Has our food supply system been left naked, as the COVID tide goes out?

Warren Buffets brutal adage that ‘only when the tide goes out can you see who is swimming naked’ seems especially true during this current crisis. Corona virus has exercised more changes on all industries than any similar event in living memory, and none more so than for the US food supply. Everything that has been achieved in the past 40 years to build an efficient, low cost, just-in-time resilient supply chain has equally made it ill prepared for the biblical level events of the past 5 months.

Watching farmers pour millions of gallons of milk down the drain, smashed eggs and crops ploughed back into the ground, it might seem that the Corona virus is simply reminding us of how little has changed in agriculture; farmers still produce copious quantity of commodities that consumers take for granted, and expect the food-tap can be turned on and off at will, even as crises come and go. The reality that it isn’t your grandfathers farm, and soon it won’t look like your parents either, is lost in the media narrative.

Covid-19 has been characterized by a sudden and brutal shift in consumers consumption patterns, with more than half of food spending by US consumers pre-Covid was spent in eating outside the home, in one fell swoop this has been cut by over a quarter, with full service restaurants business down 70%. Farmers are scrambling to adapt their supply chains, and a clear consequence of this change will see more producers investing in processing and packaging their produce on the farm, allowing direct sale and shipping to consumers. Technologies that make this possible include smart packaging, such coating fruit in the field with plant derived protective polymers, longer shelf-life foods such as the UHT milk so prevalent in Europe, and value-added foods like cheeses. Direct relationships between farms and consumers are now made possible by the internet, and farmers are looking at new ways to process and package on the farm, including milk, but direct delivery will be made easier by the development of autonomous vehicles and drones.

During the shutdown farmers have been pleasantly surprised by the ease of technologies such as Zoom, WebX, Skype, and have quickly embraced these as a way to avoid commercial representatives entered the farm. Virtual video conferences have also supplanted farmer meetings, conventions and even technical trainings. While belly to belly selling still carries an importance in the farm world to a great degree than most if not all other industries, technologies that allow virtual meetings have been a huge hit and are an inevitable part of the agribusiness landscape going forwards.

On-line trading platforms to purchase grains, seeds, fertilizers, equipment, spare parts and feeds exist but have a relatively limited penetration rate. The current crisis has made the slow uptake more dramatically obvious and some are offering Covid-19 promotions to get more producers into their pool, seeing the crisis as a chance to grow their business. Blockchain is being backed by leading food companies such as Wal-Mart and the FDA, who see it as a lynchpin to food safety, on both the supply and purchase side, giving more confidence and transparency in trading. Just this last few weeks Dole has joined the dance with an announcement they are integrating IBM’s blockchain across all divisions by 2025.

3-D printing might not seem an obvious friend of the farmer, but for those facing lengthy delays from parts to fix tractors, combines and other equipment the ability to print on your farm is a godsend. Hungry animals and needy crops appreciate it also. Imagine next food being printed in consumers kitchens? This technology is already for sale with food printers available from $2,000.

Virtual reality and augmented reality have already featured in some Universities as a way to teach students more about agriculture, and in the case of horses and cattle veterinarians can be taught without invasive procedures, or the risk of hurting animals. In a world where social distancing is a distinct possibility the ability to use these techniques becomes more attractive.

During the current crisis the growing challenge and availability of qualified farm labor has become more apparent, especially the risk of workers getting sick or strict distancing rules. Robots are one of 8 digital technologies already replacing manual work on farm: milking cows, harvesting fruits, weeding fields, cutting up chicken meat, sorting eggs. Robots do the jobs humans rarely chose when money isn’t an issue, repetitive work with risks and fatigue factors removed. The planting and harvesting of crops can be done by autonomous vehicles and with the advent of soft robots so many more traditional tasks can be reengineered. There are so many jobs in agriculture crying out for automation.

Others are using smart cameras to observe animals, and fields of crops, with machine learning and artificial intelligence interpreting the digital information to give farmers insights delivered to their smart devices. The ability to engage in remote monitoring, to minimize the need for basic labor on the farm, and to make those who remain better at their jobs. IoT will connect all of these devices and data streams together.

Artificial intelligence of course is the game changer for food, helping us make better choices, enhancing the role of farm technicians, veterinarians, nutritionists and extension agents. AI is critical to address productivity, animal welfare and environment.

It is a truism that Corona virus will not leave the world unchanged, and we will embrace fundamental and different ways of doing things. In the case of food, the tsunami of technological change was occurring already, but this crisis has accelerated that trend.

Conclusion. Change is good.

Stay positive- read ‘This Crisis will not define me’ https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/crisis-define-me-aidan-connolly/

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6 ways of making Lemonade out of Lemons

1) Time to Embrace On-Line

2) Training and retrain yourself and your team

3) Human talent & Customer loyalty.

4) Can we do it cheaper, better?

5) Work life balance

6) Change is good

Read more here.. https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2020/04/21/building-business-resilience-through-technology-for-a-post-crisis-world/#13f200ba5567