Reading Time: 5 minutes Jay Bruggencate has a bit of a bone to pick with the ag-tech industry. “We’ve invested hundreds of thousands of dollars into smart equipment that knows what it’s doing but can’t talk to each other,” said the Lacombe-area farmer at the recent AgSmart event at Olds College. “There’s so much data now available to us […] Read more
The farm data overload needs a fix
Ag tech event shows future of farming is data driven — but 'we're not there yet'
Superclusters: Creating a silicon valley for agriculture and food
Two proposals from Western Canada are vying for backing in Ottawa’s bid to put Canada at the front of the new economy
Reading Time: 6 minutes So what would you rather have — new lucrative ‘plant protein’ markets or a way to turn Big Data into bigger profits? Those are the goals of the two agriculture and agri-food proposals vying for a slice of $950 million of federal cash that Ottawa will spend on ‘superclusters’ — business-led collaborations that aim to […] Read more
Greig: Farmer trust key to big data’s future
The marketplace for precision agriculture technology is sorting itself out, but it still has a way to go before it will be mature and have predictable uses for farmers, says a U.S. agriculture economist. Dr. Keith Coble, chair of the Mississippi State University’s department of agricultural economics, says we’re in the “overexuberance” phase of technology […] Read more
The last big challenge for drones
Advanced technology to spot disease, pest, and health issues early on is already here — but using that data still has many challenges
Reading Time: 4 minutes Sure, drones are cool and all. But when it comes to your farm, it’s all about the data they gather — and figuring out how to use all that info. “Ultimately, that is what’s going to change the way we manage our crops, by giving us better information about them,” Markus Weber, president of Edmonton-based […] Read more
Consumer tracking is changing the way people shop — and view food
Four to Watch: Grocery and restaurant chains know more about their customers than ever before, and are ready to offer them whatever they want
Reading Time: 3 minutes Ellen Goddard doesn’t have a crystal ball — but grocery and restaurant chains do and that’s going to drive change in the food sector and agriculture. The name of their crystal ball is called Big Data. Companies are watching consumers like never before via sophisticated tracking software and monitoring of social media. “Most grocery stores […] Read more
Big Data is coming to the cattle business — and that’s a good thing
Reading Time: 2 minutes The future is about collecting and mining data. And beef producers who don’t get on board run the risk of being left behind, says an industry expert. “Information and data gathering will become increasingly important,” said Thomas Lynch-Staunton, Livestock Gentec’s director of industry relations. Lynch-Staunton is involved with what’s called a “life cycle analysis” — […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
