“Have you got a minute?”
From the timing of input applications to predicting the date of harvest, extending the shelf-life of fresh produce and influencing the breeding cycles of crops and livestock, our industry is dominated by time.
Most of us don’t have enough of it, we want to save it, be less beholden to it, or even manipulate it to enable businesses or supply chains be more profitable or productive.
Changing Time(s) For Agriculture
Given the global pace of emerging innovations and technology with the potential to help the industry grab hold of time – and that time is, in fact, money – we believe it’s time we discussed Changing Time(s) For Agriculture.
As well as being the theme of REAP 2021, we’re going to take the idea to Groundswell Regenerative Agriculture Show and Conference, and talk to farmers about what aspect of time has the biggest impact on farming. And where should innovations in the future be directed to help influence time (or help generate more of it)?
Time to automate
It might be the more widespread automation of routine tasks and data collection and robotics to help save labour time, or using data to accurately forecast supply and demand to deliver a “just-in-time” supply chain for fresh produce.
In time with nature
Nature, of course, beats in time to its own rhythm. Plants and animals – and even fungi and bacteria – have internal “clocks” which influence processes – so understanding these better may help improve our management of them and interaction with them.
And then there are seasons which dictate so much of the operations around outdoor agriculture and horticulture – and this is where controlled environment agriculture liberates producers from the shackles of time, enabling multiple annual harvests in vertical farms, for example.
Many farmers – or even keen nature watchers – may have observed that harvests are now earlier, the arrival dates of migrant bird populations is changing and dormancy of perennial ornamentals is breaking at different times.
So at REAP, we’re also going to be talking about how so-called agri-phenology (the study of the timing of key natural phenomena in agriculture) is being affected by climate change.
Take the time to consider innovation with us over the next six months and join us at REAP 2021.
It will be time well spent.
We do hope if you’re at Groundswell you’ll take some time to visit stand MS6 and catch up with the team – we can’t wait to see you!
