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Virginia business brings blockchain to the farm
Blockchain advocates say the technology offers a unique and secure way to store data, and a Virginia company hopes to see the technology used on farms across the state.
Brix and Columns Vineyards is an award-winning vineyard based in McGaheysville, located just west of Shenandoah National Park. They opened in 2017 and, like any other Virginia winery, have struggled with the Commonwealth’s less-than-predictable climate. But when they were contacted by Alexander Mann with Smart Grow Agritech, they were intrigued by the idea of using weather stations integrated into Mann’s blockchain to monitor the climate on their two farms.
“Just constantly monitoring, knowing how much rain we’re having, the wind, the wind is important for sprinkles,” Stephanie Pence, who owns Brix and Columns with her husband Steve, told Radio IQ. So far they’ve been impressed with the data and visual tools that allow them to share that information with visitors.
Alexander Mann is originally from Virginia. He was looking for ways to expand the use of blockchain outside of more traditional areas such as finance. This led to the creation of Smart Grow Agritech after realizing how important data is to farmers and how well blockchain can store it.
“Because the data is transmitted directly to the chain from the device itself at the end of the season, we’re thinking ‘ok, what can we do with this historical data set,’” Mann said.
The technology has also caught the attention of Virginia lawmakers. Senator Saddam Azlan Salim is a member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Natural Resources. He has met with Mann and plans to bring him to talk to other elected officials about the technology and its use on farms.
“That’s where I see blockchain happening and that’s where I think it’s headed,” Salim said. “And he and I will work on some of the policies next year on how to apply them to agriculture.”
Meanwhile, the Pences say they are looking to make each variety’s blockchain data available via a QR code, making each bottle of wine even more detailed and unique.
This report, provided by Virginia Public Radiowas made possible with the support of Virginia Education Association.