Old Macdonald has a robot– E-I-E-I-O

​Yes, robots are on a farm and many more are on the way. The future of the family farm and the need for more sustainable and profitable food production is betting on them.
 
On a global scale the need for more food is a serious one. The world’s population is expected to reach 9.6 billion people by the year 2050. The world population today is 7.4 billion. 
 
The world needs more food and the food most in demand is organic food. Organic food production must increase so as to provide the safest most nutritious food to humankind.  This food must also be affordable and that is the challenge that truly lies ahead. Organic farming represents less than 10% of all farming in the United States as per the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition.
 
Farming both organic and conventional has traditionally been performed by small family farms, representing about 90 percent of all farms. The work is hard and certainly not a job that is suited to most people these days. Farming costs are increasing in many areas. Land costs, fertilizers, insecticides, labor and the list goes on.
 
 As a matter of fact the average age of a farmer in the U.S. is age 58. That is up from five years ago when it was 55. People just want to get away from farming. Guess how old I am? Well 57 going on 58. Yes, Pepe has been around a little while.
 
Today’s younger generation of farmers are moving to the cities to pursue more glamorous white collar careers. Farming like Dad and Granddad did makes no sense to them. How can we encourage them to keep farming and even increase the numbers of family farms? Well maybe these robots/agribots can persuade them.
 
One major deterrent to farming are start up costs. Many young couples are unwilling to invest capital in a business that requires them to work 12-16 hours per day. It makes no sense to become a farmer when the return on investment equals what a farmers’ wages would have been 30 years ago.
 
Robots will change the way our food is grown, harvested and in the near future even transported to market. Robots may be the answer to profitability in farming and saving the family farm.
 
Let’s have a look at how robots, known as agribots, are being used today and what new automated innovations are on the horizon.

HTV-100 Agribot by Harvest Automation

The HV- 100 is utilized in nursery and greenhouse container plant production. The robots work safely next to people, are simple to operate and are easily integrated into existing facilities. They can run 16 hour shifts without taking a break and perform the ​task of moving and placing containers at precise distances from each other to maximize spacing and  plant growth. 

These agribots are now being field tested at Grimmway Farms in Bakersfield, CA, The plan here is to grow vegetable crops in containers on low quality land that is much less expensive than farm land. The crops will be moved and harvested at the transportation point so as to increase cost effectiveness and by using the agribots reduce labor costs.

The return on investment is estimate d to take between 12-24 months. These Agribots are not cheap. The price of the agribots with their batteries and accessories is a little more than $30,000 per unit, says Harvest Automation’s Grinnell.

​I did find a video on line and after watching these Agribots in action. I am sad to say they did not impress me. I could have done the work three times faster with humans. Time is money. Watch the video and judge for yourselves here:  To be fair they are still working hard developing these agribots.

PROSPERO: THE ROBOT FARMER BY DORHOURT R&D LLC

Now let’s have a peek at this agribot called Prospero Robot Farmer. This agribot is the brain child of David Dorhout the builder and designer. This new six legged autonomous agribot is inspired by the swarming skills of insects, birds and fish.

This spider like agribot will plant seeds, tend to the seeds and also harvest the crops. They will communicate with each other and even supervise and command other Prospero agribots in the field.

These machines will swarm a crop field working long hours and not taking a single break. The Prospero Agribots are capable of moving along close to the ground recognizing if a seed has been planted. Prospero can apply precise quantities of fertilizer measure the planting depth and replant a seed if needed. These machines are designed to maximize plant growth and minimize waste and spray drifts while significantly reducing labor costs.