Farmers see AI playing a bigger role in automation, soil decisions

Some farmers say artificial intelligence has a place in agriculture. Southwest Ohio farmer Eric Tipton says AI could be beneficial for automation technology. “Those sorts of things like facial recognition and, in our case, object recognition,” Tipton said, “where that tractor or vehicle has to recognize the difference between a human being and a rock.”…Continue Reading

Michigan vegetables and processing contribute nearly $5.4 billion

A new economic report by Michigan State University assesses the impact of the state’s vegetable industry. Ag economist Bill Knudson tells Brownfield vegetable farming contributes nearly $5.4 billion annually to Michigan’s economy. “There are a lot of vegetable products that are very well suited for where they’re going, and you couldn’t switch over to corn…Continue Reading

Solar leases offering long-term income option for retiring farmers

A land acquisition manager with Aggreko Energy Transition Solutions says the slumping ag economy is bringing increased interest in using farmland for solar projects. Manny Uzcategui tells Brownfield, “People tend to think putting solar panels on your farmland makes you no longer farming, but generating an income off your land is what farming is. So,…Continue Reading

Farmers weigh how to use Trump administration bridge payments

Some ag producers are determining how they’ll use the recently announced bridge payment to improve their bottom lines. Eastern Nebraska farmer Mike Tomes says financial pressure has been mounting for some time. “I’m probably no different than a lot of people. I’m struggling to pay my operating note and income tax that is owed from…Continue Reading

More than 2.5 million acres of farmland now enrolled in the H2Ohio program

New data from the Ohio Department of Agriculture shows more than 2.5 million acres of farmland are currently enrolled in the H2Ohio program across the state. Director Brian Baldridge says the continued growth has helped reduce nutrient runoff across the state. “In the Western Lake Erie Basin, that’s about 50 percent of acres,” he says. “That includes about 3,200 producers. Ninety-five percent of…Continue Reading

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