Ag Technology
FarmLogs Connects Farmers to the Cloud, Expands With $10-million Round
January 29, 2015 | AJ Hughes
FarmLogs yield maps are accessible on laptops, tablets and smartphones. (photo courtesy of Jesse Vollmar/FarmLogs)
A farmer’s livelihood depends on keeping track of records.
Records of rainfall, commodity prices, fertilizer applications, seed planting rates, when pesticide was applied last, and more. Without accurate records, the business suffers.
Yet the farming sector has been slow to adopt new technology–farmers often opt to keep much of their files with them in the front seat of the pickup or in office filing cabinets.
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Women in Food: Giulia Stellari Brings Big Data to Small Farms
January 8, 2015 | Jenny Smiechowski
Giulia Stellari. Photo courtesy of Giulia Stellari.
When Giulia Stellari was seven years old she knew exactly what she wanted to be when she grew up: a sheep farmer in Australia.
“I was really into animals and have always been into growing things, but lived in a very urban setting and so didn’t really have the opportunity to do that,” says Stellari.
Even though she didn’t pursue this dream, she eventually got back in touch with her agricultural leanings in a very different capacity. In 2009, Stellari cofounded AgSquared, a software company focused on small-farm planning, management, and record keeping. Read More
Sneak Peek: Seedstock Conference Panel on Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Investment in Local Food
October 29, 2014 | Nina Ignaczak
The movement to grow the proportion of local food on our plates is gaining momentum across the nation.
But progress is uneven. While 89 percent of Vermont schools engage in some type of local food program, only 44 percent do so nationally, according to USDA. Large food service providers and institutions are, for the most part, still getting their food from the big guys. The military, one of the largest food markets in the country, gets most of its food from large agribusiness, according to the New York Times.
The demand is there. As compared with the 2007 USDA Agricultural Census, the current 2012 Census shows an increase of 8 percent for the number of farms selling directly to consumers and 5 percent for the sales in dollars of directly marketed agricultural products.
The challenge for innovators, entrepreneurs and growers is securing the investment necessary to start and grow their companies in order to meet this market demand.
Seedstock’s upcoming “Reintegrating Agriculture: Local Food Systems and the Future of Cities” Conference on November 12, 2014 at UCLA Anderson School of Management in Los Angeles, CA will look at the innovations and business models that have the potential to help expand local and regional food systems as well as the funding routes that entrepreneurs and new growers can take to start and grow their operations.
The discussion will be led by moderator Wilton Risenhoover of the UCLA Venture Fund and feature expert panelists Nicola Kerslake of New Bean Capital, Rob Trice of Better Food Ventures and The Mixing Bowl, and Robert TSE of USDA Rural Development. Read More
9 Technology Tools for Localizing the Food System
October 28, 2014 | AJ Hughes
The Farmigo team. Farmigo, based in Brooklyn, New York, uses technology to make locally-produced foods more accessible. (photo courtesy of Farmigo)
It might seem that to purchase locally-produced foods, one must take a two-lane county road to the nearest farm stand or visit the local farmers’ market. Even though it may seem that the big-box grocery store is an embedded part of modern life, modern technology increasingly is empowering the buying and selling of local foods on an larger-than-ever scale. From radio frequency identification tags to online food hubs to mobile phone apps, technology is taking agriculture “back” to the future.
The following are nine cutting-edge examples. Read More
Five Farm Implements That Did Not Exist 25 Years Ago
October 21, 2014 | Marianne Peters
Image Credit: Rowbot
Farming has gone high-tech. With the convergence of science and technology, as well as no-till methods and increasing concerns about soil composition and fertilizer use, growers can now access information and tools unheard of twenty-five years ago.
Robert Yoder, Purdue Extension Educator based in Marshall County, Indiana, believes that farm innovation is leading to better environmental stewardship as well. “Farmers themselves are better educated about environmental issues,” he says, “and new technology is enabling better soil management practices.” With over 30 years as an Extension agent working in the areas of agriculture and natural resources, Yoder has seen a great deal of change in his career span, and he notes at least five innovations in farming equipment that did not exist before 1990 in common use now. Read More
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