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The Future of Farming - Agriculture in the 21st
Century
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PROWL™ is proud to join the Ontario Corn Producers' Association in supporting this first annual essay competition on "The Future of Farming - Agriculture in the 21st Century," which drew 150 entries from forward-looking young agricultural entrepreneurs across Ontario. For his Best Overall Essay, Jason Brownridge wins a $2,500 scholarship. Five other talented writers each receive $1,500 scholarships. The winning essay follows our list of winning essay writers.
Winners
Winning Essay
It was the birth heard round the world. Even those in the most desolate expanses of the planet were shocked with disbelief at the one they called Dolly. Dolly the sheep - or perhaps, Dolly the clone, the first mammal ever to be cloned from a single adult cell - a shrine to the realm of biotechnology, surfaced many disturbing, yet inspiring questions surrounding the future of the agricultural business.
Where is the technological revolution leading Canadian farmers? How does the new-age farmer orient his or her enterprise as we charge into the millennium? What management tools should today's agripreneur grasp hold of to assure a prosperous and profitable future in the twenty-first century?
Technology will change the face of the farm as we know it. The reality of an entire herds of clones, genetically engineered crops, transgenic life forms, and automated machinery, lingers boldly around the corner. The image of the dusty, old farmer out working the fields has somehow outgrown itself. Young farmers of the future must take a more entrepreneurial approach to their trade, taking the productivity of the farm into their own hands instead of relying heavily on marketing boards and government support. The fact is, that support may not always be there and if farmers choose not to jump on the information highway, they may be left behind.
Making use of computers is an invaluable management tool which many farmers are embracing each day. There's nothing to say that farmers can't reap the rewards of the world's mainframe. In fact, experts now suggest there is a direct link between higher production profits and computer literacy, an incentive any successful farmer would be sure to recognize (The Financial Post, Jan. 1994). With practical applications such as inputting feed regimens and production records, filing financial reports to the banks via computer, or even creating an advertising site on the World Wide Web, embracing technology is one of the best competitive edges a Canadian farmer has. Who knows, someday we may be steering our plows and guiding our planters from the confines of our own living rooms with the use of the Global Positioning System. It is all possible!
However, aside from the refreshing prospects of computer use in agriculture, there will be new revelations in other branches of the agricultural field as well. The term "biotechnology" has only come of age in the last ten years or so: however, many experts now agree that biotechnology is the best hope for increasing food production to compensate for the world's climbing population (Maclean's, March 1995). Biotechnology will enable farmers of all types to increase the production of their goods. Canadian ag-biotech companies will devise ways to plant heartier, superior yielding crops, develop enhanced feed regimens for various livestock, and breed genetically manipulated animals for different purposes. The possibilities of genetic cloning and transgenic animals, although a disturbing thought to some, will have limitless and important applications. Researchers could gain access to a group of genetically identical specimens, on which to run various tests and dietary experiments without the inconsistency which existed before. Biotechnologists such as the Roslin Institute in Scotland, have even discovered a method to genetically alter and breed cows which have the ability to produce milk containing a protein beneficial to human infants who can't nurse (Newsweek, March 1997). However, many farmers are questioning whether this revolutionary technology will infringe on the moral and ethical rights of animals. Should geneticists be given the tools to play God? The agricultural community will have to wait and see.
Nonetheless, farmers of the twenty-first century will possess more technological tools
than ever imagined. A frightening concept for many, and a motivating one for others. Milk
your cows with automated parlour milking systems, breed your animals in a test tube, plant
crops with the use of a satellite. Keeping up with technology - computer, biotechnical, or
otherwise - will separate the successful farmers from the failures in the future. Farmers
of the future will be just as likely to be found looking at data on the computer screen as
sitting behind the wheel of a tractor. They must embrace the technology, apply it, and
watch their operations propel into success.
Congratulations to all the scholarship winners!
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