I have known noted speaker and author Tom Frey for several years now.  A couple of months ago over lunch I asked him to share some of his insight and forethought into the future of Agriculture with me.  During our discussion, he described the concept of using nano particles or “smart dust” that could be spread-over or implanted-into farmland, as a way to get feedback or data from your fields, and as a way to “program” desired responses to those situations.  I asked Tom to share a little more detail on this topic via a guest blog post and here is his response.

Guest blog post by Tom Frey

Reinventing Property Rights on the Nano Scale 

Will people in the future sell real estate “information rights” as a separate property right?

By Thomas Frey, Executive Director and Senior Futurist at the DaVinci Institute

    “Science never solves a problem without

    creating ten more.” - George Bernard Shaw

The concept of smart dust has been around for several years now.  “Smartdust” is a hypothetical network of tiny wireless microelectromechanical systems including sensors, robots, or other devices, installed with wireless communications, that can detect anything from light, to temperature, to vibrations, to chemical composition, etc.

The smartdust concept was introduced by Kristofer S. J. Pister at the University of California in 2001, although similar ideas existed in science fiction before then.

As an extension of this idea, I’ve become very intrigued with the concept of floating particles that emit signals, and some of the legal implications of who actually owns the particles and the information that flows out of them.

I have no doubt that we will see a great variety of MEMS-size sensors powered by radio frequency signals within the next few years.  These will undoubtedly get smaller over time and come with greater and greater capabilities.

Sensing capabilities will include GPS locator signals for geographical perspective and proximity, temperature, moisture, barametric pressure, sound, light, electrical activity, and various chemical sensitivitities.  Smart dust particles will be linked into a mesh-type network, relaying information from point to point, sending small signals out in a small radius, in all directions.

Scientists are studying the use of magnetism at the nanoscale to monitor and control biological activity at the cellular and even the single-molecule level.

Property that is imbedded with smart dust will essentially be glowing with information and, by extension, information-hacking possibilities.

Some of the first iterations of smart dust will be quite expensive and each particle will be carefully tracked. But a few innovation cycles later, the price will plummet, and their use will become ubiquitous.

If we consider the fact that real estate is sold today apart from the ownership of water and mineral rights, will people in the future sell “information rights” as a separate property right?

Smart dust will likely pose the ultimate intrusion into our personal lives.  With particles that can be “sprinkled” throughout buildings, offices, parking lots, on furniture, and even embedded into our pets, the streams of information coming from all around us will, on one hand, be praised as our best friend, and almost in the same breath, condemned as our worst enemy.

Information particles that are able to predict coming earthquakes and switch water sprinklers on and off, will also be capable of tracking our every movement.  Some scientists even envision the day when each individual plant will have a tiny built-in biosensor and clock that signals its exact needs at exactly the right time.

Another dimension to this is magnetism that switches intracellular activities like protein synthesis or color change on and off.  If current work succeeds, what impact might this have on plants? Will farmers be able to boost the vitamin content – and economic value – of a vegetable overnight with a tiny jolt of magnetism?

But lest we assume smart dust only comes as loose, randomly positioned particles, new car models are already populated by sensors, similar to the ones now being embedded in clothing.

Smart dust may also be pressed or molded into building materials such as bricks, shingles, drywall, and concrete.  It can be imbedded into our streets, sidewalks, parks and playgrounds.  It can be forged into metals, plastics, and even placed into our water supplies and sewage systems.

With thousands of smart dust particles in the body of a car, owners will be able to track external temperatures on the outside of the car, metal fatigue and corrosive effects of street chemicals, proximity of other vehicles, and the overall comfort level of the occupants.

A house with smart dust embedded in the roof will be able to track the sun’s movement throughout the day and open and close vents inside the home to better regulate temperatures and airflow.

Trees embedded with smart dust will enable forestry officials to track moisture and nutrient levels, bug and disease problems, the effects of herbicides and pesticides, and monitor other growth issues.  Sensors that tell farmers when to irrigate wine grapes are already being tested.

With all of these possibilities being contemplated the question arises about the difference in value between regular property and smart property.  Is a property with rich and accurate data flowing from the ground worth more?  Will it provide a substantially better rate of return on the investment than other property?  And if so, under what circumstances?

About

Thomas Frey is the Executive Director and Senior Futurist at the DaVinci Institute and currently Google’s top rated futurist speaker.  At the Institute, he has developed original research studies, enabling him to speak on unusual topics, translating trends into unique opportunities.

Tom continually pushes the envelope of understanding, creating fascinating images of the world to come.  His talks on futurist topics have captivated people ranging from high level of government officials to executives in Fortune 100 companies including NASA, IBM, AT&T, Hewlett-Packard, Lucent Technologies, First Data, Boeing, Ford Motor Company, Qwest, Allied Signal, Hunter Douglas, Direct TV, Capital One, National Association of Federal Credit Unions, Bell Canada, American Chemical Society, and many more.

Because of his work inspiring inventors and other revolutionary thinkers, the Boulder Daily Camera has referred to him as the “Father of Invention”.  The Denver Post and Seattle Post Intelligencer have referred to him as the “Dean of Futurists”.

