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
National Pork Board Chief Sustainability Officer Jamie Burr shares a closer look at the Pork Checkoff’s Pork Cares Farm Impact Report, a research program to increase trust in the pork supply chain.
Ethanol markets remain mixed — weaker production and blend rates are being partially balanced by stronger exports as winter demand patterns take shape.
Strong U.S. yields and steady demand leave most major crops well supplied, keeping price pressure in place unless usage strengthens or weather shifts outlooks.
While agriculture doesn’t predict every recession, the sector’s long history of turning down before the broader economy
ARC-CO delivers the bulk of 2024 support, offering key margin relief as producers manage tight operating conditions.

LATEST STORIES BY THIS AUTHOR:

Jerry Cosgrove with American Farmland Trust explains why farmers and ranchers should start their estate planning now.
Elizabeth Strom of the American Society of Farm Managers & Rural Appraisers joined RFD-TV to provide the latest perspective on post-harvest business planning and cropland markets in the Midwest.
Dalton Henry, with U.S. Wheat Associates, joined RFD-TV to provide insight on what the pending trade frameworks may mean for American wheat growers.
Our friend Jake Charleston at Specialty Risk Insurance joins us for an industry update.
Mary-Thomas Hart, with the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, discusses the latest WOTUS developments and their implications for agriculture.