3 high-tech secrets from Canadian farms

(NC) Farming has always been about experimenting and improving on techniques and yields year after year. Here are just three examples of advancements helping farmers protect our food security:

Glass houses. Greenhouses are an old innovation—create an insulated space that lets in sunlight and traps heat to keep plants warm. But farmers have been tinkering and improving on basic designs.

They’ve hit on supplementing sunlight with a combo of artificial lights to encourage crop growth. For instance, tomatoes and cucumbers love LED, while lettuces tend to respond to sodium lighting. More greenhouses are also using diffusing glass in their ceilings, which spreads out direct sunlight to ensure all the plants get equal exposure. This tech, along with other advances, has put fruit and veggie production in controlled environments like greenhouses five times higher than it was in 2000.

Digital farming. More farmers are taking advantage of modern technology to help boost their yields. Sensors out in the fields can feed to central dashboards where growers can get real-time information on the status of their crops to make more informed decisions on things like irrigation and pest control.

Some farms are incorporating AI-powered systems that can analyze the sensor data to think ahead and help time planting and harvesting, or even manage their storage’s environmental settings reactively to avoid spoilage. Like any business, farms benefit from a data-driven approach to making their decisions.

Planting for the next market trend. Farmers don’t just think ahead to the next season’s crop. They also take into account what new demands may be coming over the horizon. It’s why more farmers are planting crops that can meet the growing appetite for plant protein, such as soybeans or lentils.

Another interesting growth area in farming is biofuel. For instance, some Saskatchewan farms are producing native, fast-growing willow and poplar trees that can help heat greenhouses up north with less net carbon than fossil fuels. Another potential biofuel is Camelina, a seed related to mustard and Canola that also helps prevent soil erosion and gives spring pollinators a much-needed food supply early in the year.

Through experience, know-how and a willingness to keep innovating and planning for the future, farmers manage their risk, grow their business and keep Canada’s agriculture on the cutting edge.

Learn more at rbc.com/agriculture.