Jan
16
What are the most modern tools used in food production and agriculture?
Platonic Mage asked:
Like I know the common thing is to picture people driving tractors around and whatnot, but even that seems somewhat old school. Does anyone know of any techniques or tools that have only been incorporated into agriculture and food production within the last 10 years or so? I'd especially be interested in something that uses computers.
Like I know the common thing is to picture people driving tractors around and whatnot, but even that seems somewhat old school. Does anyone know of any techniques or tools that have only been incorporated into agriculture and food production within the last 10 years or so? I'd especially be interested in something that uses computers.
9 Comments
irradiated food
I went to Pepperidge farm and talked to Sarah Lee. That’s what happens here in the home! LOL
um well i live on a farm in foxfire North Carolina we just mostly machine to do the work computers are not useless cause we use them to calculate the weight of wat we have and keep a spreadsheet of our earnings and such so if u want somethings that’s the only thing we do and to let u no we own 230 acres of land and grow from soy to wheat to tobacco
GPS is used to map various soil types on large farms and then planting is done accordingly to make sure crops which are most likely to produce highest yields are planted on soils which are most suitable for these crops.
Farmers using gps on their tractors. The gps systems are mounted on the tractor and they tell how much fertilize to use on what parts of the field. Also cowboys use handheld computers to categorize cows in a feedlot.
Some people are using implanted chips to track individual animals, the same kind your vet can implant in your pet. Combines have gps harvest monitors that calculate the crop yield for a given area, often times 5′X5′. This info is inputted into a computer which will make a map of the field showing yield variations. This info can be used in conjunction with the gps info on the field so that fertilizer, herbicides and seed rates can be tailored to that individual part of the field. Rather than using the shotgun effect, this is more like using a rifle to deliver the necessary inputs in the correct amounts to the areas that need it.
Other pieces of machinery such as balers use computer processors to control the functions of the machine. On the down side, if a tiny chip goes haywire, the machine is totally inoperable until repaired (always expensive!). You can’t even kick a bale out because that’s computer controlled as well. Electronics are used for engine management (i.e. control power output and fuel consumption), transmission control and hydraulic control.
GPS – It can be used to map soil types, determine the yield in different areas of the field, apply fertilizer only where needed (based on those needs) as others have already mentioned in their answers. Some equipment is even guided by the GPS so turns are perfect (no overlapping of spray, etc).
GMO’s – Genetically Modified Organisms. Genetically modified crops such as Round-Up Ready Soybeans and BT corn have had a huge impact on many farm operations.
Some of the most technologically advanced equipment in agriculture is used in produce processing centers to sort, clean, process into different products and package. If you go to a processing facility for something like carrots, it is AMAZING what the equipment does (and it is computer intense). Grimmway Farms in Kern County, CA is a great example of use of state of the art technology to process their carrots. Truly amazing how they use technology to do it.
You can try to, good idea