Manitoba agricultural research institute receives support to harness the power of AI technology and drones in Prairie agriculture sector

The facility, located northwest of Winnipeg, hopes to combine cutting-edge technology with time-honored agricultural wisdom through tools such as artificial intelligence, machine learning and drones to improve sustainability and agricultural yields.

The Enterprise Machine Intelligence and Learning Initiative (EMILI) announced the grand opening of its 8,500-square-foot Innovation Farm Centre in Grosse Isle, about 15 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg, on Thursday.

The provincial and federal governments, through the Canadian Sustainable Agriculture Partnership, have announced they will contribute $2.025 million over the next five years to the centre, with Manitoba contributing $810,000 and Ottawa covering the rest.

“Farmers are loud and vocal about technology being great, innovation being great, but they can't afford to take risk on their business. Technology has to be proven and reliable,” Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew said at a news conference with EMILI and agriculture industry representatives on Thursday.

“We know that climate change and our responsibility to move forward towards sustainability are also really important priorities, and the best way to do that is by making investments like this, so that it's affordable and easy for farmers to invest in long-term sustainability.”

EMILI managing director Jacqueline Keena said the funding will be used to support projects implemented at the innovation farm, including existing partnerships with Prairie-based start-ups that are testing agricultural products through a range of digital and data-driven technologies.

The Innovation Farm Centre is located in Grosse Ile, Manitoba. (CBC)

Ray Bouchard, president and CEO of Enns Brothers and chairman of the EMILI board of directors, said rapid technological change in agriculture creates opportunities for growth and sustainability for businesses large and small.

However, these changes also bring new challenges in an area that is inherently riskier.

“Farmers face challenges figuring out how to apply new and sometimes expensive digital tools to their unique situations,” he said. “Any disruption to farm operations can negatively impact yields and threaten livelihoods.”

The Innovation Farm, therefore, focuses on connecting farmers with tech entrepreneurs to ensure return on investment for farmers and viable business models for the tech entrepreneurs, he said.

“Giving data scientists and software developers the opportunity to hear directly from farmers helps them understand how producers will use technology and what they need most,” he said.

“Creating a vibrant ecosystem focused on testing, validating and demonstrating new digital agriculture technologies can accelerate the development and adoption of these tools while mitigating the risks to individual farmers when adopting digital technologies.”

Jacqueline Keena (center), managing director of the Enterprise Machine Intelligence and Learning Initiative, speaks at the Innovation Farm Centre grand opening announcement. (CBC)

Bouchard and Keena pointed to Geco Predictive Weed Control as an example of the technology refinement and field testing they hope to expand in the Innovation Farms incubator.

The Prairie-based startup is using drones and satellites to develop algorithms that can predict where herbicide-resistant weeds are likely to emerge.

After testing at Innovation Farm, the company was able to refine the technology and improve performance, and predictive weed control is now used in 95 fields across 55 farms.

“This is a major issue for agriculture. Not only is it difficult to deal with because of herbicide resistance, but it also has a negative impact on crop yields,” said Keena, who is also a member of the Prime Minister's Business and Employment Council.

“The algorithm is better at identifying not just where weeds are growing, but where they are likely to grow, so farmers can implement more proactive strategies to reduce weeds.”

Manitoba Agriculture Minister Ron Kostyshyn said advances in digital technology have transformed agriculture in ways that were unimaginable decades ago.

He said drones are currently being used to diagnose crop diseases and detect other patterns that can help reduce costs for growers.

“For me, drones have become the MRI machines of agriculture. Who would have imagined 20 or 10 years ago that this technology would become so important in modern agriculture? Our state needs to stay on the cutting edge of technology.”

Machinery is seen in the fields at the Innovation Farm in Grosse Ile on Thursday. (CBC)

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