S3 E19 Seb Boyer from Farmwise: AI to help feed the world

In this talk

1. 3:07

   Farm technology and its tradeoffs

   Boyer traces major farming technology shifts from synthetic fertilizer and tractors to chemicals, GMOs, and GPS. He says U.S. farms use about the same acreage as in 1900, while the share of people involved in food production fell from about 40% to 2%, and corn yield per acre increased five- to sixfold. He also describes costs: the Haber-Bosch process accounts for nearly 2% of global CO₂ emissions, while agricultural chemicals can harm farmers, wildlife, and possibly consumers.

2. 14:39

   Precision farming with AI and robotics

   Boyer sees AI and robotics helping farmers use fewer chemicals, water, labor, and eventually land by tailoring actions to individual plants. He contrasts field-wide treatment with plant-by-plant decisions and says precision technology could make diverse cropping systems less labor-intensive. He expects outdoor farms to remain important, with indoor farming suited to particular niches.

3. 29:22

   FarmWise’s mechanical weeding system

   FarmWise builds tractor implements with cameras and computers that identify plants, locate them in 3D, and guide small blades to cut weeds without herbicides. Boyer says the weeds are treated while small and can be left on the soil to dry. The company initially offered per-acre weeding services and had begun selling newer machines directly to farmers, mainly in California and Arizona.

4. 33:22

   Data, models, and field-ready hardware

   Boyer says FarmWise built its own dataset because suitable farm plant images were not readily available; it had collected close to a billion plant images. The company moved from crop-specific models to larger models trained across about a dozen plant species, which improved accuracy and reduced the chance of a user selecting the wrong crop model. Custom lighting, cameras, and fast robotic arms help the system cope with shadows, dust, water, and uneven ground.

5. 48:10

   Expanding the technology and its applications

   FarmWise is adapting its software and image-capture systems for other farm equipment and tasks such as fertilizing, spraying, and harvesting. Boyer also describes work to extend the technology beyond vegetables to crops such as corn and soybeans, as well as fruit trees. He points to genetics and soil bacteria as promising areas of agricultural innovation outside FarmWise’s core focus.