Agriculture is set for the next big revolution in the next few decades. Many thousands of years ago, developments like horticulture, domestication, the wheel, roads, and non-nomadic life styles collided together and built upon each other exponentially, ushering the first agricultural revolution. Then we had breakthroughs in trains, synthetic fertilizer, refrigerated cars, and all of the other industrialization technologies in the 19th century, which again changed the face of food and how it was grown and distributed. I'm sure I missed a few eras but these are the two big ones.

Now we've got globalization resulting in much cheaper technology and expanded markets, artificial intelligence and machine learning, ultra cheap wireless communication, ubiquitous software, and last but not least, biotechnology. As the latter advances, it will kick everything into high gear, as it already has with companies like Monsanto and Climate Corporation. Even something as simple as eliminating nitrogen from fertilizer through genetic engineering or directed evolution would have a tremendous impact on the sustainability and ecological impact of industrialized farming.

This is a good time for farmers who are always at the mercy of so many variables which they are finally starting to dig into, quantify, and control. Farms, especially smaller ones, are almost always in debt that they have to borrow before every planting and a single underperforming harvest can wipe out the business so all this added certainty is going to do everyone a world of good.