The Future of Technology in Agriculture

Drones, sensors, driverless tractors, GPS and farm management are just a few of the biggest buzz words in agriculture today.  So, where are these new-age tools? To put it simply, they are still being developed. Technology is fast paced, but only as fast as people want to adopt that technology or are willing to invest in it.

When looking at how technology comes to public view and when it actually becomes reality, we look at what is called the Gartner Hype Cycle. The above graph is a visual representation of this cycle, and it has been adapted to include emerging technologies in the agriculture world (Leclerc, 2016). Right now, we are sitting at or just below the highest peak of Inflated Expectations. This means that everyone is seeing possibilities, and our eyes are sparkling with anticipation. However, the actual application of the technology isn’t going to be as high as we are expecting until Moore’s Law (the law that technology advancement will always increase at an exponential rate) has more time to allow the technology to catch up to our expectations.

In other words, we’re seeing a lot of exciting technology emerge, but it’s only in its first innings and iterations. Don’t get discouraged when we hit the Trough of Disillusionment. When the real innovation comes, we will see transformational technology being used daily. Explore, read, watch and possibly invest in these ag-tech startups. Be a part of the development in some way, so when we hit that Slope of Enlightenment, you have a competitive edge over everyone else that only waited for it to happen. Remember, agriculture is the oldest industry in the world, and we are just beginning to see advanced technology being used.

- Jacob Barnett, Marketing Analyst, Western Business Unit

References

Leclerc, R. (2016, July 5). The Next Phase For Agriculture Technology. Retrieved from Forbes.com: http://www.forbes.com/sites/robleclerc/2016/07/05/the-next-phase-for-agriculture-technology/4/#5f1dca9a219d