5 Ag Tech Trends to Watch in 2021
Optimism is a powerful force in agriculture, writes Paul Schrimpf at CropLife. And thanks to a strong 2020 cropping season, solid grain demand from trading partners over the winter and spring, and a pandemic that appears to be receding nationwide, a long-overdue sense of positivity about the future has lifted a stubborn cloud of doubt and hesitancy that’s held back investment in technology innovation.
As CropLife magazine continues work in the inaugural Tech Hub LIVE Conference and Expo coming up this July in Des Moines, IA, we’re keeping track of the technology trends, products, and companies making moves that will impact retail business through the 2021 season and beyond. In this feature we will touch on some of the key storylines we’re watching through the spring and summer.
In-Season Technology Will Continue to Dominate
Precision technology’s first real downturn in the early 2000s was born of frustration with the difficultly service providers had delivering consistent value. The recovery was driven by the combination of higher accuracy GPS systems and a blockbuster technology called assisted steering. The desire for a more immediate and tangible return on investment through improved efficiency, speed, accuracy, and user comfort put the steering systems on the fast track to adoption.
In-season drone application is expected to gain momentum through the 2021 growing season.
In 2021, the desire of farmers to gain a rapidly evident return on investment through technology that provides actionable, accurate in-season decision making possible will continue to gain steam. Outside investments in soil and atmospheric sensors, imagery in all its forms, weather monitoring, irrigation control, and more are providing the foundational data streams that will allow retailers and their partners to deliver on the in-season promise. Deep-dive, in-season data collection and aggregation systems like Flurosat and Taranis should continue to gain momentum, and help retail deliver more accurate, high-value crop management recommendations.
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Also set to make substantial headway is in-season drone application. The system Rantizo is running should continue to gain momentum through the 2021 season, expanding the availability of fully targeted pesticide and fertilizer application via an unmanned aerial system.
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