James C. Sulecki

A relatively newer term is making the rounds these days – “upskilling.” What does it mean? It’s essentially that as digital technologies like automation and artificial intelligence creep into every corner of the economy, everyone in the workplace hierarchy...

It’s not surprising that as ag tech matures and comes of age, attention turns increasingly to the human considerations.

It would seem to be a viticulturist’s dream: achieving relatively large-scale production of winegrapes while allowing for differentiated harvesting of two different grades of fruit. Russell Smithyman For Chateau Ste. Michelle, one of the largest wine producers...

Microsoft Research (MSR) has high hopes for digital farming. Microsoft Research's Kenneth Tran (second from left) led Team Sonoma, which won the first International Autonomous Greenhouse Challenge by successfully growing greenhouse cucumbers in the Netherlands for...

Winegrape production – with its relatively smaller tracts of highly manageable land and potentially monstrous returns on investment – is especially fertile ground for precision agriculture technology. Dr. Russell Smithyman, Director of Viticulture, Ste. Michelle Wine...

We in agriculture tend to talk about technology companies that don’t understand us and don’t really bother to invest the time and effort to do so. It’s nice every once in a while to talk about those that do....

It’s been called the longest running precision survey, compiled in the U.S. but seen around the world as a bellwether of what’s to come in ag technology in other parts of the world and dissected at events including the...

I previously posed the question: Why not just call precision agriculture “precision agriculture”? Mercifully the majority of you agree with me, if the poll that accompanied the post is any indication. At last count about 80% of poll participants said...

In a field that’s both 30-40 years old and also perpetually new, precision agriculture suppliers can range from the granddaddies of farm equipment to the latest startup in somebody’s garage. How can someone possibly get a handle on the emerging...

An inspirational keynote speaker can be to a conference what an apéritif is for a good meal: a great start to a rewarding experience. Which is why I'm pleased to announce that worldwide best-selling author and speaker Dr. Kevin...

Sometimes the collective precision agriculture sector seems like an insecure teenager who just can’t decide what nickname to go by. Site-specific farming? “Too old-fashioned.” Precision farming? “Isn’t that basically the same thing as site-specific farming?” Digital farming? “I don’t even know what...

It's easy to get lost in all the new technology on the market and lose the “signal” amid all the noise.

My revelatory moment came near the end of a keynote presentation at last summer’s International Conference of Precision Agriculture in Montreal, QC, Canada. The University of Montreal’s Prof. Yoshua Bengio, a global leader in deep learning research, had just concluded...

From left: Patrick Smith, B. T. Loftus Ranches Inc.; Danny Royer, Agriculture Executive Consultant; Dan Plath, Washington Fruit and Produce Co.; and Sean Gilbert of Gilbert Orchards participated in a “fireside chat” during the 2019...

Yellow Vest protesters interrupt a presentation by Thomas Engel of John Deere during the third annual International Forum of International Robotics (FIRA) in Toulouse, France. The unexpected presence of Yellow Vest (gilets jaunes) protestors at the...

The third International Forum of Agricultural Robotics (FIRA) in Toulouse, France offered an ideal venue for the robotics industry to showcase its latest technology — and prove its value. In a clear sign that agriculture’s continuing...

If you, like me, have been fortunate to witness what Land O’ Lakes CIO Mike Macrie has called the two great revolutions in agriculture since mechanization – biotechnology and now ag tech – you well know that confusion often...

If you’re here you likely have received a special Meister Media Worldwide code to get $100 off your registration to our inaugural Growing Innovations conference, Nov. 7-8 in Las Vegas  – but only if you register before Oct. 20. Maybe you...

The specialty crop market is wracked by unprecedented change: labor scarcity, water shortages, pressing demands for increased quality and transparency by food retailers and consumers, tightening profit margins, a need for greater logistical efficiency, and on and on. Which is...

More than two-dozen definitions of precision agriculture have been identified through the years -- but which is the best and most definitive? That question has been posed to the membership of the International Society of Precision Agriculture (ISPA). "We have...