Have you ever wondered how agriculture can provide enough food for 7.9 BILLION people?
Well, it was revolutionary advancements in agricultural technology that have made it possible.
- The invention of fertilizers may be one of the most impactful events in history. It enabled the use of infertile land, and the types of crops a farm could grow increased.
- Incredible farm equipment that can automate repetitive tasks are now commonplace.
- Advancements in genetics and breeding for hybrid traits have improved yields and made crops more resistant to pests and pathogens.
- The most complicated supply chain in history works to supply food across the globe year-round.
In short, agriculture is a modern marvel that is the backbone of our global society. And the advancements that made it possible have led to a steady increase in yields and fed billions. In the past hundred years, farmers have made incredible progress, but these leaps haven’t come without some drawbacks.
- The use of fertilizer, herbicides, fungicides, and pesticides has more than doubled since 1990.
- Due to geopolitical and supply chain issues and the war in the Ukraine, fertilizer and chemical prices have hit all-time highs this year. Forcing many farms worldwide to leave their fields fallow this year.
- Despite increased spraying and stronger treatment formulations, crop losses due to pests and pathogens are still estimated at 20-40% every year.
- Some pathogens have even begun developing resistance to current treatments.
So what can we do to address these issues?
We believe that a new generation of agricultural technologies and a renewed focus on regenerative practices are key. By adopting diagnostic and data technologies from other industries we can take a new approach to plant health.
Just like us humans, plants require the proper nutrients to maintain a healthy immune system. Imbalanced nutrients can make plants susceptible to attacks from pests and pathogens and requires a short-term fix (i.e. chemical inputs) to treat the symptoms. Our goal is to improve plant health as the first defense so intervention is only required as a secondary solution.
Precision treatments allow farmers to reduce their treatment costs. Even just a 20% reduction can save hundreds of dollars per acre. Precise treatment also helps reduce resistance by ensuring the right treatments are used and by reducing unnecessary use. Finally, providing for a plant’s exact nutrient needs will help it fight off pests and disease naturally while reducing waste and runoff from fertilizer overapplication.
Focusing on early detection of pests and pathogens, plant health, and increasing the nutrient content of our food is more critical now than ever. Cubed Labs offers do-it-yourself farm testing for pathogens, a mobile IPM tracker, and very soon we will be launching an on-site nutrient test!
Interested in learning more or want to hear what Cubed Labs is all about? Schedule some time to talk with us!
Our own Brent Nichols would be happy to help – Click Here to schedule a meeting!