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Originally published in the Illinois Field & Bean magazine

Innovation is changing the face of modern farming. In fact, ag technologies are accelerating at a mind-boggling pace, as a new generation of smart farming, sensors, big data, robotics and machine learning is on the horizon and poised to revamp the entire food chain.

While much of this transformative technology comes from established ag players, increasingly, smaller tech companies and nimble start-ups are entering the ag tech space. At the same time, big-name tech companies, including Microsoft, Accenture and SAP, are developing solutions to help farmers connect with data for smarter, more efficient decision-making across operations.

The trend is capturing interest from outside investors, such as AgFunder, an online investment marketplace that connects emerging ag tech companies to individual and institutional investors. As technology accelerates, the ISA checkoff program is working to connect growers with the best information, tools and resources to help farmers stay competitive.

“Venture capitalists and private equity groups are turning their sights on ag technology, helping bring more solutions to farmers more quickly than ever. ISA is engaging with these groups to help farmers understand and leverage exciting new developments to improve yields, boost profits and reduce our impact on our communities and our world,” says Craig Ratajczyk, ISA CEO.

Blue River’s See & Spray robot uses computer vision and machine learning to identify weeds within crop rows, and then sprays small amounts of herbicide directly targeted to the weeds. 

CLICK to continue reading on pages 12-13 of the July issue of Illinois Field & Bean magazine.