Farming without paddocks: AI, robots and the next productivity leap

Tim Neale from DataFarming joins AgWatchers for a wide-ranging chat on where ag technology is heading next. The big question: what happens when grain farmers stop thinking only in paddocks and start managing crops square metre by square metre? Tim talks through the next evolution in precision agriculture, from satellite imagery and variable rate fertiliser to robotics, AI, autonomous drones and the potential for farming systems to be redesigned around automation. The conversation also gets into rising input costs, how tech can help growers make better decisions on fertiliser spend, and why the next gains in productivity may come from getting much more precise. There is also plenty of AgWatchers nonsense along the way, including Qantas lounge food, haggis, Clarkson’s Farm, Chinese machinery, robot vacuums and Andrew’s deep love for the Kia Carnival.