by Matt Hopkins, CropLife magazine
Smart technology is no longer a novelty in agriculture. It is becoming a foundational part of how farmers and ag retailers plan, operate, and respond to shifting conditions. As the 2026 season approaches, the industry is entering a new phase where connectivity, decision intelligence, and human-centered automation converge to deliver more practical value on the ground.
To better understand what is changing and why, we spoke with three industry leaders: Reinder Prins, Head of Marketing at Agworld; Mike Roudi, CEO of Emergent Connext; and Tim Hassinger, President and CEO of Intelinair.
Here are the six trends they say will define agricultural technology in 2026.
1. Adoption Accelerates Where Value Is Proven
Smart technology adoption continues to rise, but it is still uneven across farm sizes and regions. Prins described the landscape as “steady but uneven,” noting that larger, service-driven operations are leading the charge while smaller farms remain cautious.
In 2026, he expects adoption to climb in areas where tools clearly improve margins. “We will see more interest in planning tools and variable rate applications because they save on costs and help manage risk,” he said. Government and private incentives tied to carbon and sustainability reporting will also encourage participation. “Paperwork pain is real, and anything that reduces it will bring people in.”
2. AI and Generative AI Become Field-Ready Decision Partners
AI has been present in agriculture for years, but often in a way farmers do not directly see. “Most AI on the farm today is still under the hood,” Prins said. It powers yield prediction, disease models, irrigation scheduling, and imagery interpretation. What farmers see is not the model, but the alert or recommendation that comes from it.
Generative AI will shift this dynamic. Prins expects it to act more like a conversational agronomy assistant. “It will explain why a recommendation was made and compare scenarios,” he explained. The real breakthrough will come when AI agents work across multiple systems instead of being confined to a single vendor ecosystem.
3. Connectivity and Interoperability Reach a Turning Point
Connectivity has long been one of the biggest barriers to smart tech adoption. That barrier is finally lowering. Prins highlighted the 2024 SpaceX and John Deere partnership as a milestone and pointed to increasing offline-capable tools that reduce dependence on constant connectivity.
Roudi sees even more significant progress. “We are finally seeing purpose-built rural IoT networks come online,” he said. He noted that Emergent Connext is deploying an IoT backbone designed specifically for agriculture. “Farmers do not have to wait. Every enrolled acre receives reliable IoT coverage from day one.”
4. Automation and Robotics Grow More Accessible
Automation continues to advance, but people remain essential. Prins noted that automation performs well on repeatable tasks like mowing or weeding, yet still struggles with context. “When it comes to understanding the whole farm system, we do not have good automation for this yet,” he said. Trust also remains central. “Robots will not replace the relationship between a grower and a good agronomist or retail rep.”
5. Data Intelligence Becomes More Predictive, Practical, and Unified
Predictive and prescriptive analytics are improving but still require human judgment. “They help inform part of a decision, but not the whole decision,” Prins said.
Roudi described the shift underway as a move toward proactive intelligence. “We are moving toward systems that forecast issues and recommend actions before they happen,” he said. That shift depends on clean, consistent, real-time data flowing from the field.
Hassinger has seen analytics become more operational. “It is moving from ‘what might happen’ to ‘what should we do next, and when,'” he explained. These tools support labor, equipment, and product planning while making recommendations more transparent.
6. Retailers Evolve Into Trusted Data and Technology Partners
As technology becomes central to farm operations, the role of ag retailers is shifting. Prins expects retailers to function as both input suppliers and data partners. “The best retailers already bring together agronomy, logistics, data, and compliance,” he said. He anticipates more dedicated digital agronomy teams forming within retail organizations.
Roudi described retailers as future digital integrators. “Their strength is local relationships. Smart tech gives them new tools to deliver insights, not just inputs,” he said.
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