June, 2025.
A century ago, orchards were the primary source of income for Parker Flamm’s grandfather and many others in Cobden, a 1,000-person town in southern Illinois. Today, Flamm Orchards is one of the last standing. …. He blames the mass exodus of orchards on the challenges rising labor costs and a shortage of workers pose to an industry where the standard is to do everything by hand, from pruning trees and harvesting to packing and shipping.
Trends suggest that even when it’s ready, AI won’t penetrate farming communities quickly. Technology adoption in farming has lagged compared to other sectors, said Adee Athiyaman, a professor of agricultural marketing at Western Illinois University. … “Small-scale farmers don’t really want to spend time and energy and money on technology, but technology is the way to go if you want to really keep up,” Athiyaman said. … Read More