Grainswest - Tech 2025

Tech 2025 Grains West 6 Make itwork IN THE COMING DECADE, AS A HUGE PERCENTAGE OF farms transition from one generation to the next, Canadian ag- riculture must embrace revolutionary adoption of ag tech, says the Canadian Agri-Food Policy Institute (CAPI) in its recently released report, The future is digital . Available at capi-icpa.ca , the report was compiled with the assistance of fellow non-profit farm policy advocacy group EMILI. It’s a “a now-or-never mo- ment,” the report states. Despite the ready availability of tech tools, the report concludes the country has lagged on this front due to lack of support from policymakers. The result, it notes, is fragmenta- tion of the farm ecosystem. While big farms profit from the use of new technology, their smaller counterparts struggle to do likewise. Among the report’s central conclusions, is that adop- tion remains too low, and ag policy is too abstract to address the realities of farm life. How can these potentially beneficial tools be used by farmers now? CAPI is critical of the Sustainable Canadian Agriculture Partnership’s lack of emphasis on all things digital. The report calls for the next iteration of the research funding framework to make digital farm technology a central priority. CAPI also welcomed positive action ahead of the latest Federal-Provin- cial-Territorial ag policy session held in July. In this issue of GrainsWest , we eyeball the ag tech horizon but stress the here and now. Practical work to harness innovation is underway at the farm level. Where the iron meets the dirt, Alberta’s applied research associations run the numbers on new crop varieties, practices and products. These regional organiza- tions gather the data necessary for farmers to know how such innovations perform in their own backyard. In “Plot to practice” (pg. 12) we visit four of these busy research and extension associations. “What they are trying to do is take technology, products and practices, to see how we can best adapt them to the local situation,” said Alan Hall. The executive director of the Agricultural Research and Extension Council of Alberta, the parent organization of the eight regional associations, he emphasized their valuable work must receive reliable funding. The cover story of our annual ag tech issue, “The fixers” (pg. 34) pays tribute to the independent farm mechanics who are the unsung heroes of the rural universe. These skilled pro- fessionals troubleshoot digital and mechanical equipment that is shiny and new as well as old and reliable. The future may be digital, but real people will continue to make the farming world go round. EDITOR’S MESSAGE Independent mechanics such as Brad McGhee play a critical role in farm production.