These cows have 5G and you don’t

The rollout of 5G is progressing at a deliberate pace and farmers are already using the technology to improve their operations. On this episode of recalibrate, CEO and co-founder of KAIROS Ashish Jain and Samsung Networks’ Kat Robinson share their thoughts on the impact of 5G on smart agriculture. Robinson sets the stage for the discussion citing the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, stating that food production with have to increase by 70% by 2050 in order to feed the growing population. In order to meet the increasing demand for food, farmers are relying on technology including smart systems, connected devices, and 5G projects to help enable more autonomous farming operations. One 5G project launched by RuralFirst in Scotland is using connected collars and biometric ear tags on cows that allow for better tracking and health monitoring over vast, remote areas. Farmers can proactively target sick cows and remove them from the herd to reduce the spread of infections. In addition, the cows are milked by an almost fully autonomous milking station, enabling farmers to optimize their time. While automating the crop yield is beneficial, smart agriculture isn't just about optimizing farm operations and reducing costs, it also can help produce higher-quality crops. The guests reference a Californian vineyard experimenting with intelligent irrigation systems that know precisely when the soil needs to be watered in order to produce the best-tasting grapes or superior wine. Farmers are already getting a head start using 5G to improve their operations and their yield, whether it be on a cattle farm or a vineyard, and these new techniques in smart agriculture are revealing the promise of autonomous farming systems.