The Ontario government is investing $315 million over five years to expand internet access and cell phone service to more rural and remote families in the province. Premier Doug Ford made the announcement July 23 in Lucan, with several cabinet ministers in attendance. “Twelve per cent of communities don’t have cell signal or high speed […] Read more
Tag Archives technology — page 22
Province makes internet investment promise official
Conservatives commit to improve rural internet and cellular phone service
UK autonomous farming project expands
The Hands-Free Hectare project will be working 35 hectares this year
Extra funding has been made available to a unique autonomous crop farming project in the United Kingdom, allowing it to expand. Initially launched in 2016 by Harper Adams University and Precision Decisions, the Hands Free Hectare project was designed to demonstrate that one hectare of grain could be grown to harvest without humans setting foot […] Read more
Cows enter world’s first floating farm
The project aims to reuse organic waste streams as cattle feed while showing how floating farms could work
Thirty-two cows are now living on the world’s first floating dairy farm based in the port at Rotterdam in The Netherlands. Years of development and construction have finally come to the last hurdle when the Montbelliarde cows can find their sea legs and get accustomed to their new home. And what a luxury home it […] Read more
Corporate giants continue pushing food sector tech-adoption
RBC and Microsoft push greater digitization in food processing and supply chains
In an environment of ever-increasing pressure to adopt new technologies in food production, companies struggle to identify which technologies they should adopt, and who they should work with to do so — not to mention how to pay for them. According to the Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) and tech-giant Microsoft, these three barriers reduce […] Read more
DNA barcoding technology wins Guelph innovation competition
Gryphon’s LAAIR program helps bring research ideas, many connected to agriculture, to market
A food fraud detector won the top prize at the inaugural Gryphon’s LAAIR innovation showcase and pitch competition at the University of Guelph. LifeScanner was selected by an industry judging panel as the winner of the $7,500 grand prize from six corporations in the competition, all with University of Guelph research roots. It was hosted […] Read more
Ontario technology to track poultry production systems in Alberta
The goal of Be Seen Be Safe technology is to minimize disease spread
With the threat of African swine fever hanging over the pork industry and a devastating new tomato virus just discovered in Ontario for the first time, the need for biosecurity in the agriculture sector has never been stronger. Hand in hand is the ability to quickly and easily track movement on and off farms, which […] Read more
Editorial: High speed investments
My fist-pump moment when we were deciding whether or not to buy our small farm 10 years ago had nothing to do with the state of the house, or soil conditions, or proximity to off-farm work. I was standing on the second floor of the derelict house on the property and I could see the […] Read more
New drone flying regulations announced
Greater popularity of drone use has prompted changes to previous rules for flying them
Transport Canada recently released new rules governing the use of drones, which are expected to take effect June 1. These new regulations apply to Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) or “drones” that weigh 25 grams up to 25 kilograms and are flown within the pilot’s visual-line-of-sight. Why it matters: Drones are playing a significant role […] Read more
Autonomous technology hamstrung by liability risks
Just about anyone can build a self-driving implement using open source software, but “your insurance company is going to puke”
For farmer and inventor Brian Tischler, the question isn’t whether autonomous tractors are cool, possible, or useful — it’s how to overcome the liability risk if something goes wrong. Tischler told farmers attending CropConnect in Winnipeg recently it’s possible to build your own self-driving vehicle for around $1,000 using open-source software. He’s done it. That’s […] Read more
Manage to the average no more
Beef research and new technology take aim at individual animal management, but will it be profitable on the farm?
The new beef research facility being constructed at the University of Guelph’s Elora Research Station will expand capacity to 288 cows and 96 replacement females and will enable researchers to gather more individual data on the animals. Why it matters: Beef cow numbers have been declining in Ontario as other sectors, especially crops, provide more […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
