As a farmer, sometimes it can be difficult to make the transition to the next decade.
Now more than ever, it is hugely important for farmers and ranchers to look up from their fence repairs, bookkeeping, seed catalogues and tractor cabs to prepare for the future of farming. The world of agriculture we know now is very different from the one left for the next generation, and today’s farmers should strive to make the transition to the next generation of farmers to make the changes and transitions as seamless as possible.
People often say that one must look to the past to see the future, and Dr. Clint Rusk, the department head of Animal Science at Oklahoma State University, agrees.
“The past is a pretty good indicator of the future, and the changes in the past 10 years have been unbelievable,” said Dr. Rusk. This is in no small part due to the advancements of technology that continues to amaze. Thanks to technology, most farmers now possess a smartphone and have access to the Internet and its contents at all times – they want information and they want it now. “People want answers within the hour,” Rusk said when asked how technology is changing the industry and the communication within it.
While this technological phenomenon might startle some of the older generations still involved in agriculture, the younger up and coming aggies are embracing it.
“They are comfortable with technology, not afraid of it,” Rusk said, describing the younger generation of farmers. “They will grow up on computerized tractors – who would have thought one day you could program a computer and let go of the steering wheel?” It is a wonder that Rusk encourages his students to continue to explore.
“We want to make sure we are moving along at the rate of technological change, and creating lifelong learners,” he explained.
Change has not just come in the form of smartphones, fertilizer calculation apps and cattle checking drones, but in the form of marketing too. Rusk recalls when he grew up, his family simply weaned their calves in the fall and took them to the sale barn. Today’s modern society has “changed the marketing of animals tremendously.”
“Everybody knows what the market is, it’s at their fingertips,” Rusk said. “You can buy a purebred animal without leaving your home.” Breeding and genetic selection in the livestock industry has made enormous strides as well. Artificial insemination (AI) has become commonplace for many farms, and embryo and flush work have improved the gene pool.
“We now have the opportunity to breed to really good animals, there is no excuse for subpar breeding,” Rusk said.
“We’re starting to see a trend back to a systematic crossbreeding program,” noted Eldon Cole, livestock specialist for the University of Missouri Extension. “This, combined with the use of EPDs and genomic testing to develop a feeder calf for your targeted market, makes sense.”
In a recent survey conducted by Cole and the MU Extension, “using genomic (DNA) testing more in breeding stock selection was frequently mentioned. Some said they would breed more cows artificially after synchronizing estrus.”
While no one can predict the future, some common themes do arise – grow more food on less land, and better distribution and utilization of the current amount of food being produced.
“Clearly, technology is going to be a factor here – it has to be,” Rusk explained.
Farmers are going to have to continue reaching out to their consumers, and the consumers to the farmer, to work together in creating and growing/raising sustainable food sources. The farmers of today are far more aware of the consumer’s preferences than in years past, due to technology and the opportunities people have to connect with each other, Rusk said this has changed the way many producers are raising and growing the food needed to feed the masses.
Another common theme that arises in the predicted future of agriculture is whether or not people will continue to choose to return to farming as lifestyle and a career. “There’s going to have to be more conveniences than what my grandma and grandpa put up with,” Rusk said. Perhaps, with the continued advancements in this field, farming might be a little less risky, a little more profitable, and a lot more efficient in the future. There’s a lot of changes on the horizon and “farming is going to have to fit in.”
