Reading Time: 4 minutes Glacier FarmMedia – An imaging system for drones that offers 10 spectral bands has recently been released by MicaSense, a Seattle-based developer of multispectral imaging hardware. The use of additional different red edge bands can enable users to hone in on different plant canopies to get a better idea of what’s going on in that […] Read more
Tag Archives technology
Multi-band imaging system offers more detail
More image bands means more chance of creating a useful data set
Mobile genetic testing technology wins Guelph pitch competition
Harvest Genomics aims to provide on-location genetic testing of food
Reading Time: 3 minutes A Guelph-based start-up with plans to bring mobile genetic testing to agriculture was the winner of the second annual University of Guelph Gryphon’s LAAIR pitch competition, held online May 27. Harvest Genomics will use its $10,000 prize to develop and bring to market a portable DNA system that will make testing capabilities currently only available […] Read more
Why farming systems lag in adoption of automation
Technology plus systems plus support infrastructure are needed before automation can take root on Canadian farms
Reading Time: 4 minutes 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
Autonomous technology big and small tried in Ontario
Haggerty Creek sees value in its new Dot Power Platform and RoamIO swarm-style robot
Reading Time: 3 minutes The equipment fleet at Haggerty Creek Ltd., a grain elevator and farm service provider near Bothwell, is gaining autonomy both large and small. By June, both a Dot Power Platform and RoamIO swarm-style robot will be active members of its equipment lineup. And, with plans to market at least one of the two autonomous farm […] Read more
Opinion: COVID-19 highlights need for reliable Internet access
Reading Time: 2 minutes COVID-19 should serve as a watershed moment that ushers in an era of nation-wide internet access. For years, Canadians living in rural areas have complained of poor internet. These complaints were not entirely ignored, as government’s have made significant investments to improve rural broadband. But the digital divide still existing today highlights how imperative it […] Read more
5G and the future of farming
The challenges of moving a new technology into rural areas could create new partnerships and opportunities
Reading Time: 6 minutes Users of the Samsung Galaxy S20 phone will be the first to have access to 5G technology in Canada. Rural residents and farmers will have to wait much longer – if the technology ever arrives. Rogers announced in early March that it is rolling out 5G networks in Toronto, Vancouver, Ottawa and Montreal, with 20 […] Read more
Satellite data brings farming advice to remote areas of Zimbabwe
When roads are bad and extension agents few, technology can help get farmers the information they need
Reading Time: 4 minutes Thomson Reuters Foundation – Deep in rural western Zimbabwe, where paved roads are nonexistent, Japhet Ngwenya used to spend every season worrying that the people who advise him on how to protect his crops from dry spells and pest invasions would not be able to reach him. Ngwenya’s farm — in Ntabazinduna, 40 km north […] Read more
Clarifying data ownership for higher ROI
Researchers says greater ownership of data could help bring down barriers
Reading Time: 3 minutes University of Guelph researchers say farmers and agribusiness people need greater clarity on data ownership issues when it comes to the adoption of precision technologies. Sarah Marquis and Emily Duncan, a masters and PhD student at the school, presented this thesis at the recent Precision Agriculture Conference and Technology Showcase in London. Why it matters: […] Read more
Robot automates hard-to-fill jobs in agriculture and turf
The RomeIO robot is being tested in many uses in agriculture where labour is scarce
Reading Time: 3 minutes A local start-up has developed a compact, rugged autonomous robot that can automate a wide range of agricultural tasks, like soil sensing, applying inputs, and harvest yield prediction for grapes. Korechi Innovations’ RoamIO features an expandable platform that is compatible with different functional attachments — similar to the DOT technology from western Canada —has a […] Read more
Editorial: Watching for the next great leap in agriculture
Reading Time: 3 minutes Agriculture has been the productivity star of the Canadian economy for the past 50 years, says John Stackhouse of the Royal Bank. But he also says that predictable productivity improvement seen almost every year is flagging and he’s not sure why. He told the Ontario Federation of Agriculture’s annual meeting that for agriculture to become […] Read more
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