Grainswest Tech 2021

Tech 2021 Grains West 32 FEATURE next great leap in digital agriculture, the adoption of intelligent technologies is a complex work in progress. Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) are engineered to produce agronomic insights farmers can act upon from a vast flow of information that includes precision ag field data, weather, soil and yield data as well as drone and satellite imagery. “NewML algorithms and building AI solutions will be the next big thing in the industry,” said Alex Melnitchouck, Olds College Smart Farm chief technology officer, digital ag. He uses GPS technology as an analogy: to locate yourself on the planet, the system must connect with multiple satellites. Similarly, to tell the farmer where they are agronomically, the Smart Farm’s HyperLayer Data Concept project aims to cross-reference many layers of ag data. “Can we model soil properties and predict what to expect in the soil without going to the field? That’s a fundamental question with agronomy and something we’re trying to develop,” said Melnitchouck. Ten college employees have contributed to the internally funded project. Partners include several large companies, agronomic consulting firms and farmers. A central component is the employment of AI to create a digital twin of the Smart Farm’s physical cropland. This growing data set has been described as exquisite by one partner research organization, much to Melnitchouck’s satisfaction. It has been used as the basis for highly accurate fertilizer rate plans on the Smart Farm’s fields. The HyperLayer project can also be used as a means to test new technologies. For instance, a business with a newly developed algorithm for soil analysis can test its process on those same Smart Farm acres. The results can then be compared to the facility’s own. “We can conclude if that technology works well or needs improvement,” said Melnitchouck. Farmers and agronomists have long relied on multiple software programs to inform their decision-making, said Melnitchouck. This has been necessary given the 140-plus factors that affect T BY IAN DOIG • ILLUSTRATION BY SHUTTERSTOCK Intelligent technologies and the evolution of digital agriculture IN SEARCH OF THE EASY BUTTON EASY