Can technology operate as fast as farming demands?

Artificial intelligence is already making its mark on agriculture, but one challenge is the need for more powerful computing systems.

From using vision technology to detect plants, weeds, or pests, to incorporating lasers for precision, the future of farming is becoming more high-tech. However, a tech CEO says the real bottleneck is ensuring the technology can operate fast enough to meet the demands of farming.

“Like using vision to detect: is that the plant or is that the weed? What’s a pest? What’s not? Maybe even use lasers, right? The future is here in terms of using that. What holds it back is the computer power. The technology is cool but if it takes two and a half, three to do it. That’s not practical. The things that you’ve envisioned or thought of as science fiction is now coming into reality. People figured out how engineer equipment. Now it’s about applying state-of-the-art, computer technology to actually make it run fast, and make it run in a way that is actually usable and economical for you,” said Chris Walker, CEO of Untether AI.

Walker says his company has created a chip designed to help run AI models faster and more accurately.

Related Stories
The Fertilizer Research Act, reintroduced by Sens. Grassley, Ernst, and Baldwin, would direct the USDA to study and publish public reports on competition and pricing trends in the fertilizer market.
U.S. aquaculture may gain competitive ground as harmful subsidies are phased out abroad, but producers should monitor shifts in import supply chains and trade enforcement closely.
Producers may need to prepare for margin pressure in livestock feeding, while dairy farmers could benefit from stronger product demand.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins today issued a new memorandum to modernize and strengthen America’s wildfire prevention and response system.
National Sorghum Producers CEO Tim Lust said farmers face a challenging year with strong supply, murky trade conditions, and uncertain access to their largest market: China.

LATEST STORIES BY THIS AUTHOR:

RFD-TV Farm Legal and Taxation expert, Roger McEowen, with the Washburn School of Law, joined us Monday to break down the changes and explain what producers should know.
North Dakota Farmers Union (NDFU) President Mark Watne joined us Monday to share his perspective on the America First Trade Promotion Program and potential implications for producers.
Dividing up a family farming operation can be challenging, especially for children who may not want to become farmers themselves.
A booming butterfat market is good for some dairy products but threatens efficiency and margins for cheesemakers unless protein levels catch up
Duane Simpson, CEO of the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives (NCFC), joined us in Monday’s Market Day Report to share his perspective on the USDA’s plan and potential impact on producers.