automation

Thanks to increasing labor costs, more and more fruit and vegetable growers are looking to rely on mechanical aid when it comes to harvest and improving efficiencies.   “A good example is in the Washington state apple industry growers are using platforms now where there are teams of workers could ride on the platform between orchard rows and move up and down that we don't have to lug around ladder

How could technology and innovation impact the future of farm and ag labor?  That was the focus on a workshop hosted earlier this month by Washington State University at the Tri-Cities campus.  The workshop, “Labor and Automation Effects on Social Sustainability and Resilience in U.S. Agriculture”, was a sp...

Researchers at the University of Idaho’s are working with a Kirkland, WA-based company to develop a robot that can weed farmland.  Jae Hyeon Ryu, an associate professor with U of I’s Department of Soil and Water Systems, said the robot was conceptualized to help farmers combat a dwindling workforce of humans.   "Farmers are...

Experts say it’s important to realize that modern farm technology is vulnerable to attacks by hackers, which could leave the supply chain exposed to further risk. The University of Cambridge issued a report noting that automatic crop sprayers, drones, and robotic harvesters are susceptible to an attack. BBC ...

The dairy industry in Washington is adjusting to the overtime requirements that took effect January 1st of this year. Washington State Dairy Federation president, Henry Benthem, said some workers are having to pick up second jobs because dairy farmers can't swing the overtime costs. " ...

Automation has been integrated into almost all aspects of our lives, and dairy farms are no different. In the last five to ten years, there’s been a huge increase in farmers adopting automated milking systems, said Courtney Halbach, Outreach Specialist with The Dairyland Initiative “Part of the reasons behind that is because they want to improve labor efficiency as well as milk production. So, we

Deere and Company recently unveiled a fully autonomous tractor, which company officials say will transform the future of agriculture. Wired says the new 8R tractor uses six pairs of cameras and advanced artificial intelligence to navigate its environment ...

What needs to happen to process more cattle, not only to remove the existing backlog, but also ensure growing demand is met domestically and internationally? Cameron Mulrony, Executive Vice President of the Idaho Cattle Association, said it’s not just about hook space, but also finding people to work in those processing plants. ...

Corteva Agriscience is working to take agricultural robotics to new heights using a Spot robot from Boston Dynamics. The company is among the first in agriculture to use this platform to ‘walk’ between rows of corn, sunflowers and other crops. Company o ...

The fifth annual AgriControl Conference on sensing, control and automation technology takes place Sunday, August 14th in Seattle.   WSU’s Dr. Manoj Karkee helped organize the event and he said it will have, "The best of the best working in the agricultural automation and robotics area in terms of research and development. They will...