The Killer Hiding in Our Crops… And How AI Can Eliminate It

Colin’s note: The Legacy offices are officially closed for the holidays.

So over the break, my team and I will be featuring a sort of “best of The Bleeding Edge” series of insights from the past year.

First up, we’re spotlighting an issue we published back at the beginning of November.

It’s an exposé of a quiet killer hidden in plain sight… A poison in our food and water supply – the herbicide glyphosate.

The primary compound in the popular weedkiller Roundup, glyphosate has been associated with cases of various cancers… diabetes… hormonal imbalances… and cardiovascular disease.

Fortunately, there’s a new era of farming coming… one that eliminates the need for flooding fields with risky chemicals and instead utilizes artificial intelligence for precision weed and pest control.

There’s a hidden poison in our soil… food… and water. 

More than 80% of Americans have traces of it in their bodies.

It’s destroying our gut health and disrupting our hormonal systems. 

And kids exposed to this poison are more likely to suffer from liver cancer, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease later in life.

This hidden killer is glyphosate. 

Farmers use it as an herbicide. They spray it on the crops we eat to kill a variety of weeds.

They also use it to clear land for planting. They even use it to dry out wheat, barley, and other crops before harvesting them.

Agrochemical giant Monsanto used glyphosate in its controversial weed killer, Roundup.

In 2018, German drugmaker Bayer bought Monsanto. And after settling thousands of lawsuits over health issues caused by Roundup, Bayer stopped selling it to residential consumers this year.

But commercial farmers still have access to the original formula… And farmers have been using even more glyphosate-based weed killers despite the alarming potential effects of the herbicide.

This puts our health at risk. Worse, it puts our children’s health at risk. 

Thankfully, we can now use AI-powered drones to create a new kind of weed killer. 

So, today, let’s look at this new technology and how you can profit.

Food Supply Threat

First, it’s important to understand how high the stakes are. 

You see, better control of weeds isn’t just about better health. It’s also critical for the world’s food supply.

Weeds take nutrients from the soil that are intended for crops. 

For example, a 2016 study from researchers at Kansas State University showed that weeds left to grow out of control would eliminate about half of the corn and soybean crops in the U.S. 

That’s not just bad for our food supply. It’s bad for farmers, too. They lose money when weeds destroy their crops. 

It’s a lose-lose deal.

So, farmers go to great lengths to spray their crops with herbicide. And farmers with a lot of land use airplanes to help them do that.

Where I live in California, crop dusting planes fly overhead daily. The problem is a staggering 95% of the spray is wasted. 

That’s where AI-powered drones come in.

Spray as a Service

Take Precision AI. It’s one of several startups that are creating innovative solutions for farmers.

The Canadian company has trained an AI with more than 15,000 images of plants. These include common weeds that grow close to corn, wheat, soybeans, and other crops. 

An AI-piloted drone uses a high-resolution camera to spot weeds below with 96% accuracy. Then instead of the farmer spraying his entire fields with herbicide, the drone uses a targeted spray to kill the weeds.

Precision AI has a unique business model. It calls it “Spray as a Service.” 

It’s like the Software-as-a-Service – or SaaS – model. That’s where you pay a monthly subscription to access software services in the cloud.

Farmers don’t need to buy expensive equipment. They pay per acre instead. In some cases, this cuts their pesticide costs by 80-90%. 

That’s hugely promising – not just for farmers, but also for us as consumers. Cutting the use of harmful chemicals turns that lose-lose deal into a win-win.

But we’re not there yet…

New Era of Farming

Government regulation is still a hurdle. 

Today, the law requires farmers to use human drone pilots instead of AI pilots. 

They need a trained human pilot on site to fly the drone. And building networks of pilots takes time and is costly.

But pending regulatory approval, these drones are capable of self-operating. We’re talking independent takeoff, flight, and landing – all controlled by AI. 

Many people don’t see it yet. But we’re entering a new era in farming. And it will be more efficient, less wasteful, and less harmful to our health.

Soon, every large farm will have a self-operating weed-killer drone. Just like they all have tractors now.

And that just scratches the surface of what AI-powered drones can do.

Drones Can Go Anywhere

The Federal Highway Administration (FHA) and the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) are using drones to inspect bridges, roads, and tracks.

This gives them a bird’s eye view of any damages they need to repair.

The top four U.S. utility companies use drones to inspect their power lines and facilities.

And Shell, the Anglo-Dutch oil major, is using drones to inspect its oil and gas rigs and mines. It’s found gas leaks, abnormal heat sources, and wildlife in the company’s mines. 

Companies are also exploring using drones for deliveries.

As we looked at in these pages recently, Amazon is rolling out delivery drones at its one-day fulfillment centers. Since 2022, Amazon has already delivered hundreds of items via drone in College Station, Texas.

Doctors are even using drones to deliver medical supplies to remote areas.

That’s why I’m so excited about this trend. It will transform a wide range of industries and sectors. Ten years from now, autonomous drones will be a regular sight. They’ll be working fields, delivering packages, and inspecting our homes and buildings. 

This is a huge opportunity for us as technology investors. It’s an entirely new industry that is about to be built from scratch. And we have the chance to invest on the ground floor.

Invest in the “Brains” of AI

One of the easiest ways to play it is by investing in the “brains” of AI – advanced semiconductors.

Drones, and their AI pilots, need advanced semiconductor chips for the complex calculations they rely on. As demand for drones and other AI-powered tech increases, so will the demand for chips.

That’s why I’ve shared a new chipmaker recommendation with Near Future Report subscribers. Its technology is being used to make most of the high-end chips on the market. And it’s already pioneering technology for the next even faster generation of chips. 

And if you’re not a subscriber, don’t worry. The second best option is to buy the VanEck Semiconductor ETF (SMH).

This exchange-traded fund (ETF) holds a basket of chipmakers. It offers you broad exposure to growth in AI applications.

Regards,

Colin Tedards
Editor, The Bleeding Edge

P.S. Until we get rid of glyphosate from our food, I want you to know how to cut your exposure to it.

Eat organic foods or grow your own herbs and veggies. This is glyphosate-free. And filter your drinking water. I also have high-quality bottled water delivered to my home every week. It’s cleaner water. Also, it allows me to stockpile several bottles just in case of an emergency.