Hello Everyone! This is week 4, and I have learned a lot in the past 4 weeks. We have had many conversations regarding AI and technology within agriculture. Technology for me within the workforce would be innovative, it will make tasks easier by being the problem solver. I have had personal experience with AI as I have been a team member in creating an AI application that was made to help farmers and agriculture enthusiasts identify crops, insects, and diseases, as well as tell them their possible needs. Working under Extension, I have seen technology being used on farms and in labs, for example, these Greenfield robotic BOTONY robots that utilize GPS navigation.
(Fair Hill Farms Farm Tour)
(Fair Hill Farms Farm Tour Photo Collection)
Something that would relate to technology as well would be this rotary milking parlor that was seen on the Fair Hill Farms Tour. This is a carousel that continuously but slowly rotates a circular platform where dairy cows step onto to be milked. It functions as an automated assembly line for milking, allowing farmers to efficiently process hundreds of cows per hour while keeping operations highly standardized. This allows this specific farmer to ship out milk every 17 hours. They also had calf hutches where they kept the young calves on the farm. These hutches are used to manage the health of the calves and control contamination.
(Red Acres Hydroponics Farm Tour - Lettuce Processing)
Another farm that I toured while with the Maryland Association of County Agricultural Agents, or MACAA, was the Red Acres Hydroponics Farm. This is a large hydroponic greenhouse system that is used to cultivate fresh lettuce. This system is used to grow plants without soil within a controlled environment; instead, it uses nutrient-rich water solutions to provide essential nutrients directly to plant roots. The greenhouse environment is carefully controlled to optimize temperature, humidity, light, and water use, creating ideal growing conditions. During the tour, I observed how this innovative system increases efficiency, conserves resources, and supports consistent, high-quality crop production for local markets and consumers. After washing, processing, and packaging this lettuce goes to local farms.
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