My Take on the First Great Lakes Tek Flex: Autonomy at Grower Speed

Agricultural technology may be advancing at breakneck speed, but specialty crop growers are not necessarily following at the same pace. And maybe they shouldn’t. That was one of my takeaways from the inaugural Great Lakes Tek Flex, an agricultural technology field day held Sept. 10-11 at Michigan State University’s Southwest Michigan Research and Extension Center in Benton Harbor.

I spoke with several industry officials, including two longtime agricultural technology veterans who have watched precision agriculture, robotics, and artificial intelligence evolve from intriguing concepts into commercially available tools.

Gary Vandenbark, Product Manager for Smart Apply at John Deere, has worked in precision agriculture since its early days in the 1990s. Even he marvels at the current pace of development.

“The evolution of technology and the pace that technology is moving today is — I mean, it’s near the speed of light,” he said.

Therein lies a problem.

“We have to focus more on the customer because we’re going at such a fast pace that we’re not giving the customers a chance to keep up with us,” Vandenbark said.

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A BIG JUMP

Despite all that advancement, Vandenbark considers specialty crop agriculture to still be in the “early-adopter phase.” Part of the challenge is introducing sophisticated technology into an industry that has not historically had the level of precision technology used in corn and soybeans.

“That’s a big jump,” Vandenbark said. “So it’s been more of a crawl, walk, run mindset, so that we can bring the customers along with us.”

Randy Stratton, President of Secure Crop Agritech, views the technology itself as relatively young. Despite spending about seven years working with agricultural robotics and AI, Stratton figures the industry is only entering the “third inning” — perhaps even the second — as cameras, processors, perception systems, and AI continue to improve.

But technological capability alone won’t drive adoption.

“If the technology cannot provide a good return on the investment in year one, in year two, right in that area, then I think they need to basically keep looking,” Stratton said.

Vandenbark sees the same issue from the grower’s perspective. Asked about the biggest obstacle to adoption, he did not immediately point to purchase price.

“I don’t want to say it’s price as much as it is: Is it going to work on my farm?” he said.

That question becomes particularly complicated in specialty crops. Vandenbark came to the sector from row crops expecting something simpler.

“Oh, my gosh, it’s twice as complex. Probably five times as complex as corn and soybeans,” he said, citing the enormous diversity of crops and applications.

The economics are equally diverse. Vandenbark said Smart Apply can pay for itself in less than a season in large Georgia pecan operations with expensive spraying programs. For smaller operations growing crops with lower chemical costs, the ROI equation can look considerably different.

PROVE IT ON THE FARM

Which brings us back to events such as Tek Flex.

Growers need opportunities to watch these machines work under actual field conditions. They need numbers, support, and confidence that the technology can handle their particular crops and conditions.

That is exactly what Michigan grape grower Steve Holden would like to see happen closer to home. Holden believes Michigan’s diverse specialty crop industry should become a proving ground for autonomous technology rather than waiting for equipment developed elsewhere to make its way to the Midwest.

“The challenge I see isn’t the technology itself — it’s getting enough testing, infrastructure, and service support into areas like Michigan so growers here can confidently adopt it,” Holden said.

And sometimes the most convincing proof occurs on the farm next door. Vandenbark said once growers see a neighbor successfully adopt technology and achieve the promised return, the sales pitch becomes considerably easier.

“You don’t even have to talk to them,” Vandenbark said. “They’re calling you wanting to buy it.”

Autonomous agriculture may be developing at the speed of light. Adoption will continue at grower speed.