Over the last few years, technology has become increasingly integrated into everyday life, and agriculture is no exception. For farming operations, new technology has helped take some of the workload off employees while making farm management more efficient.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is playing a growing role in this transformation, shifting modern agriculture from manual labor toward data-driven, automated systems. These technologies range from precision irrigation and weed and pest control to autonomous machinery.
Monmouth native Preston Schrader is taking AI in a different direction. Schrader created Clevis AI, a tool designed to help grain farmers manage their operations and farm data.
“I had this thought that eventually technology is going to get to the place where you know this farmer can manage all this stuff without having to acquire headcount, like the full-time staff that would require him to have some extra time,” said Schrader.
“So, fast forward, AI tools came out. I’ve always been a technology guy, and I had this idea of starting Clevis. The idea is based on the fact that only a farmer knows what Clevis means. So Clevis is the connector that connects a tractor to an implement. In the same way, Clevis is designed to connect every aspect of your farm, so that the AI has contextual knowledge of your operation and can give recommendations and advice based on your specific data, which is kind of unique. “
While Clevis is currently a grain-focused AI system with a Midwest base, Preston said he is looking to expand to more southern-based crop data and livestock operations.
