Modelling environmental phenomenon certainly if you want to viably farm and feed appreciable amounts of people. you'd also use these rigs for biological analysis to identify targets for genetic modification that would improve yields in a rapidly changing environment with limited nutrient availability. i imagine one day crops are genetically modified to be most optimal for specific hillsides or valleys or individual farm parcels, essentially going back to the benefits of land races but with the flexibility to introduce known changes in a single season.