Dear Friends,

THIS WEEK’S PROGRAM, WITH GUESTS BRAD ZAUN AND MARK CLIPSHAM

(01:39) Update on rural SBA programs, with Brad Zaun – LISTEN
(21:53) Heritage Foundation now owns the White House, with Mark Clipsham – LISTEN
(38:04) Iran war should expedite, not inhibit, renewable energy development – LISTEN
(50:59) RoboDog! Coming to a mega-farm near you?, with Kathy Byrnes – LISTEN

If AI wasn’t so existentially frightening, it’d occasionally be downright funny. For example: robotic dogs patrolling mega-farms.

Here’s what one of these adorable puppies looks like.
Aw. So cute. RoboDogs are being deployed at Bayer’s 8,000+ acre GMO-seed-corn operation in Hawaii to monitor wildfires, wild boars, and wild-eyed protesters.

Protesters? Not really. Even though a 2015 poll found that 70% of Hawaiins support stricter controls and mandatory labeling of GMO foods, current opposition to Bayer is focused primarily on advocacy and legal action.

Prior to 2020, there were indeed peaceful protests. But I can’t find a single example of vandalism at a Bayer operation.

Perhaps the real, or at least primary, reason for Bayer’s investment in RoboDogs is found in this April 12, 2026, promotional piece in The Fence Post: “[M]aintaining staffing patrols for 8,000 acres can be very expensive.”

Ah, so that’s it. Replacing real people with fake dogs. And the dogs won’t threaten to form a union.

When the AI “revolution” is complete, will there be any jobs left for humans?

Here’s more fun info from the Fence Post article: “When DroneDog is not on a security mission, it returns to its DogHouse, effectively its kennel, which is installed outside on Bayer’s grounds. These kennels give the DroneDogs protection from the elements while allowing the units to rapidly recharge its batteries for its next mission.”

That’s just silly. Clever, sure, but misleading. RoboDog could just as well have been designed as a human, or R2-D2, or an eagle, or a surf board. But the machine’s creators know how much we all love a nice farm dog. Well, except Kristi Noem. Bayer would do well to keep Noem away from its dogs.

I should note that Bayer’s deployment of its machinated mutts comes as Bayer, and other Big-Ag polluters, are under fire for poisoning farm workers, their neighbors, and the environment. To quote a December 17, 2021 story in Honolulu Civil Beat, “The seed industry, particularly Monsanto, has faced massive scrutiny internationally, having settled thousands of cases involving billions of dollars for products leading to health and environmental problems.”

That scrutiny included findings of violations by Bayer that led to Bayer forking out millions of dollars in fines. It explains why Bayer is pushing, at the federal and state level, to give itself immunity to limit the frequency and scope of future lawsuits.

With that in mind, it doesn’t hurt Bayer to increase surveillance of its operations in case its RoboDogs obtain visual content that could help defeat public opposition in legislative chambers and courtrooms across the country.

If you come across any of these robotic canines in farm fields near you, let me know. But please resist the urge to pet or feed them.

Thanks for reading, listening, and taking action. And if you’re a central Iowa resident, remember to support the local businesses and nonprofits that help underwrite this platform.

Ed Fallon

*******
In addition to our PODCAST, listen to the Fallon Forum on these affiliates:

– KHOI 89.1 FM (Ames, Iowa)
– KICI.LP 105.3 FM (Iowa City, Iowa)
– WHIV 102.3 FM (New Orleans, Louisiana)
– KPIP-LP, 94.7 FM (Fayette, Missouri)
– KCEI 90.1 FM (Taos, New Mexico)
– WGOT-LP 100.1 FM (Gainesville, Florida)
– KRFP 90.3 FM (Moscow, Idaho)
– WGRN 94.1 FM (Columbus, Ohio)
— WJLQ 99.7 FM (Muskegon, Michigan)