Innovative technology was in focus at the 2024 Ag Expo.
The annual event recently took place at the Lethbridge and District Exhibition Agri-food Hub and Trade Centre.
Senior advisor to the show operations, Dave Fiddler, said the expo provided an excellent opportunity for farmers and producers to network, showcase and buy new products and services.
He noted that growing technologies in the agriculture industry were on display.
At the expo opening, Fiddler stated, “You know, we all think of the red barns and the milk cows, grazing and green pastures [but] that’s not quite the image that agriculture truly is today. It’s very high-tech. There’s computers and auto-steer and autonomous equipment, so it’s changing.”
“People are using drones to check their crops; they’re not walking their crops so much anymore. Agriculture is evolving [and] this is where the latest and newest technology is put on display.”
FARMDROID
Mark Weber with Frontlink was one of the exhibitors at Ag Expo. The Ontario-based company imports equipment manufactured in Europe, including the FarmDroid out of Denmark.
Weber said, “It is the world’s first autonomous seeder and weeder. [It’s] 100 per cent solar powered, so no fuel, no chemicals and [it’s] 100 per cent autonomous, so it runs 24 hours a day in your field. It mechanically weeds everything for you.”
He noted that an autonomous solar-powered device like the FarmDroid is a big help in saving costs.
“The cost savings alone in not putting any fuel, not having to use the chemical and to know that you can place something in your field and know that it’s doing the job. If it has an issue, it’ll actually send you an email and you know that you have to go out and check on your robot. Otherwise, this is basically a Roomba for your field. It just goes back and forth all day, 24 hours a day.”
Weber added, “That’s one of our big problems in this society now is we’re burning so much fuel, we’re putting so many emissions into the air. This is kind of solving that issue right there.”
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