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Dillon Schmidt

Professor Watkins

Comp1TR9

6 November 2018

Technology and Agriculture

Over the years technology has positively impacted the way we approach agriculture, but

do you know how? Technology has positively impacted agriculture by allowing for higher crop

productivity, allows for easier more convenient farming practices, reduced the impact on

natural ecosystems, and has improved the lives and productivity of our livestock. Technology

has become very advanced over the years and we use it every day. Technology is more than

just a tool; it’s a way of life.

First, technology allows for higher crop productivity. Crops are limited to where they can

grow or how much a crop can produce due to genetics. Biotechnology is a way we can

genetically change crops. Biotechnology is the use of genetically modifying plants’ ability to

adapt to climates they normally can not. In the online article published by Best Food Facts, it

supports the idea of genetically modified crops are a positive investment in agricultural

technology (Best Food Facts). Also, technology allows us to determine climates such as dry

climates and soil types which are needed to help identify what nutrients are lacked and which

are beneficial to the crops growth. Crops have many different reactions to types of fertilizers,

which are used to add nutrients to the soil. We can use soil tests to “predict the probability of

crop responses to application of fertilizers” (Kamprath). Irrigation is one way we can now grow
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crops in dry climates. Without technology, crops could not be grown in desert areas where

water is not present but through irrigation.

Second, technology has positively impacted agriculture by making farming practices

easier and more convenient. The advancements in farm equipment is one example. According

to research, “Now a farmer can cultivate on more than two acres of land with less labor”

(Ramey). After crops are planted and harvested, they need a way to get transported.

Technology has improved the ways we can now transport them. For example, crops used to

have to be transported by railroads, but now can be transported by an airplane and be at its

destination within a day.

The third way technology has improved agriculture is by reducing the impact it has on

the natural ecosystem. Natural resources are non-replenishable, so finding ways to conserve

what little of them we have is very crucial to the environment. Some people will say modern

technology in agriculture is bad because the use of new fertilizers to help increase the

productivity in crops and the use of equipment destroys the land. Because of this, farmers have

become more aware of conservation methods such as planting buffer strips between rows of

crops and plowing their fields less often and less deep (IPTV). Buffer strips are, “wide strips of

grass along waterways which are used to trap soil and chemicals before they reach the water”

(IPTV). Plowing fields less often and deep prevents the soil from eroding away.

Lastly, agriculture spans out to more than just farming the land and growing crops;

raising livestock is just as important in farming. With advancements in technology, we can

better and increase our productivity of livestock we use to feed our large population. The

conditions animals live in are completely different than previous generations. Due to research,
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scientists have discovered what types of housing make animals the most comfortable and they

have nutritionists who place the livestock on certain diets which allow them to produce the

most yield possible (Comparing Agriculture of the Past with Today). Just like plants, scientists

can genetically alter and modify animals. Cross breeding animals is something commonly done

because cross breeding animals with different breeds of the same species allow for stronger

and more productive livestock. What we feed our animals is one of the most important factors

which contribute to their growth and to the quality of the products we market from them.

Feeds we manufacture can have extra nutrients added to them to increase output and

ultimately make the animal healthy, which determines its output (Ramey). Another important

part of animal heath is medicine. Antibiotics, implants, parasiticides, modifiers, and vaccines are

all used to help keep the animal free of sickness and to help prevent illnesses animals can easily

contract from being in close living quarters with other animals. All of these uses of technology

with livestock have had an extremely positive impact on our livestock productivity.

Ultimately, agriculture wouldn’t be where it is today without the scientists and

engineers we have working constantly to improve technology. So many factors have changed in

the way we farm plants and animals, including the tools and processes we use in production of

agriculture. Many people will say agriculture is the backbone of the world, and to an extent

they are right. The farmers who run operations on both family owned and on large scales work

extremely hard to provide plant and animal products of all types for a growing population. It is

a tough job which requires a great deal of knowledge and skill which is not easily learned.

Technology is what makes this job easier and more efficient for our farmers and ranchers. All

the research and development put behind agricultural technology does not just benefit
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farmers, it benefits the whole world. Technology isn’t just a tool we use to improve what we

already have, it is a way to better our quality of life.

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Works Cited

“Comparing Agriculture of the Past with Today .” Comparing Agriculture of the Past with Today, 2018,

www.animalsmart.org/animals-and-the-environment/comparing-agriculture-of-the-past-with-

today.

Hersom, Matt, et al. “The Impact of Production Technologies Used in the Beef Cattle Industry.” EDIS

New Publications RSS, Animal Sciences, 5 Feb. 2018, edis.ifas.ufl.edu/an272.

“How Technology Helps Crops Grow.” Best Food Facts, 15 October 2015, www.bestfoodfacts.org/how-

technology-helps-crops-grow/.

Kamprath, Eugene J. “Relevance of Soil Testing to Agriculture and the Environment .” Relevance of Soil

Testing to Agriculture and the Environment, June 2000,

www.iatp.org/sites/default/files/Relevance_of_Soil_Testing_to_Agriculture_and_t.htm.

Ramey, Karehka. “Use of Technology In Agriculture.”Techucation, 24 November 2012,

www.useoftechnology.com/technology-agriculture/.

“The Science and Technology of Agriculture.” IPTV, 2018,

www.iptv.org/iowapathways/mypath/science-and-technology-agriculture.