5 Key Takeaways from Tech Hub LIVE 2023
Last week, the annual Tech Hub LIVE Conference and Expo was held in Des Moines, IA. Hosted by CropLife magazine’s parent company, Meister Media Worldwide, this marked the third time Tech Hub LIVE has taken place since the show’s initial outing in 2021.
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According to the numbers, the 2023 version of Tech Hub LIVE was a great success. Over the course of the three-day event, more than 700 attendees were on hand to visit with more than 70 exhibitors and attend almost a dozen educational sessions. There were also a few general sessions, one-on-one interviews with key industry personnel, and the ever-popular Tech Talks, spotlighting important products and concepts for those interested in the world of ag technology.
As always, CropLife representatives were present to see, hear, and record everything that took place July 24-26 at the Iowa Events Center. Here are the five key takeaways from Tech Hub LIVE 2023:
It’s a Women’s Ag Tech World
CropLife magazine hosted the first-ever Women in Ag Tech meeting prior to Tech Hub LIVE. There was also an address to the group from Dr. Karen St. Germain from NASA’s Earth Sciences Division.
Perhaps the biggest news coming out of Tech Hub Live 2023 wasn’t actually part of the main program. On Monday, July 24 – the day before the event officially opened – CropLife magazine hosted the first-ever Women in Ag Tech meeting. Created with the aim of providing a platform for women in the ag tech to connect, engage, and build a community, Women in Ag Tech featured roundtable discussions on a range of industry-related topics. There was also an address to the group from Dr. Karen St. Germain from NASA’s Earth Sciences Division.
According to Lara Sowinski, CropLife Group Editor, the half-day meeting went very well. “We had a nice networking before, during and after the event,” said Sowinski. “Despite all the good food and drink, we were able to get down to work and everyone got invested.”
And this event proved extremely popular. Originally, it was anticipated that approximately 50 women from ag tech would take part in the program. In reality, more than 100 attended the event!
Right now, it is planned that the Women in Ag Tech group will continue meeting on a regular basis. The next such gathering of these women is slated to take place January 21-22, 2024, as part of the annual VISION Conference.
Calling NASA
Dr. Alyssa Whitcraft has led the NASA’s two major agricultural programs: NASA Harvest and NASA Acres.
Speaking of NASA, the keynote speaker for Tech Hub LIVE 2023 was Dr. Alyssa Whitcraft. In her role at NASA, Whitcraft has led the agency’s two major agricultural programs. She is also the Co-Founder and Deputy Director of NASA Harvest, an international program, and Executive Director of NASA Acres, which is focused on the U.S. In her address to attendees, Whitcraft said that she has high hopes for the NASA Harvest Consortium to support a new revolution in ag technology.
“I think public science builds a bigger pie, it’s a public good that hopefully enriches our collective ability to provide on-farm solutions,” said Whitcraft. “It’s really about addressing the solutions that we all know are needed.”
Whitcraft believes that NASA’s role in helping build ag tech is for the public good. “If our objectives are to fight climate change, build a resilient agriculture system that feeds us today and into the future, and maintain the U.S. standing as the largest food exporter in the world,” she said.
We Did Start the Fire(side Chats)
Fireside Chats featured one-on-one interviews with CropLife editors and ag retailers, industry manufacturers, and other experts discussing a whole host of topics.
Back again this year was the series of Fireside Tech Chats. Introduced at the Tech Hub LIVE 2022 show, these one-on-one interviews with event attendees proved popular enough with visitors that an entire new batch of sit-downs took place at the 2023 show as well. Led by CropLife Group Editor Lara Sowinski and Editor Eric Sfiligoj, this year’s Fireside Chats featured 17 ag retailers, industry manufacturers, and other experts discussing a whole host of topics, ranging from software systems specifics to drone applications (more on this topic in a bit!). In our minds, we thought Tech Hub LIVE attendees might like hearing from their industry peers on these kinds of issues.
Boy, did they ever! To most of us at the show, perhaps the most surprising thing about the Fireside Chats was the crowds they attracted. Taking place just outside the main exhibit floor, the Fireside Chats area had seating for approximately 20 people. After witnessing the standing-room-only crowd that had gathered for the first few chats, the convention center personnel kept adding more chairs for folks to sit in.
It didn’t help. Despite increasing the chair capacity, standing crowds were the norm throughout all of the Fireside Chats held during the event. Needless to say, these will return for the 2024 show.
Drones Dominate
At Tech Hub LIVE 2023, not only were numerous drone manufacturers on hand displaying their products for attendees to see, but much of the show chatter indicated that many ag retailers are actively employing drones in their scouting and application businesses.
One of the most surprising things about this year’s Tech Hub LIVE was all of the talk regarding drones. Although this form of ag technology has been around for approximately a decade now, the segment hasn’t gained much traction with ag retailers and growers.
Until now, that is. At Tech Hub LIVE 2023, not only were numerous drone manufacturers on hand displaying their products for attendees to see for themselves, but much of the show chatter indicated that many ag retailers are actively employing drones in their scouting and application businesses. Examples of this trend included at least two of the titles for Fireside Chats (“Aerial Application and Drones: Partners or Competitors” by Frenchmen Valley Coop and “Frontier’s Experience with Drones: The Positives and the Negatives” by Frontier Cooperative). Many other Fireside Chats on different topics also eventually gravitated to the topic of drones as well.
And perhaps this shouldn’t be that much of a surprise. In his ending general session address, Bruce Erickson, Agronomy Education Distance and Outreach Director at Purdue University, reported that, according to the findings from the 2023 CropLife/Purdue Precision Ag Adoption Survey, drones/UAVs being used for application work has increased among ag retailers from 14% in 2021 to 32% today.
“And the anticipation, according to the dealers surveyed, is that percentage will reach 54% over the next two years,” said Erickson.
Artificial Intelligence Speculation
Artificial intelligence (AI) was a hot topic discussed throughout Tech Hub LIVE 2023, including during Tech Talks.
Besides drones, the other big technology news being discussed at Tech Hub LIVE 2023 was artificial intelligence (AI). Over the past few months, the general public has been introduced to many AI-powered software systems and robots. In the agricultural world. AI has made a name for itself in the world of equipment – specifically prototype AI-run tractors, combines, and spreaders. The latest such innovation would be the host of “smart spraying systems” now being introduced by the major ag equipment makers such as Fendt/AGCO, Case IH, New Holland, and John Deere.
In spite of all this attention, the majority of Tech Hub LIVE attendees believe the widespread adoption of AI into agriculture will still take some time to accomplish. Most of the folks CropLife talked with plan to take a “wait and see” approach – with an emphasis on the “see” part. “I want to see some of these systems working in other fields before I would be willing to try them on my own” was a common refrain.
Still, according to Matt Carstens, President/CEO at Landus Cooperative, AI will inevitable be employed by ag retailers and growers to aid in their field works. “AI will be another important tool in improving operational efficiency for our market,” said Carstens.
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