Last month, I was able to spend a few days strolling through the National Farm Machinery Show and all it had to offer. The best way to describe the show is as a combination of Christmas and the county fair for producers. Christmas because there is a long list of wants displayed at this show for farms of every size, and the county fair because there is a buzz of excitement from both the exhibitors and attendees.
While I summarized a few specific things that caught my eye on page 10, one session stuck with me while I roamed the trade show floor. The session was presented by Farm Progress and gave an overview of "Ten things in the future of agriculture technology." Over the course of the hour, several hot topics were discussed, including what expectations for repair from equipment dealers, software that will become the new normal and challenges we must overcome in legislation. In the end, the three words Farm Progress used to predict what would come in the next decade came down to “automation, autonomy and anonymity.” It was an insightful presentation that left me with me with several ideas to consider.
While the speaker used those three words to predict the evolution of technology in agriculture, I couldn’t help but wonder what three words my son will use to describe the evolution of technology agriculture is undergoing. Will he learn to drive a tractor in a decade? Or will his driving be positioning it in the correct field and letting the GPS system take it from there? Will he need to ride in the cab in two decades? Or will he be able to stand between two fields and control two autonomous machines on each side of him?
Our industry has a great chance to move forward, and the equipment companies are striving for efficiency for the betterment of the producer and the consumer. The technology is coming, but will we be ready to embrace it? Are we raising the next generation to be considering efficiency as the most important variable in our operations? What can we be doing to make sure this new technology is cost-effective and manageable for our farms?
Looking at the difference between a groundbreaking piece of equipment 20 years ago and now shows there is no telling what the norm will be in another 20 years. If the excitement from a large equipment show is any indication, producers are here and ready for it.
Were you at the show? What excited you most from this one or any farm show you attended over the winter? As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts.
