“Think big, start small, and scale fast.” This was the advice Jim Carroll gave the audience at the Cattle Industry Convention in Orlando, Fla., about implementing new agricultural technology. From precision systems in pastures and hayfields to improved cattle genetics and autonomous equipment, forage and livestock producers can realize significant production gains by investing in the latest developments.

Carroll is a futurist and innovation expert who analyzes technological trends across the health care, manufacturing, and agricultural industries to help prepare people for the changes to come and motivate them to take part in the process. Three themes he used to define the future of agriculture were acceleration, artificial intelligence, and “just-in-time knowledge.”

Acceleration. To illustrate the rate at which technology is advancing in agriculture and beyond, Carroll referred to the 1960s animated sitcom “The Jetsons.” He noted the cartoon characters living a century ahead of their time possessed devices that resemble today’s smart watches, digital assistants, and drones — all of which we have access to today, nearly 40 years before the television show predicted.

Carroll emphasized the rate of technological acceleration and the importance of staying up to date. Prioritizing the implementation of new technologies — or at least the understanding of them — will help farmers be more efficient, and therefore, more profitable, regardless of their type of operation.

“The challenge with the future is that it’s fast, it’s relentless, and the pace of change never slows down,” Carroll said. “It’s our ability to keep up with this change that truly defines our success.”

Artificial intelligence. Artificial intelligence is one of the most rapidly developing technologies on the market, and its role in the agricultural industry is quickly evolving. For example, Carroll described the growing ability for farmers to use artificial intelligence to identify crop diseases and specify pest damage by simply taking a picture. He explained that as more data is analyzed by artificial intelligence, the more accurate and precise the technology will become.

“We are on the edge of an era in which you will be able to take a picture of anything in the world around you, and by utilizing the machine vision capabilities and large language model technology, you can get an interpretation of what (that picture) means,” Carroll said.

This type of image generation will be instrumental to diagnosing diseases among livestock as well. And Carroll noted the $2.1 billion spent on artificial technology in 2022 is expected to jump to $75 billion in 2030, which will include major investments from agricultural equipment manufacturers.

“Just-in-time knowledge.” This was the term Carroll used to describe the pace at which new information is available and applicable to on-farm situations. New technologies and research findings are being used to refine best management practices for crop and livestock production faster than ever before, and farmers must assess how this information will impact their own operations just as quickly.

“Our success will come from our ability to get the right knowledge, at the right time, for the right purpose,” Carroll said. “In the era of artificial intelligence, your ability to master the skill of just-in-time knowledge will become critical.”

To navigate this influx of new data, Carroll suggested farmers seek out knowledge partners, or industry experts who can help better manage specific aspects of an operation. He added that these advancements are constantly creating new careers and encouraged the audience to embrace assistance from a younger generation of agriculturalists.

“You can’t know everything there is to know because there are too many new ideas, technologies, methodologies, and genomics. You will have to rely on specialists to get things done,” Carroll asserted.