High Technology in Agriculture

High Tech for Maximum Precision 

“The only way to meet the challenges of the future is to bring technology to agriculture,” said Deanna Kovar, John Deere’s Chief Executive for Europe, in her keynote address at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas in January 2023. John Deere is a leading global manufacturer of farm machinery. Kovar highlighted the company’s latest smart technology – “See and Spray”– which can automatically identify weeds. The system that uses AI and high-speed cameras is installed directly in the boom for plant protection spraying. It scans the terrain during one pass over the field and calculates how much of the plant protection agent is required. As an alternative, the information can also be fed into an autonomous hoeing machine. With the help of highly accurate GPS controls, it hoes weeds out of the crop rows. This makes it possible for crops to be treated exceptionally early, substantially reducing herbicide use.

Smart Agriculture  

With high technology, farmers can maximize their yields, cut costs and reduce their consumption of resources. Innovations such as artificial intelligence, Big Data and precision farming are important drivers, as are robotics and predictive analysis. The market for smart agricultural technologies grew to about US$15 billion in 2022. It is expected that this figure will at least double by 2027. For more than two decades, a lively start up scene has been developing in the ag-tech field. Smart people all over the world are working on ways to make farming more efficient and sustainable, in fields ranging from monitoring tools and financial systems to renewable fertilizer. In her keynote speech, Kovar made it clear that John Deere is more than just a manufacturer of agricultural machinery – it is becoming a smart industrial company. “The leap forward is not just crucial for companies but for every farmer, the entire industry and future generations.”