The agriculture industry has begun to change at an incredible pace. Farmers are becoming more interconnected than ever before and using new innovative techniques and equipment.

With so many innovations happening at such a rapid pace, agriculture OEM’s are always trying to stay ahead of the curve to better provide their customers with the equipment they need.

So, what will 2018 have in store for American farmers? Let’s take a look at the trends to watch for and monitor as agriculture moves into 2018.

New agricultural techniques will continue to be adopted.

Genetically Engineered Foods – Though controversial to some, scientists are hoping to create long term crop solutions through modifying the genetic materials of crops. The hope is to give farmers access to crops that produce more, have a decreased dependence on pesticide, and are more drought resistant than what we see today.

Specialized and Autonomous Robots – Thanks to the “hands free hectare” project, the world has now seen its first completely autonomous and human free crops . . . all grown remotely. As this type of technology is perfected, farmers will have access to machinery they could only dream of before.

Increased Use of Drones – Drones are already being used to monitor crops and in some instances spray crops with fertilizers or pesticides. With big name companies such as CAT and John Deere already investing in drone technology (among others), the equipment could quickly become commonplace on the farms of the future. Though both companies are primarily focused on construction uses for the moment, the two giants; substantial market share in the agricultural industry, could lead to expansion of farming drone technology.

Cutting edge technologies such as these will continue to grow in their prevalence in coming months and years. One reason for the shift to this more high-tech approach is a growing fear that farmers will be unable to keep up with growing global demand for food.

The demand on agricultural production will continue to rise.

 
As of the writing of this article, the global population has grown by over 76 million in 2017 alone. With the United States currently being the world’s third most populous nation with over 325 million citizens and growing.

The major reason this becomes important for us to watch is of course, the more people there are, the higher the demand will be for increased amounts of food. With most of the globe relying primarily on forms of corn, wheat, and rice, farmers must be able to keep up with the growing demand that will be placed upon them.

The growing influence of actionable data.

 
Knowing what crops are needed and how to produce them in higher numbers without depleting farmland will be a constant challenge for farmers moving forward. Today’s farmer is much more advanced and technologically savvy than in years past. They will have to continue to grow and evolve as equipment advances are made to help keep pace with demand.

OEM’s must make sure that they too are keeping up with the times in order to reach the right farmers and give them the tools they need. The answer moving forward for both farmers and manufacturers is data. Or more accurately, the access to and use of quality data in all their activities.

With access to EDA, manufacturers can accurately locate and target prospective farmers who can benefit from their equipment. As technology and landscape of agriculture continues to evolve, more farmers will be looking to upgrade their equipment to keep from being left behind in the rapidly changing world.

Access to quality data can provide OEM’s the opportunity to target based on criteria such as equipment type and age (key to finding farmers looking to enhance their agriculture equipment). Ultimately, marketers need to also adapt to the age of data to get the most out of marketing efforts.