Large expanses of fertile land and navigable rivers make up the core of the United States , anchoring the global power. The agricultural industry based in this heartland will continue consolidating and becoming more automated. Robotics, smart technology and drones are among the technologies that will be increasingly incorporated into the industry as agricultural producers cope with increased global demand, declining resources and rising labor costs. Driverless tractors, drones that monitor soil quality, automated irrigation and even robotic bees to pollinate crops are all tools that farmers will have at their disposal as they seek to profit in a future of higher demand and fewer resources. Necessity and Invention in Agriculture From the use of irrigation in antiquity to the invention of the cotton gin and mechanical reaper in the mid-19th century, farmers have a long history of harnessing and benefiting from technology.