Grainswest - Tech 2023

Tech 2023 Grains West 12 THE FARMGATE FARMERS NEED TO KNOW IF NEW agricultural systems and practices are worth the investment. Canada’s smart farms have stepped up to provide an- swers. These crop, livestock and horticul- ture facilities study the use of technol- ogies, data and digital tools as well as advanced practices and philosophies to increase overall productivity, profitability and sustainability. “Smart farms within the Smart Farm Network follow this defi- nition but also have the added mandate or goal of sharing information with all stakeholders,” said Joy Agnew, vice-presi- dent of research at Olds College. Launched in 2021, the Pan-Canadian Smart Farm Network was designed to connect smart farms across Canada. “The ultimate goal is to accelerate the development and adoption of smart tech- nologies and practices,” said Agnew. The Network launched with three sites that include Olds College, Lakeland College and Glacier Discovery Farm in Langham, SK. It has since expanded to include the University of Saskatchewan’s Livestock and Forage Centre of Excellence and the Manitoba Beef & Forage Initiatives with plans to add additional sites in Alberta, Manitoba and Ontario. Repurposing its demonstration farm, Olds College established its smart farm in 2018 as a response to the massive proliferation of new farm technology. Farmers needed data on the value and application of these innovative products, and this created the need for independ- ent, unbiased third-party testing. “There needs to be a place for farmers to go to see it working in a commercial setting that is as close as possible to their opera- tion so they can start making their own decisions,” said Agnew. In 2022, with key funding from the Canadian Agri-Food Automation and Intelligence Network, the Smart Farm Network launched a collaborative research project focused on the effects of microclimate variability on wheat dis- ease. Multiple sensor-equipped weather stations were placed on the Olds College Steckler Farm, Lakeland College and Gla- cier Discovery Farm sites. “Most weather stations that are used in agriculture now are put where it’s convenient—in a yard or on the edge of a field,” said Christina Kaye, Olds College project lead for smart farm applied research. When placed in standing grass at the edge of a field, a sta- tion’s readings may not reflect actual field conditions. As well, to rely on a single field-edge weather station leaves farmers with only the option to spray the entire field if disease spores are detected. The general approach is to spray the en- tire field every year, but an informed use of technology could shift this mentality. “Farmers are looking at weather stations as a way to get more field-specific infor- mation so they can make decisions around spraying and maximize the probability of spraying when they need to and not spray- ing when they don’t,” said Agnew. The ongoing project, which completed its second season of data gathering in 2023, collects data across a much wider area. “We wanted to see how our out-of- the-field weather station or on-the-side weather station differed from the weath- er stations we put in the field,” said Kaye. The goal is to provide farmers with more information to help them decide whether Themore themerrier Smart FarmNetwork assesses new tech Part of a farmmicroclimate and wheat disease project conducted by the Pan-Canadian Smart FarmNetwork, this is one of multiple weather stations set up at the Steckler Farm operated by Olds College.