New technologies are creating opportunities for farmers to improve efficiency, manage resources and make more informed business decisions. The University of Maryland Extension’s 2027 Precision Agriculture Technology Conference will explore how these tools can be applied in real-world farming operations, including those in Garrett County.
Titled “Plowing Through the Hype: What Happens When AgTech Meets the Field?”, the conference will take place Thursday, February 25, 2027, from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The event is open to the public and will include breakfast and lunch.
Hosted through the University of Maryland Extension’s Agriculture and Food Systems program in partnership with its Digital and Precision Agriculture Lab (D-PAL), the conference will examine emerging technologies and their practical applications in agriculture.
For Garrett County’s farming community, where producers must carefully manage labor, equipment, input costs and changing field conditions, precision agriculture offers potential ways to make the most of available resources. These technologies can help farmers gather better information about their operations, identify problems earlier and target their efforts where they are most needed.
The conference program will cover several topics with practical applications for local producers, including artificial intelligence in farm decision-making and cover crops, robotics for weed management, and drone technology for nutrient management and prescription mapping. Sessions will also explore the current state and future direction of agricultural technology, along with the economics and profitability of adopting these tools.
For example, drone imagery and prescription maps can help farmers identify variations across fields and make more targeted nutrient-management decisions. Artificial intelligence tools may help producers evaluate information and plan field operations, while emerging robotic technologies could offer additional options for weed management. Depending on the operation and technology selected, these approaches may help reduce unnecessary input use, improve efficiency and support better-informed management decisions.
The conference will also address an important consideration for farms of all sizes: whether a technology delivers enough practical and financial value to justify its cost. Understanding the potential return on investment is particularly important for smaller and family-owned operations evaluating whether new equipment or digital tools are a good fit for their businesses.
Precision agriculture does not require every farm to adopt the latest technology at once. Learning about available tools, their limitations and their potential applications can help producers determine which solutions may address their specific needs.
The conference will offer continuing education credits for nutrient management, pesticide and certified crop adviser professionals in Maryland and Delaware.
Garrett County’s agricultural businesses are an important part of the local economy. Access to research-based information about new technologies can help producers evaluate opportunities to strengthen farm operations, manage costs and remain competitive as the agricultural industry evolves.
Registration and additional information
The conference is open to the public. Farmers, agricultural professionals and others interested in the future of farming can find the program, speaker information and registration details on the University of Maryland Extension website:
2027 Precision Agriculture Technology Conference
