Agribusiness CEO: Future Depends on Tech
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowThe chief executive officer of a northern Indiana crop production, sales and service company believes the only way to feed future generations will be through the use of technology like the Internet of Things. Kip Tom of Tom Farms in Leesburg was part of the IndyIoT 2016 event Wednesday at Launch Fishers. He says the agriculture industry is tasked with doubling the global food supply by 2050 and current technologies can "only get us part of the way there." In an interview with Inside INdiana Business, Tom said tech is already a key part of daily life for farmers.
He says IoT technology helps his company manage their crops and acreage "in the best possible means we can" by helping bring together into one platform all the measurements, monitoring and controls happening throughout the operations. "The other side of it is there’s a lot of tools available for all producers today that help them manage their agrinomics needs on their farm." Tom points to technology that sends real-time alerts about irrigation levels, need for chemical applications and even repair work for equipment and machinery. He says the analytics provided by Internet of Things capabilities helps his company and other producers make "better management decisions."
Tom Farms has production areas in Elkhart, Huntington, Kosciusko, Marshall, Noble, Wabash and Whitley counties, as well as Argentina. The global company is a seed corn, tomato, corn and soybean supplier for partners including DeKalb.