TRAINING THE NEXT GEN IN AG

摘要

If you peek into high school classrooms across the U.S., you will find students of different races, ethnicities, genders, religions, and backgrounds. However, there is one thing these nearly 15 million students have in common: They are digital natives. They have grown up with access to digital tools. The concept of digitalization is so entrenched in American culture that most children today can make a swiping motion on a touch screen before they know how to speak.Digitalization not only impacts future generations but also has effectively transformed agriculture. Tractors today are equipped with direct connections to satellites in space. Unmanned aerial vehicles scout fields and report crop damage. Robots have been developed to harvest labor-intensive fruits and vegetables. And it is all happening at lightning speed."Today, the ag/biosciences bring together production agriculture, life sciences, human health, engineering of all kinds, computer science, coding, and so much more," says Beth Bechdol, president and CEO of AgriNovus Indiana. "The sector is bursting withcutting-edge technology, science, and research - from genomics and biologies to artificial intelligence, robotics, sensors, and digital imagery. The industry is still changing at an accelerated pace because of technology advancements and the numerous connection points to other industries."