Alabama Collegiate Discussion Meet and Agtech Jobs on the Rise
From the Ag Information Network, this is your Agribusiness Update.**Nine college students competed in the Alabama Farmers Federation’s first statewide Collegiate Discussion Meet recently in Opelika.
The event hosted by the Federation State Young Farmers Committee simulates a meeting where participants discuss solutions to issues facing Alabama agriculture.
Auburn University student Bryer Morrison won the competition and a $1,000 scholarship from the Federation and Farm Bureau Bank.
He will represent Alabama at American Farm Bureau’s FUSION Conference next spring in Denver.
www.alfafarmers.org/federation-hosts-statewide-collegiate-discussion-meet/
**A farm in Sonoma County, California had 27 tractor driver positions open and advertised on various job boards, but didn’t get a single applicant for weeks.
Then, the owners bought an autonomous tractor system and updated the job listing to say they were looking for an agtech operator, with “video game experience,” and the applications came rolling in.
Agtonomy CEO Tim Bucher says you’ve opened up a whole new workforce for agriculture.
**One of the main challenges of irrigating crops is when available water sources contain salt and lead to salt accumulation over time, damaging soil fertility.
To address the issue, the Ag Research Service in Riverside, California is using remote sensing and precision technology to aid growers in arid regions.
They’re beginning to apply the techniques of digital and precision agriculture to help growers provide their crops with the water they need without harming them, or the soil.