Te Aqua-Yield team (as shown left to right): Warren Bell, Chairman/Co-Founder; Brian Weaver, Director of Operations; Clark T. Bell, CEO/ Co-Founder; Mike Bullock, COO/Co-Founder; and Dr. Landon Bunderson, Chief Science Officer.

to the agribusiness supply chain in our short history. It helps ratify that what we’re doing with our technology is great for the environment and great for the grower.”

Bell adds, “All of the team at Aqua-Yield is excited and pleased Dr. Bunderson is being recognized as one of the best new product developers in America. He is an innovator who never accepts the status quo. His curious and skeptical mind has led the Aqua-Yield technology to ever higher levels.”

Aqua-Yield accepted these prestigious awards during a ceremony at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York on June 20, 2017.

Clark Bell’s Vision for the Future “lndustry experts say 15 percent of agriculture is now using precision. I’m not sure that’s an accurate statistic. I see people using some precision, but not on the whole farm. Looking ahead, the internet of things (IoT), drone technology, GPS-enabled farm equipment, artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics will drastically change the agricultural market.

“Precision application technology is available for agricultural equipment now. We’re using it on our sod farm. A sensor mounted on the spray rig analyzes conditions and relays information to the sprayer instructing it to apply or not apply its liquid product to the specific area it moves across. Te sprayer can shut off and then turn back on in unlimited cycles.

“Aqua-Yield is currently in 31 states in the U.S. We’re able to showcase its performance in specific geographic regions via the internet so that the warm-season and cool-season turfgrass producers can see it and learn more about it. Artificial intelligence tools will become available through the internet to use on a wide range of crops.

“In ten years there will be tremendous opportunities 60

for farmers to use advanced technology. Some will incorporate precision analysis and application. Others will replace the need for human labor through automation and robotics. Innovations in nanotechnology will alter products and how they are utilized by plants and by people. Scientists are predicting a world-wide population of 9.7 billion by 2050. Without advances in technology, we’ll not be able to sustain that many people.

“I’m sure there will be barriers to adapting advanced technology, many triggered by resistance to change, both personal and generational. Millennials see and understand the need to adapt to the technology. Many baby boomers don’t. Gen Z will embrace it. Tis is the cycle.

“I’m 33 now, part of the Oregon Trail generation. When I was in second grade, that software was on our classroom computer and was considered cutting edge. My 7-year-old is in second grade now and she uses her iPad for her school work. To her, that level of technology is expected.

“Landon and I often talk about what technology will do to make our lives better. Will we have something with magnet-like power embedded in our fingers to facilitate industrial labor or to enable those with limiting physical disabilities to hold objects, such as a fork or a toothbrush? Ten years from now will technology literally be at our fingertips?

“I talked with a close friend who is tied to agricultural technology in Georgia and he anticipates the proliferation of innovative products, and the aggressive marketing of them, will make it difficult to select the best option. It will take the best technology coupled withthe best organization to excel in the marketplace.”

Clark T. Bell is CEO of Aqua-Yield. Suz Trusty is co-editor of Turf News.

All photos courtesy of Clark T. Bell. TPI Turf News July/August 2017