Farmers Edge’s online event on March 3 included a congratulatory note from TMX Group, owner of the TSX. (Farmers Edge video screengrab)

Farmers Edge launches IPO

Digital ag firm makes first public share offering to big demand

Manitoba’s best-known digital agriculture firm is now a publicly-traded company. Farmers Edge, founded in 2005 in Pilot Mound, Man. by agronomists Wade Barnes and Curtis MacKinnon, has carved out a niche using field-centric data, artificial intelligence and its FarmCommand data management platform. CEO Wade Barnes called it an exciting day during an online press conference […] Read more

One use of artificial intelligence is to use it to monitor numbers and growth of pigs.

Quebec leads the way in artificial intelligence

Companies there are applying the concept to livestock production

Labour challenges and increased demands for automation and traceability throughout the supply chain are driving implementation of technologies that automate various farming tasks and lessen the reliance on a human workforce.  Artificial intelligence can help make those robots even smarter and automate tasks — like harvesting produce for example — that previously could only be […] Read more

(LakelandCollege.ca)

Alberta’s Lakeland to offer ag tech degree

College to launch first-in-Canada program in September

East-central Alberta’s Lakeland College is set to offer what’s billed as Canada’s first degree program in agriculture technology, as a two-year post-credential program, starting in September. The program, announced Wednesday, will consist of full-time studies at Lakeland’s campus at Vermilion, about 180 km east of Edmonton, plus “experiential learning practicums” off campus, en route to […] Read more

Ottawa research farm focuses on technology

Ottawa research farm focuses on technology

Invest Ottawa aims to link agriculture with national capital tech sector

A new innovation cluster on a former research farm in Nepean, Ont., is expected to boost artificial intelligence (AI) and remote-sensing technology to Canada’s farmers. “I’m not even a farmer, and I’m really excited about it,” said Michael Tremblay, chief executive officer of Invest Ottawa. Why it matters: Having access to made-in-Canada offerings of data […] Read more

The growth in data in agriculture is being driven by many different new applications.

Artificial intelligence plays critical role behind the scenes in precision farming

Developing technology alongside farmers can mean a higher adoption rate

Artificial intelligence applications in agriculture continue to grow, driven by the increased demands of precision farming. This growth is due to increasing demand for agriculture produce, real-time livestock monitoring, and the need for enhanced decision making to optimize farm management. Other factors contributing to the rising interest in precision farming solutions are growing food demand […] Read more


“We have growers very interested in post-harvesting solutions…. If you look at it on the picking side, that’s a much more difficult challenge.” – Hussam Haroun.

Why farming systems lag in adoption of automation

Technology plus systems plus support infrastructure are needed before automation can take root on Canadian farms

Researchers around the world, including those in Canada, have been racing to create technology that can reduce the workers required on fruit and vegetable farms and in processing plants. But the pace has been slow and the big labour savings so far have been limited. Why it matters: Finding ways to get the job done […] Read more

Crop breeding enhanced through machine learning

Crop breeding enhanced through machine learning

Science Notes: Artificial intelligence analyzes large numbers of seeds from a single image

The establishment of a method to rapidly create elite crop varieties via selective breeding is a matter of urgency to maintain the food supply. In order to select such cultivars, it is necessary to define and evaluate how to identify superior varieties. The shape of seeds is a trait closely linked to the quality and […] Read more

Vineland hires new automation leader

Hussam Haroun has joined Vineland Research and Innovation Centre (Vineland) as director of automation. In his new role, Haroun will oversee Vineland’s activities related to automation, artificial intelligence and digital agriculture technologies. He launched his own start-up after patenting and commercializing a new technology during graduate school. As CEO, he secured more than $3 million […] Read more


Dr. Xiuming Hao, left, AAFC/Harrow, Shalin Khosla, OMAFRA greenhouse vegetable specialist and Kenneth Tran, Microsoft Research principal applied scientist, at the Harrow Research and Development Centre.

Artificial intelligence could create efficiency and reliability in greenhouses

Canadian researchers say fewer managers are needed to run greenhouses with their system

Microsoft Research, with help from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, won the first Autonomous Greenhouse Challenge in 2018 with Project Sonoma — a system to operate greenhouses efficiently and reliably, while enabling greenhouse controls from remote areas. Wageningen University and Research, in Wageningen, Netherlands, and corporate sponsor Trencent challenged researchers, scientists and experts to build the […] Read more

A small drone scouts the corn plant population.

What’s new in the world of drone technology?

Machine learning making its way into the drone world

The shock and awe of drones may be less than it was a decade ago, but the agricultural potential of the technology continues to develop. Artificial Intelligence (AI), and a better understanding of scalability give drones and drone operators the ability to gather and usefully interpret field information down to the millimetre level. Why it […] Read more