Farmers, ranchers come together at Farm and Hemp expo to discuss new technology – March 2020

WICHITA FALLS (KFDX KJTL) — The agriculture industry is important to the country, bringing jobs, food, and other products, and Thursday many gathered at the JS Bridwell Ag Center for the Ranch, Farm and Hemp Expo. Despite outside forces trying to change agricultural laws, organizers of this show said it’s important to have events like the Ranch, Farm and Hemp Expo to bring producers and consumers together. “There is a lot of political stuff going on a lot of animal rights activists that are really trying to sweep ag under the rug, and people are really scratching and clawing and trying to make their way through it,” national sales manager Jymmy Haddon said. “It is a really hard way of life, and the farmers and ranchers really need more respect then they get, they keep this country going and they feed us every day.” With technology growing as well in the agriculture industry, new to the event in Wichita Falls this year, a drone that flies over crops and sprays the crop for protection or just to survey and many other uses. “Drones will allow you to get access to a field or anything from spraying to observation to putting down a granular imetry or even seeding no matter what the weather is, which is great because you don’t have to wait for a field to dry out,” Bish Enterprises official John Price said. Another growing technology in the agriculture industry is solar power. Even though this technology has been around for a while, more and more are looking to make the switch because of the many contributing factors. “It helps the environment, but it’s also going to help you save money on your electric bill every month,” S&H Solar salesman Cody Brady said. “Through the time you have the solar on your roof, you use energy everywhere and energy is only going to get more expensive, but solar is going down and down every year. It’s only going to get cheaper for energy cost.” Many technological advances happening in the agricultural industry that will help farmers despite the changes that could change the way agriculture is done in the country.