Before launching the DaVinci Institute, Tom spent 15 years at IBM as an engineer and designer where he received over 270 awards, more than any other IBM engineer.

Turning a profit is the goal of every farming operation large and small.  In times like these, when the cost of daily inputs are skyrocketing, it is more important than ever to be as profitable as possible.  The most obvious step is cutting costs.  The tricky part is cutting costs while maintaining quality and ample productivity to keep the whole business functioning cohesively.

Here are a few ideas to help you get lean and mean…

1.       Do you really need to own it?  Let’s face it, most people are not very big on sharing.  You may be surprised though how much good it can be to share which cuts your capital expenditure.  Owning a lot of specialized equipment is expensive.  When you consider operating, maintenance and purchase costs, it’s a lot more than you think it is.  Now take that same piece of expensive equipment and share it with your neighbor and/or father in-law, the numbers aren’t quite so painful.  To be on the safe side, it is always a good idea to have something in writing should there be any confusion as to who gets it when and for what explicit purpose. 

2.       To till or not to till?  This is a topic that could be argued over for days.  From the cost cutting perspective though, it is one of the best things going - for your wallet as much as the environment.  Not tilling saves about 3.5 gallons of diesel per acre.  Based on a 1,000 acre tract of land and today’s diesel prices of about $4.50 per gallon that results in a $4,5000 savings.  (Try this calculator for your farm: Clink Here to Launch Calculator )

3.        Plant a tree!    It may not seem like a lot but just planting a trees and shrubs can save you boatloads on heating and cooling costs in addition to providing wind breaks to reduce erosion.  During the summer you get shade and during the winter trees function as a natural and attractive windbreak.  Evergreen trees like cedars are ideal because they have flexible limbs and are resistant to wind damage that may occur with more brittle types of trees.  Evergreen’s also produce very little mess and grow in a variety of soil types. 

4.       Managing the muck.   Every year huge amounts of money is poured into the soil as fertilizer.  All the while, the manure heap at the barn grows and grows producing it’s own realm of problems.  Cure both problems and reuse the manure as field fertilizer.  By using manure as fertilizer, you can cut costs by up to $85 an acre based on a 1,000 acre tract.  (Source: NRCS)

 

5.       Use Precision Ag.  New technology has proven useful to the farmer as well as the techie.  (The boys at NASA are actually behind this idea, hunting for a practical application for satellite technologies).  GPS (Global Positioning) Technology has been tailored to provide farmers with an accurate aerial view of crop land.  By doing this, input needs can be more accurately estimated, as well as sowing density.  The big idea is to be more flexible in crop management.  Considering the money and expertise involved in this endeavor, it is important to work closely with others in the area to make it a benefit across the board.  (http://southeastfarmpress.com/mag/farming_precision_agriculture_study/)

 

These are just a few ideas to help you cut some costs and maximize profits. Feel free to add some other cost cutting tips to the comments below.  Good luck!

UK newspaper The Guardian claims it has laid its hands on a copy of a forthcoming World Bank report on biofuels and world food prices. Unlike many previous analyses which said that biofuels programs were a minimal contributor to food price rises, the rumored World Bank report says that over half of the rise in food prices since 2002 can be attributed to biofuels programs.

The report analyzes a basket of food prices; the basket has risen a total of 140% in price in the last six years. The report attributes about a 15% price rise to higher energy costs and fertilizer expenses, while saying that a 75% price rise is due to the biofuels. I wrote about this back in April, and – if this alleged World Bank report pans out – it looks like I somewhat underestimated the impact that biofuels have had on food prices and somewhat overestimated the impact of fuel and fertilizer.

First off, I’m not 100% convinced that the report is accurate – for one thing, it’s easy for newspapers to get things like this wrong. (especially with non-published reports) Secondly, reports of this nature can be directed by the writer(s) to achieve certain desired argument results.  There are numerous other reports by credible sources that refute this claim that are published and peer reviewed.

Regardless of truth, however, I do not think it’s a huge blow to biofuels. The fact of the matter is that we must make a global move towards renewable energy. That transition is going to involve costs, and higher food prices might be one of them. For many years, the US has been the low cost producer of food for the globe, in much the same way that Saudi Arabia has been the low cost producer of oil – and Saudi Arabia is still the lowest-cost producer, even with oil at $144 a barrel and rising. We will continue to be a food exporter – our huge area of arable land and relatively small population pretty much guarantee that – but at the same time, we have to move towards energy independence for our country. That means developing our own energy infrastructure, both in conventional drilling and in sustainable power sources like nuclear, and by making a serious and sustained commitment to truly renewable sources of power – wind, solar, and biofuels.

If biofuels production does persistently drive higher food prices, then that will create a strong incentive for farmers and agronomists to develop crops that are suited for biofuels production, but that do not displace food crops. In other words, biofuels might end up increasing the size of the total farm economy, rather than just shifting food production to fuel production. Crops like switchgrass and miscanthus are a start, but they tend to grow best on prime farmland – what is needed are plants which provide a decent energy density even when grown on land that isn’t well-suited to food production. That can provide us the best of both worlds – high food production and biofuels production at the same time.

Bottom line; US farmers and people involved in agriculture will be key players the economic future of this country and will be called on to react-to and solve fundamental global need for both food and fuel.