Quick recap

The meeting focused on agricultural technology innovations, with presentations from Ukko Agro showcasing their predictive analytics platform for optimizing crop health and yield, and discussions about data ownership and sovereignty in agriculture. Updates were shared on various robotic and drone projects, including challenges with field operations, mechanical issues, and network connectivity, while emphasizing the importance of proper field preparation and addressing technical limitations. The group also covered upcoming events and opportunities for innovation in agriculture, including new funding streams and presentations from various companies working in the field.

Next steps

• Avi to share his contact information with the group for those interested in exploring Yuco Agro's predictive analytics for agricultural robotics.

• Avi to connect with Michelle following up on her question about public ag data.

• Bridget to coordinate judges for the agrobotics competition .

• Dan to contact Upside Robotics for a season update presentation to the working group.

• Dr. Brinder to prepare a formal presentation introducing Plant Tape in the next 2-3 weeks.

• Chuck to continue refurbishing robots and preparing them for next season.

• Conrad to collect feedback from farmers on the UVC Rover for the Strawberry Farm and prepare for the September 3rd presentation.

Summary

Agricultural Data Platform for Optimization

Avi Bhagava from Ugo Agro presented their software and applied research company's platform that uses weather data and crop information for predictive analytics to optimize crop health and yield. The platform connects various players in the agricultural value chain, including retailers, chemical companies, seed dealers, and large-scale growers, by providing a shared data environment while preserving farmer privacy. The key outcomes of using their platform include acquiring and retaining farming customers, identifying high-priority customers for targeted communication, enabling new agronomists to quickly build customer relationships, and allowing agronomy staff to cover more farms with less effort.

Customizable Field Management System

Avi explained the company's field management system, which provides farmers and agronomists with customizable views of their data, including growth stages, insect activity, and weather conditions. He described the system's field-adaptive and integrated modeling approach, which can adjust based on real-time observations and requires minimal input from users. Avi also discussed the system's integration with various weather stations and its ability to switch between different data sources for optimal data collection, noting that the ROI on hardware investment increases as more farmers can access data from a single weather station.

Advancing Agricultural Model Innovations

Avi discussed their work with soil probes and explained how user validation and heat maps help improve model accuracy for agronomists. He highlighted their portfolio of crop models, including corn, soybean, wheat, and others, and mentioned a recent commercialization grant from OCI. Avi also described their insect activity model and the value it provides to ag robots by suggesting where to act at scale. He concluded by outlining their plans to expand insect models, build more regional disease risk models, and continue expanding their crop model portfolio based on demand and decision-making points.

Agricultural Data Analytics and Funding

Avi presented on data analytics in agriculture, emphasizing that farmers own their data and explaining their collaboration with IBM for public and proprietary data sources. Tim raised concerns about data ownership and sovereignty, which Avi addressed by clarifying that Uco does not collect yield data and uses it for improving products without selling to third parties. Bridget announced available research funding for Ontario-based businesses and requested judges for an upcoming agrobotics competition, with judging commitments needed both virtually and in person at Western Fair District in March.

Robot Season Update and Challenges

Chuck provided an update on the robots, noting that most were completed for the season but faced challenges due to field preparation issues and mechanical defects. He mentioned that the Oreo robot was operational again but did not have recent updates. Chuck also discussed plans to refurbish robots with student help for the next season and highlighted a new issue with 3G network shutdown affecting beacon connectivity in some robots. Bridget asked for advice for companies early in their robotic process, and Chuck emphasized the importance of field preparation and addressing design flaws, such as obsolete technology, to improve robot performance.

Drone Operations and Field Challenges

Chuck Baresich discussed the challenges of drone operation in field conditions, emphasizing the importance of preparing robots for real-world scenarios. Dan shared updates from Kate Withers about Hess Saiwa's drone incidents, and Chuck acknowledged the difficulties of remote drone operation. Konrad provided an update on the UVB rover for strawberry farming, noting its handover to greenhouse operators and ongoing challenges with field preparation. He expressed optimism about the project's progress and mentioned an upcoming presentation on September 3rd. Dan also mentioned that the team would be testing spraying and laser operations, with updates to follow.

Agricultural Innovation and Challenges

The working group discussed challenges faced by new companies in agriculture, emphasizing the need to connect them with experienced agricultural professionals, government, academia, and industry to help anticipate and address potential issues. Ian expressed his commitment to reducing tillage dependency and highlighted the importance of the group's role in advocating for innovative agricultural practices. Chris shared his experience using drones for fertilizer application in Christmas tree growing, noting the high learning curve and logistical challenges involved. Chuck Baresich described his testing work with drones for soybean and corn applications, focusing on improving logistics and landing capabilities. Both Chris and Chuck emphasized the importance of addressing technical challenges to advance drone technology in agriculture.

Robotic Solutions for Field Crops

Chuck explained that while Case has no plans to bring back the IS platform, there's potential for others to develop scalable solutions for field crop production. He shared his experience with the Dot robot, which was initially deemed inefficient due to requiring multiple operators, but was later optimized to become a one-person operation for lime spreading. Chuck noted that for Ontario's farming scale, a 4-6 acre, 4-6 row size machine would be effective, and suggested that a single robot could potentially replace an entire fleet of equipment on a 1,000 acre farm.

Upcoming Events and Innovations

The meeting covered upcoming events, including the grape tour on August 27th and the Twilight Berry Growers meeting on September 4th in St. Thomas. Taylor announced the opening of the Can Export Innovation stream on September 2nd, which companies should prepare for. Eric Hoffner introduced himself as representing Max Dive Group, a tool and die company interested in learning about agricultural robotics. Dan mentioned the Canada Outdoor Farm Show in September and a new digital skills program for Ontario agriculture and food businesses. Dr. Brinder introduced himself as working with Plant Tape and mentioned he would be giving a presentation in the coming weeks.

Upside Robotics Trial Challenges

Chuck reported on the challenges faced by Upside Robotics in their nitrogen application robot trials, noting mechanical issues and leaks, with only about 40% of their target 1,200 acres being planted due to technical difficulties. He explained that while RTK planting doesn't mean RTK planting without a GPS receiver on the planter itself, the startup is facing challenges due to trying to do everything themselves. Dan mentioned he would follow up for a season update from Upside Robotics.