It was an ordinary day. Reading a page in the Lancaster Sunday News titled Generation Z(eal). This page has been a part of the Sunday newspaper for quite some time and is devoted to the opinions of younger Lancaster County, PA residents. A great idea which makes them feel more a part of society and sells more newspapers! The page takes the name from Generation Z to which students ages 19 and younger belong. On this page the voices of county youth are heard on issues that are of concern to them as well as their friends and relatives.
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| Garden Spot High School in Lancaster, PA |
All of the opinion stories in today's lead Sunday News page were written by students from Garden Spot High School which is on the Eastern edge of Lancaster County. I have been writing for quite a few years now about Lancaster being known as the Garden Spot of America, due to it's large agricultural inclination, and yes...we actually have a school known as Garden Spot. As expected, much of this part of the county is farmland and the story I have chosen to share with you today was written by a young girl who lives on a farm. The five stories featured on the front page of the section were all about different topics, but I chose to share the story geared toward farming to show you what Generation Z, or those born born after 2001, think of Lancaster County in their young life. See if you aren't as impressed as I was with the Generation Z girl who has written this opinion. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.
Lancaster County is known for its agricul- ture. People both locally and out of state benefit from the work of our agricul- turalists, as each farm feeds about 144 people.
There are 5,462 farms here in Lancaster County, and our farmland accounts for 68% of our usable surface area. But nationwide, by comparison, the numbers are grim, and they’re getting worse with each passing generation. Farmers and ranchers make up less than 2% of the U.S. population.
I am an active, four-year member of Garden Spot High School’s FFA program. I am curious how we might use the power of modern technology to positively impact farmers, in order to ensure that their crucial services extend into future generations.
Katie Ranck, my agriculture teacher, says, “With a growing population and a smaller number of farmers, we require more efficient ways to produce and preserve food and natural resources. Technology is the tool that will allow us to achieve this.”
It’s not surprising then that many traditional farms in Lancaster County are turning to modern technology to increase productivity and manage resources. Today’s farmers are relying on automation (such as robots and drones) and livestock technology (such as automated milking systems). Farm automation can now tackle everything from seeding and weeding to harvesting, which helps farmers cope with labor shortages. It is also helping to improve worker safety. Additionally, automation provides greater control over processing, storing and distributing products, which helps keep prices lower for consumers.
One of the things that most interests me is the advance- ment in GPS and geographic information systems, which allows for self-driving tractors. One of their main benefits is that they increase the accuracy of planting, which results in a higher crop yield.
Every year, our FFA chapter holds a safe-driving tractor competition, and this year I was excited to participate. I think driverless tractors and how they use computer vision, data science and algorithms “to enable farmers to make informed decisions are remarkable. The platform is capable of monitoring fields and finding...weeds, nutrient deficiencies, disease or insect infestations, water damage and equipment issues.”
By incorporating the latest technology, farmers can work smarter not harder. Traditional farms are moving out, and technological farms are moving in. Agriculture has definitely joined the technology era.
Madelynn Sasso is in grade 11 at Garden Spot High School.
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