Business
Send in the bots. Artificial intelligence is finding unbounded opportunity in agriculture. Aerial and ground drone combinations are hauling a host of possibility into all areas of farming.
What does it take to make a robot tractor? A batch of free software, some drone parts, a tablet computer, and one curious farmer to cobble the bits together. Matt Reimer’s remote control 7930 is proof in the dirt.
Will and Laura run Willow & Co., a well-oiled farming machine squeezing every drop of profit from a shrinking commodity barrel. Pennies and nickels are precious in an anemic market, and the duo adheres to a strict regimen of efficiency, diversification and adjustment. The overall machine is geared for present gain, but the parts are deeply rooted to the past.
Premium chicken litter quality is key for Mike McGregor, agriculture’s version of the consummate field general, and he commands his chicken litter operation with military precision. The results are evident in the flatlands of the southeast Arkansas Delta.
From an automatic gate entry to an airplane, this South Dakota farmer makes it all
Jared Schott is a maverick farmer at work in the wide open spaces of South Dakota and he’s in constant pursuit of like-minded producers.
Farmers over the age of 60 also see fatalities rise, says new report.
Nature or nurture, Brutlag, 29, is a prime example of agriculture’s new breed: A mix of dirt, metal, digital technology, marketing and analytics bound in one package. Simply, there are not many farmers with a diversification footprint to match Brutlag.
The latest and greatest technology isn’t always best
What does it take to make a robot tractor? A batch of free software, some drone parts, a tablet computer, and one curious farmer to cobble the bits together. Matt Reimer’s remote control 7930 is proof in the dirt.
A secret war is waged above farmland every night. In games of hide-and-seek between bats and crop pests, the bats always win, and the victories are worth billions of dollars to U.S. agriculture.
Think truffles are an agricultural sideshow? A billion dollars in demand says otherwise.
The evil twin of drought is drainage and both can cripple a crop in short time. When a river rises or a culvert backs up, water can sit on farmland for weeks and prevent planting and harvest, or simply kill crops mid-season. Time to saddle a Water Hog beast and pump directly through a levee.
Cooperation between agriculture and archaeology vital to preserve American Indian history
Invasive fire ants, six-legged devils barely an eighth of an inch long, are a scourge to farming and livestock production. Keep the granule bait close, and the Benadryl closer.
With record storage of 100 million barrels, propane production is on the rise and prices remain low, which is a distinct advantage for row crops farmers and poultry producers these days.
When city expansion nibbles around the edges of an operation with an inch to a mile appetite, erosion of landowner will is often the tacit intention. However, legacy and livelihood are a wedded pair for many producers.
Agriculture-archaeological relationships, once tainted by mutual suspicion, are protecting the past and allowing farmland to serve as a vast repository for history.
Lifelong cattle and turkey producers in southwest Missouri’s Newton County, Rick and Nathan Clymer have tapped into a heavy demand vein: inland shrimp farming.
A new tool in the fight against pests, diseases, weeds and drought
Rod Thomas knows the inherent dangers of agriculture aviation: unmarked towers, guy wires and bird strikes. Add UAVs to the list.
Early technology adoption gives profitable edge to Indiana grower
South Dakota farm boy Scott Anderson brought his Wall Street experience back to the family farm and used it to develop the Cash Cow Farmer program, which he designed for simplicity and utility.
Read about the latest upgrades and options in several irrigation systems.
Switching part of your acres to no-till is as simple as just parking the tillage tractor, right? Maybe not. Here are a few considerations before trying no-till for the first time.