Futurist says US entering 'golden age' of agriculture

Futurist Lowell Catlett

Lowell Catlett, regent's professor and dean and chief administrative officer at New Mexico State University's College of Agriculture, Consumer and Environmental Sciences, speaks at this morning's session of the Northern Soybean Expo in Fargo. Dave Olson / The Forum

FARGO What do cellphones, baby kangaroos and DNA mapping have to do with agriculture?

Potentially, a lot, said futurist Lowell Catlett, a featured speaker today at the 2013 Northern Soybean Expo at the Fargo Holiday Inn.

With the cost of buying a home the lowest its ever been in the United States and the price of food the lowest its ever been when compared to incomes, Catlett said the resulting jump in disposable income is creating oodles of new markets just waiting for farm producers to exploit.

Agriculture is now in its golden age, said Catlett, regents professor and dean and chief administrative officer at New Mexico State Universitys College of Agriculture, Consumer and Environmental Sciences.

On the subject of cellphones, Catlett said someday soon they may be used by farmers to diagnose crop diseases on the spot.

And he said advances in DNA science make it easier for ag producers to brand their products and prove quality, which he said will be essential for instilling confidence in buyers overseas.

And baby kangaroos?

Catlett said researchers who explored why baby kangaroos take so long to emerge from their mothers pouch discovered that the longer the youngsters stayed close to their moms, the stronger their immune systems were when they did enter the world.

Read more:
Futurist says US entering 'golden age' of agriculture