc. “The speed of change of technology just lends itself to agriculture,” he explained. “It’s faster, more productive.

“How many people can you feed on an acre of land today, versus years ago? We have less farmland than we ever have but we’re feeding more people than we ever have. The question is, how do we maximize efficiency?”

The driving forces behind creating new or improving on current technologies are customers and equipment manufacturers, said Curt Blades, senior vice president of agricultural services for the Assoc. of Equipment Manufacturers.

“No one asked Steve Jobs to make the iPhone,” he noted. “It took a little bit of vision to create that product. Once it was introduced, a lot of people improved upon it.”

In the next couple of years, most new technology will focus on refining and perfecting precision farming, such as “more and more precise placement of seeds, crop protection products and tillage,” Blades said. “If anything is going to be evolving, it will be a continued refinement and evolution of what’s in the works now.”

New technology will also include a continued importance placed on data. This may allow for a better prescription for the way crops are grown, and for traceability, he added.

Improvements in precision technology will allow for more accuracy with inputs, giving farmers better control over every aspect of production costs, said Crystal Van Pelt, Purdue University extension educator for agriculture and natural resources in Steuben County, Ind.

“That could lead to fewer trips across the field,” she pointed out. “The more you can do in one trip, the better. That can save on fuel and save the soil from compaction.”

Many pieces of farm equipment are just big computers these days, noted Rominger, also president and CEO of the Equipment Dealers Assoc. “Everything is so much more than what’s been in the past,” he said.

“The software programs that go with the machinery aid farmers in data collection. They can help with chemicals, seeding rates, the proper fertilizer mix. This can help evaluate the success or lack of success of certain rates. It’s kind of mind-boggling how much (information) the machinery collects.”

Rominger thinks autonomous vehicles could become more prevalent in agriculture over the next 5-10 years. “We’re not that far off from (them),” he said. “There are concerns, though, when you’re talking about turning loose a huge piece of machinery with no one (in the cab) operating it.”

The lack of broadband access in parts of rural America may hold back some of the new technology, including use of autonomous vehicles, he said.

Blades expects a push for autonomous vehicles over the next 3-5 years. “We’re not quite to where a farmer doesn’t need to be in the cab, but we’re not that far off,” he noted.

In addition, in the next five years or more, the industry could see the introduction of artificial intelligence into the production process, Blades said. “When a camera mounted to a piece of equipment can identify a weed or a crop, a farmer can use that to spot spray or spot till. The last two ideas together – autonomous driving vehicles and artificial intelligence – are pretty amazing.

“Marrying all these things together has the potential to lead to some fundamental shifts in how food is grown,” he said.

Equipment manufacturers and researchers are looking for ways to bring artificial intelligence into the process of harvesting some fruits and vegetables, he said. “Every agricultural engineer is trying to find ways to replicate that human touch with something that’s automated,” Blades pointed out. “If successful, that could lower costs for farmers and add some consistency.”

Equipment dealer repair technicians undergo mandatory training on new technology, Rominger said. There is also a need for more technicians.

“Most of our dealers are crying for young technicians. So much more of repair or fine tuning (of equipment) has to do with hooking up to a computer. We need young people. There’s a huge shortage in farm equipment, construction and the automobile industries.”

Drone technology has improved, allowing the devices to do more, Van Pelt said. “They can be used in crop scouting to get a bird’s eye view,” she explained. “They help in replanting and to pinpoint problems in a field. They’re becoming even more user-friendly.

“The cameras have become better. You can fly right above the crop and almost see every plant. Farmers can use drones to see how conservation practices play out on a piece of land.”

As a part of a cost-share program with Purdue, the Steuben County extension office will be getting a drone to help demonstrate the technology to farmers, Van Pelt said. The office is one of about 15 across the state that will get a drone.

Blades doesn’t see artificial intelligence and other technologies rendering farmers unnecessary. “Farming is a lifestyle as well as a business,” he said. “There’s enough variability in production that it will take a while for artificial intelligence to account for all that variability. But the farmer’s role is evolving. Farming is still very hard work, but it’s different hard work.

“Farmers have hope. They put a seed in the ground, nurture it and watch it grow. They love the land.”