The Future of Farming is Going Wireless

You may not know it from television commercials, but wireless technology is no longer exclusive to urban commuters, texting teens and coffee shop patrons.

As this article from the Texas Farm Bureau reports, the reach of today's wireless technology also extends to rural farmlands where it is making impressive strides toward crop improvement.

Thanks to science and wireless technology, it is now possible for farmers to continuously and more precisely monitor such critical field conditions as soil moisture and temperature in order to produce a superior product for consumers. With this unprecedented ability to make exact adjustments during the growing season and harvest, farmers can now produce higher yields and greater quality while increasing profitability and replicating successful growing strategies. They also can troubleshoot like never before, making it possible to better leverage cause-and-effect relationships between the soil and their crops.

Like everything else in modern society, the future of farming is going wireless. As a consumer of things grown in Texas, stay tuned for quality produce, cotton and more as life moves forward by leaps and bounds.

Good News for Farmers, Ranchers and Consumers

Gov. Perry recently announced the Texas Emerging Technology Fund (TETF) is investing $250,000 in Smartfield Inc., of Lubbock, for the commercialization of its crop irrigation management technology.

I have often said we are very proud of our bigger tractors and more horsepower, but science has led the way to the unprecedented level of productivity American agriculture enjoys today.

According to the governor’s release, Smartfield’s technology uses sensors to monitor rainfall, crop canopy temperatures and stress levels, and informs growers of the real-time irrigation demands of virtually any type of row crop. This method makes it easier for growers to determine the ideal conditions for watering crops, ultimately reducing pumping and labor costs, saving water and improving crop yields.

This technology offers tremendous potential benefits to all Texans as we struggle to manage water resources for a state growing in agriculture as well as population.