Farming technologies for a commercial farm have changed the meaning, thinking, and types of farming. In the last two decades, innovative technology for modern farming has changed the face of agriculture throughout the whole world.
Everything, from social networks to cutting-edge technology like self-driving vehicles, Artificial Intelligence, farming, etc. is going digital. Thereby, modern agro-science provides a lot of innovative solutions for effective farming to produce more products for the increased population.
The specialized focus has always been placed by governmental and international bodies to achieve sustainability in agriculture.
Generating more sustainable farming practices requires we need to adopt more new technologies for the management of crops, controlling pests, quality control, integrated disease management, and, others.
The new technologies will allow for the current and future generations of farmers to grow without conciliatory the needs of the earth. From this thinking, we are going to discuss some of the farming technologies for a commercial farm in 2022 and beyond.
Table of Contents
Farming Technologies for A Commercial Farm
Here we will discuss the best 10 farming technologies for a commercial farm recently invented by many famous agrotech companies.
1. Farming Automation
Automation in farming, usually linked with ‘smart farming’, controls every factor of farming 24/7, is a technology that makes farms easier and more efficient by automating the production cycle of crops, livestock, and other agro-product. Modern technologies like robotics, drones, and computer vision software have entirely transformed the modern agro sector.
Harvest automation, autonomous tractors, seeding and weeding, and drones include major technologies utilized by farms. Automation technology used in agro-farms mainly addresses issues like global population, shortage of farm labor, and changing consumer preferences throughout time. Moreover, it is prefigured that the global market for commercial agricultural robots will rise to $10.1 billion by 2024.
2. Soil DNA Testing
Soil is the most important factor in farming. Soil DNA testing is one of the most vital farming technologies for a commercial farm. By DNA-identifying technology, farmers can test micro-biomes and other organic matter, which helps them analyze soil’s health status and take better care of their soil.
Farmers test the soil DNA to identify insects, nematodes, bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens present in a field, which predict and prevent crop damage. Moreover, soil DNA tests help us generate a multitude of data that can be used for soil health analysis and to decide on better crops. Therefore, this farming technology gives farmers more transparency about their farmland.
3. Precision Agriculture
Technologies developed by many agro-tech companies help farmers maximize production by controlling moisture levels, pest stress, soil conditions, and micro-climates using modern scientific technology.
The precision of agriculture also changes farmers to increase efficiency and manage costs. Moreover, according to Grand View Research, Inc., it is predicted that the precision agriculture market will reach about $ 44 billion by 2025.
4. Smart Sensors
Smart sensor is one of the most successful farming technologies for commercial farm across the globe. This applies to both soil and water. These sensors are long-lasting, unnoticeable, and comparatively inexpensive, even family farms are finding it low-priced to diffuse them throughout their farming land to get numerous benefits.
Modern remote sensors, satellites, and UAVs can gather information 24/7 hours over an entire farming field. They also can supervise plant health, the condition of the soil, the temperature of the surroundings, humidity in the air, etc.
Moreover, sensors attached to the drones can scan an agricultural field from the sky to detect dry patches and nutrient-deficient areas. Moreover, farmers can use smart Nano-sensor technologies to supervise the moisture levels of crops. These help farmers collect unexampled levels of data about their farmland for better farming.
5. Self-driving Tractors
Self-driving or automated vehicles are widely used in the modern farming sector. Self-driving equipment like automated tractors, and automated seeder providers are the solution for time shortage or insufficient labor. This modern farming equipment can work round the clock to bring higher crops within a reduced time.
With the Global Positioning System (GPS) geo-fences are activated to keep driverless farming vehicles like driverless tractors active and shut them off if automatically they drive off course. Therefore, with the right farming Self-driving equipment, farmers can scale operations from a few thousand acres to 10 thousand acres.
6. Laser Scarecrows
Up to 75% of crops within 48 hours of harvest can be destroyed by Pests like starlings, blackbirds, and crows which may cause a huge loss in revenue. The traditional scarecrows or propane cannons are not effective enough to combat the issue.
