Smart Tech
Smart Tech Adoption Moving Slowly in Agriculture
May 13, 2026 
Over the past few years, there has been plenty of buzz around the concept of Smart Tech in agriculture. Virtually every trade show during this time span has featured dozens of new products and systems designed to improve the level of technology available to ag retailers and their grower-customers. In particular, artificial intelligence (AI) has stood out in terms of discussion.
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But how much of this is translating into actual usage? And more importantly, where is it taking hold?
Recently, two different surveys of agriculture attempted to answer these questions. The first, conducted by Bushel, tried to find out how growers were using new ag technologies in their operations. In the company’s 2026 State of the Farm report, which surveyed 1,400 growers across the U.S. and Canada, Bushel found that only 14% of respondents are currently using AI tools on their farms today.
Furthermore, half of these (50%) are only using these kinds of Smart Tech innovations to manage their office work such as providing business or financial analysis. Only 25% of the 2026 State of the Farm respondents said that they were using AI for yield prediction or agronomy.
According to Bushel: “[This shows] early adoption centers more on business management than in-field advice.”
Ag retailers are also proceeding cautiously when it comes to adopting Smart Tech. According to a new CropLife Magazine/Purdue University survey looking at how ag retailers make technologies adoption decisions, 42% of retail organizations take more than 12 months to make these kinds of moves. Another 22% of respondents said deciding to adopt a new ag technology takes their companies six to 12 months with 16% needing three to six months to decide. Shorter decision timelines (less than three months) are relatively uncommon (less than 14%).
All this means that although Smart Tech buzz remains high, Smart Tech adoption will likely to be a much slower process for the time being.
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