Ken Sarauer is steering his combine through a barley field on his Saskatchewan farm—although his hands are mostly off the wheel. Thanks to automation, the machine can harvest rows autonomously, allowing him to monitor real-time data on his crops from multiple screens.
“It’s like lane assist in a car,” Sarauer says. “People worry that automation will take jobs, but it actually lets you do your job better.”
Sarauer’s family farm in Annaheim, Sask., about 125 kilometers east of Saskatoon, is part of a growing movement toward automation, driven by an ongoing labor shortage. According to recent research from The Conference Board of Canada, one-third of agricultural jobs—around 100,000—could become automated within the next decade. From self-driving grain carts to weed-killing robots, automation is reshaping Canadian agriculture, helping farms of all sizes boost productivity.
Darrell Petras, CEO of the Canadian Agri-Food Automation and Intelligence Network, notes that automation can benefit farms in need of labor. His organization, which is government-funded, offers grants to support early-stage projects that improve efficiency and sustainability.
“The farm-level motivation is high. It’s about boosting productivity, profitability, and sustainability,” says Petras, a former beef, dairy, and grain farmer. With projections from the Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council estimating over 100,000 vacant farm jobs by 2030, the demand for solutions has only grown.
On Sarauer’s farm, tools like SWAT CAM, an automated camera device, streamline operations. Attached to his sprayer, SWAT CAM replaces tasks once performed by an agronomist by capturing images and analyzing data to count plant stems and weeds. Derek Rude, VP of research and development at Croptimistic, the Saskatchewan-based company behind SWAT CAM, highlights the value this automation brings. “We’re not replacing agronomists but enabling them to focus on high-skill analysis,” Rude explains. “These tools complement their work and deliver reliable data without extensive field scouting.”
Other companies are also pushing innovation in farm automation. Darcy Cook, head of autonomous solutions at precision agriculture company PTx Trimble in Winnipeg, is helping farmers deploy self-driving grain carts and tillage equipment. Many farmers, he says, see the technology as a way to sustain their multi-generational farms amid labor shortages. “It’s not about replacing jobs; it’s about deploying help to where it’s most valuable,” Cook says. The self-driving equipment also brings efficiency, with the potential to accelerate harvests and enhance crop profitability.
For Sarauer, whose 1,450-hectare farm is primarily managed by him and his father, the high-tech upgrade has meant fewer hands needed for operation. During harvest, his uncles help out, but he plans to adopt an autonomous-ready tractor soon, hoping to ease operations over the next five years. However, while automation promises efficiency, the technology’s cost is a hurdle, especially for small farms. Self-driving equipment, which can cost up to $100,000 with software subscriptions, often requires smaller farms to commit fully, unlike large farms that can pilot one autonomous tractor.
More affordable options, like SWAT CAM, offer some relief, costing around $3,500 with a subscription fee of $0.50 per acre. Although automation has its challenges, for Sarauer and other farmers, the advantages in productivity and labor savings are shaping a promising future for Canada’s family farms.
By Impact Lab
