READY, TECH , GROW
It all but removes the need for human staffing,
which can be good or bad depending on how
you look at it. One of the core resources of
automation is a vast network of sensors.
Crop, air, and soil sensors are expected to
be the backbone of future automated farming.
While sensors are currently able to determine
basics like pH, the sensors of tomorrow will
be able to do much more than that. Soil and
crop sensors will not only be able to read
nutrient levels and EC, they will be able to
perform more detailed analysis using infrared,
electromagnetic, and acoustic means. Having
more data can save crop growers time and
money by allowing them to break from strict
feed schedules to take a more as-needed
approach. Equipment sensors will also be
used to relay information from smart
technology to a central
control unit in order to warn
of potential machinery
failures or malfunctions.
Just about any metric that
can be measured will
have a sensor constantly
communicating with a
centrally controlled artificial
intelligence system.
56
Maximum Yield USA  |  January 2017
“
Currently, drones are being
used on farms not only for surveillance, but application as well.“