2019 Spring Farm Outlook

2019 Logan County Farm Outlook Magazine Lincoln Daily News March 21, 2019 Page 21 A s farming moves further into the 21st century, the tools and methods used by those in the field are changing to increase production and create higher profit. What this means for today’s farmer is that a greater use of technology is coming into play. Specifically, this means that the next few years might see an increase in more than just human hands and big machines in the field. Farmers may require more “senses” to be able to see both the bigger picture and the smaller picture through the working eyes of robotic assistants and the cameras of drones. Currently in its infancy, the current use of drones shows us that we can gain a bird’s eye view of what is going on in the field, and agricultural entrepreneurs are now ramping up their concepts of drone-use. Colleges such as Illinois Central College in East Peoria are beginning to offer class in the use of drones and robotics in agriculture. New tech: Robots and drones to play a larger role in farm production By Derek Hurley Continue 8