By Kathleen Glass,
VP of Marketing,
AquaSpy

Nothing could be more inexcusable than the average farmer, his wife, and their children drudging from early morning until late at night.” – Henry Ford

Approximately 100 years ago, Henry Ford was captivated by the idea of a steam or gas-powered engine that would have the “pull” of several horses to make farm work easier and faster. Having grown up on a farm, he knew firsthand how hard farm work was.

From the 1910s through ‘20s, the birth of the tractor begat 160 competitors at the height of the “startup” boom, then by 1929, there were only 33 American farm tractor manufacturers left. Things ultimately sorted out to a handful of large global players as companies started to work together, and best practices, interoperability, and standards evolved. This insight into early market innovation and adoption gives us many parallels to what’s happening today in specialty crops: it’s much more challenging to harvest delicate fruits and vegetables in a similar manner as wheat, corn, and soybeans.

An automation boom Is just beginning now In the specialty crop world. Basically, specialty crops (aside from almonds) are where commodities were in the 1900s – relatively small farms with highly manual processes for planting, spraying, weeding and harvesting. And like the economic drivers after WWI, high fuel prices coupled with productivity and labor are challenges for today’s growers.

Smart Equipment by Crop Category

Over the next three to four years, the emergence of many types of smart equipment that enhance specialty crop farming predictability, profitability, and productivity will be driven by the confluence of multiple enabling technologies. In row crops, we’ll see full autonomy and increased precision in combines. Other types of smart equipment will bring efficiency and safety to growers and a variety of crops.

Specialty Crops

Smart equipment will leverage multiple technologies that are becoming reality, including artificial intelligence (AI), augmented reality (AR), robotics, computer vision, positioning, autonomy, sensors, edge computing, and more.

• We’ll see a variety of smart and/or autonomous “vehicles” for specialty crops that will use robotics and AI for performing distinct or a combined set of activities – for example, planters, weeders, sprayers, and pickers/harvesters.
• Sensors combined with AI and edge computing will gather real-time data from above and below ground, on the plant, and even on the crop (ex. Fruit or in the trunk or stalk), as well as measure water and nutrient availability and use, monitor for pests and diseases, predict maturity, etc.

Row Crops

Row crops have had assistance and increasing intelligence and precision in their equipment for decades – including machines to help with plowing, planting, spraying, and harvesting. The next phase of smart combines is full autonomy, where the combine does everything: it’s connected, smart, precise, and autonomous self-driving. For the first time, in 2023, tractors had the spotlight at the consumer technology show CES.

Today, there are several fully autonomous tractor projects in the works by several companies, with analysts predicting fully autonomous tractors by 2030.

All Crops

We are seeing smart equipment in many other areas on the farm as well.

• Drones with AI and robotics for scouting and precise application of pesticides, herbicides, and nutrients.
• Smart equipment and sensors will make farm-level digital twins attainable.
• Water/irrigation/nutrient sensors for all types of crops: below-ground and above-ground sensors will help growers of all types optimize water use, and better time or determine the need for nutrient applications.
• Farm safety for all growers will be improved with smart equipment focused on worker safety, including wearables, smart glasses, and AI monitors.
• Traceability and food safety will be increased through end-to-end supply chain monitoring using sensors, AI, blockchain, etc.

A century after the tractor jumpstarted our ability to mechanize in-field tasks, today’s engineers and technologists are building machines that create additional value for farmers and agribusinesses and unlock insights necessary to address a range of challenges.  •