Addressing Labor Challenges Through Automation

Tim Hammerich

News Reporter

Farmers are being squeezed between the scarcity of labor and the regulation of tools to try to do their job most efficiently. Some companies, like ag robotics maker Farmwise, think automation is the answer. Here is co-founder and CEO Sebastian Boyer.

Boyer… “The number of people willing and able to do manual tasks on the field is obviously shrinking. And that's a big concern for most of U.S. farmers today. Automation can play a big role in making every one of these workers much more productive. And that leads to more productivity in the field, but also better jobs and better wages for these workers.”

Boyer says a more automated farm will also enable more data collection which could lead to further efficiencies.

Boyer… “And a lot of that has to do with the ability for machines to capture data on crops. And we're actually at Farmwise, leveraging that technology to make every one of our machines not only automating the tasks that we're here to automate, but using that as a way to capture unique data about the crops. And that's becoming increasingly relevant for farmers. We can use that data to make better decisions at the strategic level, and at the field level.”

Farmwise offers automation technology to vegetable growers, mostly in the western U.S. Learn more at Farmwise.io.