AUGUST 2024 11 Whether one is interested in keeping up with the Jones’ or old McDonald, technology continues to advance in the world of agriculture. Yes, ag companies annually (mostly) come out with updates to their products—a seed that delivers better yields or resistances; vehicles with new automated functions. But rather than look at what Company XYZ has to offer for 2024, let’s instead look at some of the newer agricultural technologies that Canadian ag retailers and their farmer customers should be aware of. Just as an agricultural retailer needs to continually keep up-to-date about the latest products and ideas, so do your customers, as they want to know the best methodologies to enhance productivity, sustainability, and profitability. In this article, we will look at 16 cutting-edge innovations that have begun to reshape the landscape of Canadian agriculture. 1. Generative Artificial Intelligence (Gen AI) in AgTech 2. Digital Twins for Field Trials 3. Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) Systems 4. Cellular Agriculture and Lab- Grown Meat 5. Precision Livestock Farming 6. Vertical Farming and Controlled Environment Agriculture 7. Blockchain for Supply Chain Trans- parency 8. Anaerobic Digesters 9. Regenerative Agriculture 10. Agricultural Drones 11. Precision Agriculture and Big Data Analytics 12. Controlled Environment Agricul- ture (CEA) 13. Agricultural Biotechnology 14. Connectivity Technology 15. Synthetic Data and AI in R&D 16. Soil and Crop Health Monitoring Platforms Gen AI We did present a look at Gen AI in our previous issue of the CAAR Communicator, but its dominance in our ag sector for decades to come bears some repeating. First, note that Gen AI is not a computer-generated persona designed to talk to you. It is—for the ag community—a computer program that examines all of the data you can input into it to allow it to provide a specific course of action that the farmer should undertake next—next being the important word—to maximize their field’s potential or the welfare or potential of their animal farming business. It does not do anything other than map out the best strategy for you and your ag business moving forward. Gen AI has the potential—if the user lets it—to optimize farm business processes, reduce costs, and fuel innovations. If used by an agronomist, it allows them to distill vast amounts of agronomic data into actionable recommendations for farmers. Digital Twins for Field Trials Digital Twins are virtual representations of physical products or processes that are being used to reduce the need for expensive and time-consuming field trials. Researchers can experiment with synthetic data, accelerating product development. There is still the issue of being able to ensure an accurate representation of real-world conditions and being able to validate the synthetic data against actual field results. NEW AG TECHNOLOGIES TO BE AWARE OF An overview of 16 new technologies—some newer than others—and the role each plays or can play in the Canadian agricultural sector. Andrew Joseph, Editor TECHNOLOGIES TO WATCH This photo is generated by AI and is a representation of digital farming, digital networks, the Internet of Things, and AI in agriculture and farming. It’s a taste of one of the new agricultural technologies that will impact the industry moving forward. killykoon - stock.adobe.com
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