There are revolutionary developments happening in the world of molecular biology that could soon make their way to the farm or field. That is, if society allows it. Chances are you've seen a headline containing the terms 'gene editing' or 'CRISPR' in the last year or two. It likely involved a scientist excited about how... Read More
Category: Technology
Today, Dr. Kevin Folta, chair of the Horticultural Sciences Department at the University of Florida, will be honoured with the Borlaug Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST) Communication Award. Folta was nominated by Dr. Norman Borlaug's own granddaughter, associate director of the Borlaug Institute, Julie Borlaug. This award is dedicated to the memory and... Read More
When it comes to potential "step changes" toward higher global crop yields, there are several areas where we could see major developments in the next decade or two, says the of the Saskatoon-based Global Institute for Food Security. The two big targets, as Maurice Moloney shared at the 2016 Agriculture Biosciences Innovation Conference in Fargo,... Read More
Virtual reality technology is making it possible to get a close look at a crop without having to set foot in the field. Someday you might not even have to leave the farmyard or office. Using a 360-degree camera mounted on a quadcopter drone and an off-the-shelf virtual reality headset to hold a smartphone, Matt... Read More
Back home from the US Farm Progress Show in Iowa, Bern Tobin and Kelvin Heppner take over the Kickin' Tires podcast for this episode to reflect on what they saw and heard at the massive farm equipment and technology trade show. With crowds exceeding 100,000 over three days, many companies use Farm Progress to launch... Read More
Numbers and data points mean very little if they can't be translated into information that helps cropping decisions. Software programs and services are necessary to take many sources of data and not just bring them all to one place, but also make sure the many layers of maps, data points, and images mesh. A new... Read More
A huge amount of field productivity variation is tied to what lies beneath. Underlying soil type, quality, health, and nutrient levels all play a role in what each acre can produce. Across even just one, acre, however, you may have two or more different soil types, varied organic matter levels and significant pH swings. Tyler... Read More
Chinese drone manufacturer DJI is introducing a spraying model to North America, as it foresees a day when farmers use swarms of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to control weeds, diseases and other pests. The Agras MG-1 is an octocopter capable of carrying 2.5 gallons and covering 7 to 10 acres per hour, explains DJI's Jan... Read More
The day when tractors drive themselves on farm fields across North America feels a little bit closer than it did yesterday. CNH Industrial — the parent company of Case IH and New Holland — became the first of the big tractor manufacturers to publicly unveil its own autonomous unit, lifting the veil on a cabless... Read More
Many farms have bought basic drones capable of taking high resolution pictures from the sky over the last year or two. For $2,000 or less, you can buy a decent quadcopter with a regular RGB colour camera. But the RGB camera is just the beginning when it comes to collecting data with a drone, explains... Read More