With the increasing technological advancements, nearly all industries are witnessing a great revolution in operations, machinery, and services. The agriculture sector couldn’t afford to be left behind as it has also embraced many technological developments to make work easier and better. Technology in farming promotes efficient and sustainable methods while helping farmers navigate various daily challenges.
So, let’s explore some farm technologies that have significantly changed the traditional way of things.
1. Barn Exhaust Fans
Leading the list of farm technologies are barn exhaust fans. Also known as barn fans or barn ventilation fans, they are devices employed to enhance air circulation within barns while getting rid of excess heat, foul odours, moisture, and displeasing air.
Traditionally, barns barely experienced enough ventilation until barn exhaust fans were invented decades ago. The barn exhaust fan technology has seen wide adoption by farmers worldwide, both in small and large-scale farming.
2. Farm Robotics
Robotics are everywhere, including on farms. While the main reason for adopting robotics in farming is to undertake human tasks when you’re occupied elsewhere, farmers can fit them into specific responsibilities such as irrigation, uprooting, picking and packing, or harvesting.
Robotics can also be used on heavy duties that would be strenuous for humans. Some robotic machinery might require human assistance, while others can work independently. Farming robotics can be programmed to do all human tasks, including monitoring crops and large-scale pruning.
3. Security Measures
Farms and related premises require as much security as other structures, as they also house valuable machinery, seedlings, animals, and more. Security measures add to the list of farm technologies, ensuring 24/7 surveillance of the structures and surrounding areas.
Even better, farmers can link these measures with their laptops and monitor them from a distance, relieving them from the burden of constantly staying close to the farm. Some ideal security measures for farms include CCTV surveillance cameras, perimeter wall sensors, motion sensors, and GPS tags.
4. Drone Farming
Drones, or Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, work without a human pilot but are remotely controlled or designed to fly over different areas using pre-fed instructions and routes. This technology has gained massive popularity in farming. It can access complex sites on behalf of human farmers, assess various situations and respond accordingly. They can be used in livestock monitoring when the farmer is miles away or occupied in other activities.
Drones are also widely used in crop spraying as the traditional method involves intense human labour, spending many hours, and large machinery, which can be costly. Although adopting drones on your farm is relatively expensive, the outcomes are very cost-effective and impressive.
5. Weather Tracking
Thanks to technology, farmers can track the weather and make relevant decisions. However, the traditional meteorologists were still effective and delivered relatively accurate results. The current weather technologies are more reliable and can focus on a specific farming sector.
Even better, farmers can link different weather applications to their smartphones to enable them to study and analyze the weather at any time of the day. Different weather forecast and tracking services offered include detecting hail, rain, or frost and the duration of the current weather condition.
6. Laser Scarecrows
We could laugh at those traditional scarecrows, but they saved the farms from many predators, especially birds and squirrels. However, with the rising technological developments, experts have developed newer and better ways of keeping predators away using technology, such as laser scarecrows.
The technology goes beyond just keeping the birds and squirrels away, but also detects and scares human predators, probably seeking to rip where they didn’t show. The laser scarecrows are visible to humans during the day and can project close to 700 feet across the farm to scatter the enemy before they destroy the crops.
Benefits of Farm Technologies
Farm technologies have been embraced significantly across the globe due to their various benefits, including:
- Farm technologies have improved productivity in the industry as farmers can monitor the production process and achieve greater yields.
- Farm technologies have significantly reduced the need for human labour thanks to automation.
- With that, farmers can engage in other activities that require more human skills and understanding.
- Farm products acquired out of farm technologies are of desirable qualities and uniformity as farmers can control the entire production process and address defects before they occur in the end product.
- Farmers can make more informed decisions with farm technologies such as weather trackers and forecasters. They can also keep their data safe through cloud computing, enhancing farm management.
Drawbacks of Farm Technologies
Nothing goes without some adverse effects, even though they’re insignificant for farm technologies. For instance, farm technologies have led to a mass loss of job opportunities after many farmers have automated their production process, reducing the need for human labour. The technologies are also quite costly to adopt, which is a limiting factor for upcoming and developing farmers.
One must undertake a particular course to adopt and adequately benefit from the above farm technologies, making them more expensive. Lastly, farm technologies like weather trackers and cloud computing face cyber-insecurity and data privacy threats.
Technology has become normal in human life, and farming isn’t lagging. If you have been looking forward to embracing the move in your farm, you now have many farm technologies to look into. Technology in farming will hopefully become more intensified and affordable in the future.