14 GERMINATION.CA MARCH 2018 The Future Cory notes that food security is of ultimate concern to a huge percentage of the world’s population today and that it’s only going to become more important as we march forward. “Various aspects of food security are beyond our con- trol — climate, weather patterns, to a lesser degree global politics and so on,” he says. “That said, things like crop genetics, efficiency-enhanced shifts in the food produc- tion and distribution systems are under our control. This is where SeedMaster and DOT step in. If we don’t think out of the box, we’re more likely to replicate the inef- ficiencies of the past. Out-of-the-box thinking shakes things up, ruffles feathers, creates dialogues and leads to innovation and positive change.” The absence of a good labour source for farms, Norbert adds, is another reason agriculture is going to continue to need innovative thinking. Canadian futurist Richard Worzel agrees. He believes precision ag systems will become more prevalent because there will be fewer people willing or able to become farmers, and Canada will need more systems that both cut down on labour and increase productivity. He notes that “software programs that can watch for you and alert you, can come up with quantitative analysis based on in-depth analysis of massive amounts of data. DOT combines some of that and these systems will only get more common.” While he notes systems like DOT are innovative, they’re not a true form of artificial intelligence. Worzel foresees a possible future where farms may have a true AI that a sub-system like DOT reports to when it runs into a problem, instead of reporting to a human being. As for how he achieves his out-of-the-box thinking, Norbert gives much of the credit to his ability to simply dwell on a problem. “In the first two years, there were very few days I didn’t think about it, some days three hours and some days 11 hours,” he says. “A lot of people would get bored. I don’t consider myself smart beyond the average, but I have the ability to focus intensely on a mechanical prob- lem and come up with solutions.” He adds: “I’ve read that Einstein would think and think and not get very far and go fishing and it would be there. So sometimes taking a break really works well. But when the subconscious mind comes up with some- thing that seems complex, I’ve found it’s really a bunch of simple thoughts that come together.” “WHETHERIT’SASEEDGROWEROR NON-SEED-GROWINGFARMER,THEYDON’T WANTTOLOSEANYTHING,DON’TWANTTO DAMAGESEEDORWASTEANYTHING.” –CoryBeaujot HOW MUCH SEED CAN A SEED CHECK SEED TECH CHECK? Seed testing experts in purity, germination, vigour and seed health. 1-866-980-8324 OFFICE@SEEDCHECK.NET SEEDCHECK.NET LIKE US ON YOUR SEED LAB