The 'Smartification' of the Farm

Tim Hammerich

News Reporter

Over the past couple of decades, smart devices have made their way into most American homes. Many in agtech believe we will see this same “smartification” happen on the farm. Agtonomy CEO Tim Bucher says it will take time, but technology is converging to make this a reality.

Bucher… “As you recall, there was this term called the 'smart home' that came about, I don't know, 15, 20 years ago. I don't think there's any home now that doesn't have some kind of smartness in it. Right? Whether it's the front doorbell cameras and the security systems and the, you know, thermostats and all kinds of things, music, etc. On the farming side, we're seeing an incredible appetite for turning these farms into smart farms. So that doesn't mean just, you know, these vehicles and implements, but there are other aspects too. And certainly low earth orbit satellite companies are enabling, you know, connectivity in all these rural areas, much better than cellular coverage, for example. So it's a matter of making the technology more approachable, both in terms of price point as well as ease of use.”

Bucher said in their paid pilots, Agtonomy has made a lot of progress toward getting smart solutions into the hands of real farmers.