Grainswest - Tech 2022

Tech 2022 Grains West 36 FEATURE little bit of that potential for a conflict of interest. Having that independent voice is important.” This project will help farmers precisely apply fertilizer and chemicals while consuming less fuel and reducing wear and tear on machinery. According to the Supercluster, these “energy-intensive inputs” account for 12 per cent of Canada’s total agricultural greenhouse gas emissions. Underpinning the project is the intent to “support increased profit for farmers by providing tools that put the power of big data into their hands and allow them to make their own decision about the inputs needed,” added Good. This technology is simply another decision-making tool, he said. “Overall, it’s about risk management. Farmers have a lot of risks and …making predictions based on historical context helps you to manage risk better. Farmers are in the driver’s seat and have to make the decisions. We want to give them the best information.” The tool will primarily do this by creating a “digital twin” of a farmer’s land; a truly representative map detailed enough to show spatial attributes such as accurate boundaries, 3D terrain, natural and artificial markers and obstacles. Farmers can glean new insights from this comprehensive farm data and act on it, if necessary. For instance, they might take action against potential soil erosion and compaction as a result of machine paths, water flow and water accumulation spots, soil composition and weather patterns. “Our goal is to have them access our application and we want them to manage their land as precisely as possible without actually entering the field,” said Godard, who has no surname, Verge Ag chief operating officer. Godard sees the precise nature of the SDPAA as a huge economic proposition to farmers. An added benefit is the demonstration of sustainability to policymakers and the public, which is a key thrust of the Supercluster, according to its CEO Sue Paish. “It’s making sure we have an effective way to increase productivity of the agricultural sector while addressing the impacts of climate change and addressing food security through our ag sector,” she said. “That’s what this is addressing in many ways: sustainability, climate change and making sure Canada is a world leader.” As many countries around the world continue to chart a path toward net zero, everyone involved in the SDPAA project sees this as an opportunity to blaze a trail. The groups wish to create a platform that reduces the barrier to adoption through an interactive, precise and easy-to-use interface for smartphones and tractor cab monitors. Nationally, the Grain Growers of Canada, the country’s largest farmer advocacy group, recently announced its intent to create a roadmap to net zero by 2050. Technologies such as the SDPAA may provide key assistance. A major hurdle the group plans to address is the need to integrate software produced by multiple companies. This will allow the SDPAA to become a hub for digital products made by various original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) that farmer may already use. An OEM is simply the technology inside a given device, such as iOS within an iPhone. The SDPAA will speak across platforms and import partner data. “If I’m a farmer, I don’t necessarily want to deal with 100 different applications,” said Good. “Hopefully, one can meet my needs. Our philosophy there is to make that as seamless as possible. Some of that incorporates solutions in the marketplace and we don’t want to reinvent the wheel. We want the data integration as clean as possible.” The platform will integrate data from the Internet of Things (IoT) devices, analytics, satellite imagery, open data and information fromOEMs to harness the power of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning. This will provide farmers with ways to mitigate climate change risk and reduce costs. One farmer who is already excited about the platform’s eventual release is Mackenzie Fingerhut, a Fairview farmer and consultant focused on data and analytics, as well as other custom “As a collection of smaller companies, we absolutely believe we can be responsive to needs that aren’t being met by the majors.” —Travis Good