The farm of the future

If you’re a lover of history, you’ve probably heard of the name, Nostradamus.  Nostradamus was a 16th-century French philosopher that is most famous for making scary accurate predictions about the future.  Some of those predictions include Napoleon, the Fire of London, the French Revolution, and even the JFK assassination.  For kicks, giggles, and as a good example, allow me to put on my Nostradamus Prediction Hat.  

Be it foretold that soon will come a day where the farmland becometh scarce.  Long gone will be the days of vast fields of crops.  In their wake will be warehouses as tall as the sky, filled with metal frames and metal robots.  However, these spaces will not only be filled with metal but also with greenery.  Greenery from crops and plants and money along this metal landscape.   

Ok, off with that hat.

As cities grow and more land is developed for houses, shopping centers, and amusement parks, farmland will slowly become a rare commodity.  Especially near large cities where fewer and fewer acres will be devoted to growing crops.  A shift is currently happening that is well ahead of the curb and is supplying urban areas with fresh produce that is locally grown.  That shift is warehouse farms.  These facilities are either new or old factory buildings, shipping containers, or unused space that is converted to an indoor urban farm.  These farms are built to use vertical space efficiently in order to grow as much as possible.  Most grow their produce using hydroponic systems that save 70% more water than regular crops and LED lights that give off the light waves that are specifically needed for plant growth.  Being indoors, crops aren’t affected by outside weather or pests and can grow year round no matter where the farm is located.

Take the video below for example.  In it, Bloomberg shares the story of an urban farmer and her role in creating the future of agriculture.  The growing process is just as scientific as growing regular crops and sometimes even more so.  The upfront costs are high, but once established, the steady year-round profits are well worth the initial investment.

There will always be a place for traditional farms and traditional agriculture.  Even if one day we are 3D printing steaks from home, I guarantee there will always be a market for regular beef or regular crops that are grown out in nature.  But in order for agriculture to continue into the future, it has to evolve with technology.

So what do you think?  Are you in a city that has some operations like this?  Or do you live in a rural community and don’t want to see cities encroach on your land?  Personally, I think even rural communities can and should have operations like the one above.

Now all I’ve got to do is see if Nostradamus said anything about agriculture.  And maybe even if he said anything about the decline of Justin Bieber.

Thanks and see you next time.

– Trevor