By Jay Waagmeester, Florida Phoenix
In Summary:
The University of Florida has begun construction on its new Center for Applied Artificial Intelligence in Agriculture, a major investment in technology-driven farming based at the Gulf Coast Research and Education Center in Hillsborough County. During a presentation to the Florida Senate Committee on Agriculture, UF professor Nathan Boyd said AI-driven tools — including precision spraying, automated harvesting, and real-time crop monitoring — could dramatically reduce labor demands and boost production statewide.
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Artificial intelligence and robots have the potential to boost agricultural production — and their possibilities are only beginning, a University of Florida researcher told the Florida Senate last week.
UF broke ground this month on the Center for Applied Artificial Intelligence in Agriculture at the Gulf Coast Research and Education Center in Hillsborough County.
Related: How urban farms can make cities more livable and help feed America.
According to Nathan Boyd, a professor at UF studying weed science and the center's associate director, artificial intelligence will provide a 35% boost to agricultural production, including in Florida, by 2030.
“We’re just seeing the start of what artificial intelligence and robotics can do in agriculture,” Boyd said while presenting to the Senate Committee on Agriculture.
Using AI to target crop spraying and harvesting could reduce pesticide use and streamline processes once handled by humans, he said.
“Labor is a critical issue. The reason it’s becoming more of an issue is, number one, we do have aging farm operators — that’s part of it. We also do not have, or have a very, very small, domestic labor force for agriculture, which means we’re relying on labor outside our domestic population, and the result has been labor shortages. And if you look at population trends here and in other countries, this is going to get worse, not better,” Boyd continued.
As of May 2024, Florida had 9,640 crop, nursery, and greenhouse workers, the second-most in the United States, behind only California, which has more than 10 times as many workers, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach metropolitan area had the highest number in the state and the 11th most nationwide.
As of April, Florida farmers paid near the bottom of the nation to field crop workers at $15.71 per hour, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Earlier this year, in the thick of legislative debate over cracking down on illegal immigration, Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson predicted the effort would not affect farm labor. About two-thirds of crop farmworkers in the U.S. are immigrants, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. At the time, Simpson said H2A visas give permission to “the vast majority” of farmers to hire foreign nationals on a temporary basis.
“We have to come up with a solution for, ‘How are we going to continue to grow the food that we do in Florida, understanding that we feed our country in the wintertime? How are we going to continue to do that with fewer people?’ So, here comes the robots,” Boyd said.
As technology improves, so do yields and product quality, Boyd said. Technology can monitor plant health and development.
The technology, although often more accessible to larger growers, can be developed for small growers, according to Boyd.
Upon groundbreaking for the center, the Florida Department of Commerce named agricultural technology a new target industry. That means the state recognizes it as having a high potential to generate “significant returns on investment through job creation, innovation, and long-term growth.”
Key Points:
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UF estimates a 35% production boost by 2030, driven by AI-driven tools that improve precision, reduce waste, and streamline farm operations.
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Labor shortages are worsening, driven by aging farm operators, limited domestic labor, and a heavy reliance on immigrant and H-2A visa workers.
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Robotics and AI can reduce pesticide use by targeting only affected areas and automating tasks that traditionally require large labor forces, such as harvesting.
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Florida broke ground on a new AI agriculture center, positioning the state as a leader in agritech research and development.
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Agricultural technology is now a designated target industry, recognized by the Florida Department of Commerce for its potential to generate jobs, innovation, and long-term economic growth.
