Partly cloudy. High near 45F. Winds light and variable..
Cloudy this evening with showers after midnight. Low 32F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 70%.
Updated: March 29, 2022 @ 2:54 pm
Agricultural businesses can explore various ways to gradually and seamlessly make technology part of their operations.
Agricultural businesses can explore various ways to gradually and seamlessly make technology part of their operations.
The agricultural industry long has been a vital part of society, providing foods for billions of people across the globe. Farming can be a challenging profession, and farmers routinely find creative solutions to overcome obstacles to effective production. Thanks to technology, finding solutions has become that much easier.
Yet not every farmer who is set in his or her ways is ready to welcome changes that incorporate technology right away. In fact, reluctance to turn over operations in some part to artificial intelligence or smart technologies could be due in part to farming being such a nuanced skill and the role intuition plays in the growth of crops. The following are some ways for seasoned and novice farmers to seamlessly incorporate technology into their operations.
Start with peripheral tech
Farmers can begin implementing technology that does not directly relate to farming operations. Examples include switching to efficient and intuitive accounting and payroll systems to save time. If a farm also includes a retail enterprise, such as a farmers market, upgrading point-of-sale technology, like credit card readers or e-commerce websites for new revenue potential, can be good a good starting point.
Assess operation weaknesses
Figure out where the business is lacking and could use some help. Perhaps you’re having difficulty maintaining adequate irrigation or plant nutrition is compromised due to soil deficits? Precision automation farming advancements that employ remote sensors can assess conditions and fine tune adjustments to alleviate these issues.
Get training
Novel technologies can increase crop yield and make for more efficient use of limited resources. However, people who may never have employed drones, IoT devices or soil sensors can expect a learning curve. Visiting a nearby farm operation to learn how they have implemented technology and gaining hands-on experience can be invaluable. In addition, request that a tech vendor provide thorough instruction on products to make it easier to seamlessly integrate new technology into an agriculture business.
Tap into workforce talent
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations says agriculture and food production accounts for 28 percent of the entire global workforce. There are more than 570 million smallholder farms worldwide. Technology can be utilized by agricultural businesses to zero in on intelligent and qualified employees who can take operations to the next level. Websites like Glassdoor, Indeed and ZipRecruiter remain helpful tools when looking for qualified job candidates. The internet is an essential employment resource, and farms can utilize it to acquire new hires.
Your comment has been submitted.
Reported
There was a problem reporting this.
Log In
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
News from around the State and World. What you need to know for today! Don’t Miss it!
Special offers from businesses around your area.
Sign up to get our statewide obits delivered to your inbox daily.
Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device.
Please disable your ad blocker, whitelist our site, or purchase a subscription
Sorry, an error occurred.
News from around the State and World. What you need to know for today! Don’t Miss it!
Find out what’s happening around the state with this weekly email alert sent every Thursday evening!
Sign up to get our statewide obits delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign up to receive our daily newsletter about all things business and politics in West Virginia.
Morgantown News Delivered Each Day!
Morgantown News Delivered to Your Inbox Each Week!
Special offers from businesses around your area.
Get the latest headlines on local WVU, College and High School sports!
Get latest breaking news from around the state when it happens.
Daily News, Sports and Events from The ET.
Sign up for the only WV Government and Business newsletter delivered each week!
This week’s most popular news from around the State. Don’t Miss it!
Daily News, Sports and Events for Marion County.
Weekly Fairmont news emailed every Thursday evening!
Daily News, Sports and Events for Garrett County and surrounding areas.
Find out what’s happening in Garrett County with this weekly email alert!
Daily News, Sports and Events for Preston County.
Weekly email alert sent every Thursday evening for Preston County!
Daily News, Sports and Events for Weston and Surrounding areas.
Weekly newsletter for Weston.
Sign up for local job offers sent to your inbox.
Sign up with
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Invalid password or account does not exist
Sign in with
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the e-mail address listed on your account.
Secure & Encrypted
Secure transaction. Cancel anytime.
Thank you.
Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
A receipt was sent to your email.
