Introducing Innovation Farms Ontario 

Dan opens the June 27th Ag Robotics working group meeting and introduces new members Michelle Ragani from the University of Guelph and Adnan Khalid, a part-time farmer and agribusiness owner. Peter Parsons, a chip designer with an interest in Ag tech, also introduces himself. Kaya Moore, the research coordinator for Western Fair Association and Hagerty Agrobotics, begins her presentation on Innovation Farms Ontario, explaining its mission to provide practical research and farm testing of new technologies. She outlines her role, background, and passion for sustainability in agriculture before acknowledging the sponsors and organizations involved in the project. 

Agrobotics Research Trials Overview 

Kaya Moore presented an overview of ongoing agrobotics research projects funded by Innovation Farms and FCC, including trials of various autonomous farming technologies at different locations. The research aims to evaluate machine productivity, efficiency, and economic feasibility, with specific focus on tasks like planting, weeding, and spraying. Data is being collected through a combination of manual data sheets, GPS systems, and robot-specific apps to track metrics such as time spent on tasks, labor costs, and weather conditions. Current trials include an Oz autonomous robot for squash planting and spraying at Simcoe Research Station, a Vivid machine sensor and Nio Ted for vineyard imaging and weeding, and Oreo and Farm Droid robots for vegetable farming at Bradford Ontario Crops Research Station. 

Agricultural Operations and Testing Update 

Kaya Moore provided an update on the current status of agricultural machinery operations, including planting, weeding, and spraying activities across multiple farms. She reported that planting was complete, with the farm droid, Oreo, and Oz machines having completed their tasks at different rates, and weeding had begun using a farm droid electric grape hoe. The team is awaiting results from the Piketta lens trial, which involves analyzing nutrient levels in winter wheat samples compared to traditional lab results. 

Agricultural Robot Uptime Analysis 

Kaya Moore presented data on robot uptime and downtime for different agricultural robots, including the Oz, Ted, Oreo, and Farm Droid. She explained how these metrics change throughout the season and highlighted the differences between robots in terms of uptime, setup, maintenance, and mapping time. Kaya also discussed the integration of this data into Ag Expert, a farm management software, to track robot productivity and labor costs. She mentioned ongoing trials, such as the squash plot trial at the Simco Research Center, where they are conducting ROI analysis using Ag Expert. 

Agricultural Robots Research Updates 

Kaya Moore presented updates on the ongoing research with agricultural robots, including plans for ROI analysis, efficiency testing, and data-driven insights. She highlighted the environmental and sustainability aspects of the robots, expressing interest in compiling a report on their impact. The discussion touched on comparisons between different robots, benchmarking methods, and the ease of using Ag Expert software. Questions were raised about the effectiveness of the robots versus traditional farming methods, global data collection, and the financial status of Nio, which Kaya Moore and others were unable to fully address. 

Robots in Agriculture: Challenges and Progress 

Joe discussed the current challenges in raising funds for robotics companies, particularly in agriculture, due to market uncertainties. He emphasized the importance of support from organizations like OMAFA and OCI to help these companies survive the "valley of death" period. Jason reported positive progress in the development and reliability of robots over the past few years, with more units deployed in Ontario than ever before. Joe expressed optimism about the future of the industry, citing the growing interest from the market and the talent of young engineers working on these projects. 

Autonomous Equipment and Event Updates 

The meeting covered updates on Kaya's presentation on autonomous equipment, with a discussion on the lack of quality-related KPIs for comparison with conventional equipment, though ongoing experiments may contribute to this. Upcoming events, including demo days at Bradford and Simcoe stations, were announced, with a reminder to register soon. Bridget provided updates on confirmed events like the Tailgate tour and twilight berry growers event, and mentioned available funding for OMAFA projects with specific criteria. The team expressed appreciation for the Vineland team's efforts in hosting recent events. 

Rural Internet Connectivity Challenges 

The group discussed rural internet connectivity challenges in Ontario, with Ian sharing his experience of poor connectivity affecting agricultural businesses in the Paisley area, and David explaining that this is a political issue requiring government investment and industry incentives. Matt added to the discussion by mentioning connectivity issues during a robot testing in Clark, while Eric sought advice about directing a startup inquiry about feed mills to RHA, which Joe offered to help with. 

Exploring Connectivity and AI Solutions 

The group discussed various connectivity options, with Joe sharing his partner's positive experience using Starlink for remote work. Taylor presented a new Canadian government program offering access to data centers and Nvidia chips for AI projects, which Keith expressed interest in exploring for his university clients. The conversation also touched on Eric's connectivity projects map and Laura's experience with Starlink during a Caribbean hurricane, highlighting its potential for emergency communication. The conversation ended with thanks to Kaya for her presentation and plans to reconvene next week.