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Farming is high tech. Tractors drive themselves (what google is only now doing with cars). The tractor, the planter, everything is gps and sensor based. You
by pragmatic 15y ago
Farming is high tech. Tractors drive themselves (what google is only now doing with cars).
The tractor, the planter, everything is gps and sensor based. You can tell how much seed is coming out at each planter point (can't remember the term for this). Each one needs to be calibrated. Also they shut off if you cross over a planted area so you don't waste seed, fertilizer, etc.
Farmers aren't waiting for you to come along and "get tech involved". They've (the smart succesful ones) always have the latest tech. From satelite internet (way back when) to spreadsheets to highly sophisticated computerized machines.
Inputs (fuel, seed, fertilizer) are ridiculously expensive (b/c our dollar is worth less and less and the fed prints money like toilet paper) and at least fuel and fertilizer have many foreign components. So automation and gps, etc can be really cost savers (also better for the environment, incidentally)
- dagw 15y agoYup, a friend of mine works for a company that develops software used by farmers (among other things). He says that all the farmers he meets are surprisingly tech savvy and always on top of the latest computer and tech trends.
- defrost 15y agoIn Western Australia the "Shear Magic" sheep shearing robot was developed during the early eighties - a working robot that dealt in real time with shearing a live sheep. Elsewhere, the state of the art was spray painting a regular shaped car on an assembly line. Various other bits of "cool tech" range from stump jumpers to laser optic wool classing.
- krschultz 15y agoI worked at a startup creating a device that would be useful for a lot of industries, but before the high-tech companies in silicon valley bought in, before the consulting companies in NYC were convinced, farmers tried it out and used it. It surprised me that you could convince farmers to try absolute bleeding edge technology, but they would. And they would at a faster rate than cell phone companies, consulting companies, manufacturing firms, etc.
- spitfire 15y agoAny links to farm tech/forums where you can find out about this stuff? I have zero interest in webapps/dotcoms, but an incredible interest in robotics/physical things.