George Kamide

You know, you'd have to drive more than an hour to get to the other side of the farm. And this, again, 2004. So I want to emphasize where people might think Brazil was at that time. But these farms were run by like five people. Yeah. And they had laser guidance systems on the posts, you know, and the harvesters would just follow this grid that was being projected.

You know, you'd have to drive more than an hour to get to the other side of the farm. And this, again, 2004. So I want to emphasize where people might think Brazil was at that time. But these farms were run by like five people. Yeah. And they had laser guidance systems on the posts, you know, and the harvesters would just follow this grid that was being projected.

So that was my introduction to the level of technology in industrial scale farming and also just the amount of software involved in order to get the gains that they wanted. Like, you can't farm that much land with human labor. It's just kind of impossible. Yeah. And so... Yeah, just kind of considering that cycle, like how is it dependent on technology?

So that was my introduction to the level of technology in industrial scale farming and also just the amount of software involved in order to get the gains that they wanted. Like, you can't farm that much land with human labor. It's just kind of impossible. Yeah. And so... Yeah, just kind of considering that cycle, like how is it dependent on technology?

Why technology is like literally the only way it can be done. And of course, its role in the economy of Brazil at the time and also its role in the larger world economy. So these soy farms were growing soy to feed pigs in China. So you see all of this. And I think, again, as someone who had minimal exposure to this, you think, oh, you are growing this for people.

Why technology is like literally the only way it can be done. And of course, its role in the economy of Brazil at the time and also its role in the larger world economy. So these soy farms were growing soy to feed pigs in China. So you see all of this. And I think, again, as someone who had minimal exposure to this, you think, oh, you are growing this for people.

Like, how much soy could anyone need? And I thought maybe it was soybean oil and some of the stuff that was being used in processed food manufacturing. And it turns out, no, it was like harvest the soy, get it on the boat. Insatiable hunger for it from China as China was growing its middle class. Middle class social demands for meat meant, in China's case, pork. The pigs got to eat something.

Like, how much soy could anyone need? And I thought maybe it was soybean oil and some of the stuff that was being used in processed food manufacturing. And it turns out, no, it was like harvest the soy, get it on the boat. Insatiable hunger for it from China as China was growing its middle class. Middle class social demands for meat meant, in China's case, pork. The pigs got to eat something.

So it's just like grain. We were just growing food grain. I don't know. That was all very eye-opening to me. And it's sat with me ever since.

So it's just like grain. We were just growing food grain. I don't know. That was all very eye-opening to me. And it's sat with me ever since.

And also like that number of pigs or chickens just wouldn't naturally congregate in groups that large.

And also like that number of pigs or chickens just wouldn't naturally congregate in groups that large.

It would be terrifying. Oh, yeah. Terrifying for sure.

It would be terrifying. Oh, yeah. Terrifying for sure.

Yeah, I also think that that's interesting and worthy of discussion is when the war broke out in Ukraine, let me rephrase, when Russia invaded Ukraine, it destabilized prices in such a way that even these aggressors could come to the table to negotiate like wheat exports. Because while the U.S. does not rely on Ukrainian grain, many millions of

Yeah, I also think that that's interesting and worthy of discussion is when the war broke out in Ukraine, let me rephrase, when Russia invaded Ukraine, it destabilized prices in such a way that even these aggressors could come to the table to negotiate like wheat exports. Because while the U.S. does not rely on Ukrainian grain, many millions of

people do across the Middle East, like Oman, Yemen, which is also suffering from horrific conflict. So like this one thing here could create a famine, you know, tens of thousands of miles away.

people do across the Middle East, like Oman, Yemen, which is also suffering from horrific conflict. So like this one thing here could create a famine, you know, tens of thousands of miles away.

Yeah. It's also so multifaceted, right? Like, so after I left college and I really wasn't working with industrial agriculture, my next touch point with the nexus of technology and farming was like the right to repair or as sick codes work was just being able to hack into systems like remotely controlled Harvard, like all the technology.

Yeah. It's also so multifaceted, right? Like, so after I left college and I really wasn't working with industrial agriculture, my next touch point with the nexus of technology and farming was like the right to repair or as sick codes work was just being able to hack into systems like remotely controlled Harvard, like all the technology.