Technology can come in many forms, whether it be virtual fencing for cattle, drones, or the latest buzzword, artificial intelligence.
History tells us that we must adopt technology to stay profitable in competitive markets. Successful early adopters take on significant risks in the hope of generating additional margins, though typically for a short amount of time. As technology becomes more proven, the margins get thinner until what was once revolutionary is now standard. The computer is a good example of this trend towards commodification of tech.
When deciding on new technology, many of us (myself included) look for a fully automated solution. We want to know if this new tech can do what we are currently doing, with no human touch.
That’s unrealistic. Instead, we should view the adoption of technology as a series of small steps. Despite the hype, there are no out-of-the-box solutions that addresses the entirety of a problem. By banking on silver bullets, we set ourselves up for disappointment.
Acknowledging that technological adoption is a mindset and continuous process – rather than learning and using one product – helps soften the inevitable setbacks that come when we take on something new.
At this stage, the real value of technology lies not in full automation, but in human-assisted automation. This is when people tailor technology to fit their systems, usually by trial and error, and discover new ways of extracting small bits of value
Take, for instance, two neighbours running similar farming systems with comparable costs and revenues. If one adopts virtual fencing that enables them to produce more at a lower cost, they generate additional margins. With these margins, they increase their competitive edge by doing things like paying more to attract and maintain top talent, reinvesting in technology or investing in their own learning.
These small bits of value contrast with the conventional thinking that a farmer needs to expand or speed up the current system by buying a bigger tractor or the neighbouring farm to grow – even though the economics often don’t quite stack up on those decisions these days.
Another way to think of technology on farm is that it buys you time. This idea came up in recent conversations with farmers in operational roles that are working with robotics and remote collars.
They work alongside technology to make better decisions and create more time for more complex tasks that add value – like one-on-one training with team members, strategy development, more new technology or even just getting off farm to protect their wellbeing.
Their engagement levels are at all-time highs as they go about finding new ways to use the time the new technology buys them. Tellingly, none of them to go back to their pre-technology work life.
We are quickly moving towards a future with few absolute limits. As more and more technological fixes for farming problems are developed, the limitations won’t be the ones we are used to – manpower, on-farm data or access to knowledge – but on our individual appetite to get to grips with the new technology.
The openness to being a novice and making mistakes with this or that new app, sensor or gadget will be what separates farmers and systems.
What we can achieve on our farms will be limited not by our tools, but by our imagination and creativity.
