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Digital steps in the family business - how AI is changing everyday farm life
An interview with farmer & agricultural influencer Barbara Steinberger
24.02.2026
How does a traditional family farm become a digitally positioned farm? Farmer and agricultural influencer Barbara Steinberger reports on how impulses from agricultural technology have led her farm step by step towards AI and data-based decisions. She relies on offline patch spraying with a drone and georeferenced application maps and integrates these into her everyday farm life in a targeted manner. A practical insight into opportunities, challenges and concrete entry options for young farmers.
What did your parents' business look like before you focused on digital technologies and AI, and what was the trigger for this step? How did you get started - step by step or with a major upheaval?
The trigger was honestly my work at HORSCH. I wanted to integrate the experience I had gained at the large agricultural machinery company at home. As far as this is possible in terms of costs. For me, it's still a process and is happening step by step.
Which specific digital applications or AI tools do you use today in everyday life (e.g. in crop cultivation, farm management)? Which of these can also be implemented with a manageable budget?
I work a lot with offline patch spraying and collaborate with a start-up called SAM-Dimension. A drone flies over the fields to be treated and a map is created from the geo-referenced data, which is then used for spraying with the field sprayer. For me, it's important that I can continue to use the existing technology.
How has digitalization changed your day-to-day work - in terms of time, organization and personally? Does the use of AI actually save you time in your everyday life, or does it just increase the workload?
I think it's important not to overdo it. Modern technologies make a lot of things easier, but you always have to bear in mind that they should also be used by the older generation. Otherwise it will be difficult in the long term and will have the opposite effect - frustration and annoyance.
Do you need a lot of technical know-how for digital technologies, or can you acquire it "on the side"?
It would definitely be an advantage if you are interested in technology. You should be convinced by the technology and have the will to try it out. That's the only way to recognize the real benefits.
What advice would you give to young farmers who are curious about AI but don't know where to start?
It's important to get to grips with new technologies in advance, talk to other farm managers and ask companies. However, you can only recognize the advantages and disadvantages of such systems if you use them yourself and try them out.
