Addressing the Ag Labor Challenge with Automation | – Southern Farm Network

Overcoming the agriculture labor hurdle includes finding ways to get the work done in jobs that go unfilled. During the Agri-Pulse Food and Ag Policy Summit West on Monday, a panel discussion focused on innovations in agriculture to overcome labor challenges.

Western Growers Vice President of Innovation Walt Duflock says the first problem is the workers arent there.

Its not like were taking away jobs we cant find workers already. This often comes up when we talk about technology and innovation automation, and I think the way we address it is A, really demonstrate the realities on the ground that they have many unfilled positions but also theres a need to translate the workforce of the future as well.

Pauline Canteneur, Business Strategist at FarmWise, says her company is developing innovative solutions to help growers address the labor challenge.

We leverage AI and robotics to deliver automated solution to vegetable farms. Our first product is an automated mechanical weeder that detects crops from weeds using facial recognition, so its like Facebook for your crops, if you will, and then were able to actuate precisely blades around the crop, removing harmful weeds. We deploy a fleet of a dozen of robots along the central coast of California. So, we deploy as a service to bridge a gap between a shortening labor supply and just quite frankly, a lack of a solution to get this weeding job done.

Gabe Youtsey, Chief Innovation Officer at the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources department, says these robot innovations arent taking the jobs of current farm workerstape

Cut #3 :18 OC:not harvested.

Lets blow up the myth, right now, there are no ag robots taking away any jobs at all today or anytime in the near future, right, and you know that because youve got acreage planted every year that is prepped, planted, grown, irrigated, weeded and then not harvested.

Jenny Maloney of Bayer CropScience adds its all part of the larger puzzle facing growers everyday.

Theres so many pressures every day that growers are facing, whether its on water or nutrients pesticide use, labor, I mean, its just heavy every day, something else, and growers are looking for ways to meet those requirements and stay in business and stay profitable.

The panel adds that addressing the challenge will require research, investment, communication and regulatory changes to help meet the future needs of agriculture.

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Addressing the Ag Labor Challenge with Automation | - Southern Farm Network