Hence, the University of Rhode Island invented laser scarecrows to keep these birds away. This innovation projects green laser lighting which is invisible to humans in the sun, but birds are sensitive to green color.
The automated guided lasers are fired across fields up to 600 feet and efficaciously startle birds to protect them from ruining crops. Moreover, they are comparatively less harmful to the environment as well as to human beings and not labor-intensive at all.
Many famous pest control companies have adopted this technology, and they are developing the technology. Also, they claim the device can prevent up to 90% of crop losses without doing any harm to the environment.
7. Nitrogen Modeling
Fertilizer use in agro-land is still by far the biggest concern for the farmers. But this revenue generator sector has changed by modern farming technology. Through proper soil-sensor use of nitrogen has been decreased. An improved nitrogen efficiency system has been introduced by using a single fertilizer application which pushes toward multiple in-season applications based on need.
8. Harvest Quality Vision – HQV
The Harvest Quality Vision (HQV) is one of the recent farming technologies for commercial farm innovations that make easier the harvesting process of crops. Generally, HQV technology uses computerized scanners to collect and define the quality and quantity of crops.
The artificial intelligence-biased software makes an alert whenever there are diseases, defects, and quantity shortages of crops. So, disciplinary measures can be taken in the harvesting process.
Moreover, HQV technology helps farmers to produce more and, consistent crop production at higher quality. Currently, this technology is available for modern apple grading and sorting in European countries. It also plans to roll out grading systems for other crop types.
9. Vertical Farming
Vertical Farming is comparatively old but, one of the most effective farming technology for modern farming throughout the world. This type of farming has already been introduced by the whole world.
The economic importance of vertical farming can’t be described in a word. Skyscrapers, used warehouses, or shipping containers are also used for vertical farming.
Modern skyscrapers are designed in highly populated cities with a vertical farming-friendly system. Controlled environment technology is used in vertical farming. As crops or gardening is grown vertically, the efficiency of water and land increases the production.
According to BBC research, the total market value of vertical farming will be $6.4bn by 2023. The good news is that many Govt. and NGOs are providing training in poor countries in the development of vertical farming.
10. Robotics
Probably there is no shortage of speculation among the common people on how robotics could positively impact the production of food and crops. The world is changing and people are divers from their occupation, so there is a shortage of labor in the farming sector.
High-value crops that require intensive labor to care for and harvest are now dependent on the robotics system.
Today, labor availability is a big concern within the commercial farming sector. Currently, robotics assistance in farming, planting, fertilizing, monitoring, and harvesting, is increasing in developed countries. The big farm usually uses a robotics system to produce more products efficiently and earn more.
11. Drones
Drones offer numerous benefits in farming. They enhance crop management by providing real-time aerial data for precision agriculture, helping farmers optimize irrigation, fertilization, and pest control.
Drones can quickly survey large fields, identify problem areas, and ensure even crop distribution. This boosts overall yields and reduces resource wastage. Furthermore, they improve farm safety by reducing the need for manual labor in hazardous conditions.
Drones also contribute to environmental sustainability by minimizing chemical usage and conserving resources. Overall, their use in farming increases efficiency, productivity, and sustainability, making them an invaluable tool for modern agriculture.
Conclusion
There are many other innovative systems deserving mentioning such as Nano-farming, Farm-Bot, Paper-pot Trans-planter, Fruit/Vegetable Moulds, Shrub Trimmer, Bee Vectoring, Mini-chromosome Technology, and Zero-gravity Plant Growing Technology (LYFE).
As a matter of fact, the investment in modern agriculture technology has seen accelerated growth of more than 40% to 50%. Agro-technology and innovations provide farmers with better governance over crop quality control, pest management, and even the optimization of their existing practices to achieve higher revenue using the same amount of land.
These new agro-technologies have the great possibility of taking productiveness and land stewardship to new heights. Moreover, technologies will enable farmers to make smart decisions about new investments. In 2022 and years to come, Agrotechnology will design better ways for farmers and landowners to understand their land and choose the right tools. Also, empowers better farmland stewardship.
