2023 Collaborations

What we are working on

The collaborations highlighted on this page represent some of the work taking place on Innovation Farms Powered by AgExpert to test and validate new technologies, demonstrate the productivity and sustainability of commercialized technologies, and accelerate the adoption of digital tools

Testing and validating technology solutions

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Computer vision and phenotyping of peas
EMILI, UW, NRC

We are developing image collections of pea plants and their root systems in order to apply machine learning to prairie crops and test the associations between Rhizobium inoculation and pea growth. Rapid phenotyping pipelines will allow pea breeders to select for increased resilience and higher yields faster than previously possible.

person holding cell phone looking at weather station data
Farm data integration (FarmCapture)
EMILI, TheoryMesh

We are working with TheoryMesh to test farm data integration capabilities within their newly developed FarmCapture product. This product uses blockchain to track and document agronomic data, and leverages machine learning to analyze inputs in a comprehensive way to support sustainable agricultural practices.

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Imaging of prairie crops and weeds for machine learning
EMILI, UWinnipeg

EMILI is working with the TerraByte research team at the University of Winnipeg to develop a publicly accessible database of labelled images of plants and weeds which will be used to train machine learning models for Prairie-centric plant phenotyping, disease assessment, and weed management.

person holding cell phone in canola field
Bin to bank personalized sales recommendations
EMILI, GrainFox

We are working with GrainFox to assess and authenticate the powerful capabilities of their Smart Advisor tool in generating personalized sales recommendations. They are able to access crop data within our Innovation Farms' AgExpert Field account to validate the robustness of their application programming interface (API).

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AI for weed management and detection
EMILI, Geco Engineering

We are working with Geco Engineering to assess the performance of their techniques for proactive weed management including predicting weed locations and detecting emerging herbicide resistance. We are using drone flights and satellites to collect imagery on kochia and wild oat.

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Real-time plant response and yield sensing
EMILI, AIRM, Crop Sentry

AIRM's Crop Sentry systems collect daily multispectral point cloud and other sensor data throughout the season on soil conditions, weather, and plant health. Computer vision and machine learning models provide real-time information to predict crop yield and quality outcomes to optimize decisions and inform best practice standards.

Showcasing technology demonstrations

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Manitoba 4R Day at Innovation Farms
Multi-partner event

Innovation Farms will be hosting field tours and demonstrations to showcase innovative on-farm 4R practices on August 9, 2023. This event is being hosted in collaboration with Canola Council of Canada, Fertilizer Canada, Enns Brothers, and 4R Nutrient Stewardship.

prairie field and blue sky
Soil health report analysis and comparison
EMILI, Agvise

Using Agvise's multi-page soil health report analysis, we will be testing fields with a history of implementing 4R practices to analyze soil health indicators such as soil organic carbon. We will compare these results with soil from other fields.

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Fusarium head blight risk mapping
EMILI, UManitoba

We will be applying a Fusarium Head Blight (FHB) risk mapping model to validate the relation between current weather patterns and disease risk on Canadian cereal crops, such as winter wheat and barley.

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IoT sensors and weather stations
Multi-partner activity

Weather stations, soil sensors, crop cameras, and insect monitoring stations set up across Innovation Farms allow us to remotely monitor crops to inform sustainable and profitable crop production decisions from field to field.

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Digital agriculture advancement
EMILI, MacDon Industries Ltd.

We will use Macdon's high-performance harvesting equipment and related resources, technical knowledge, and strategic guidance to increase the integration of intelligent technologies

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AgExpert field data and accounting
EMILI, Farm Credit Canada

We are using AgExpert Field and Accounting software to provide valuable insights as part of our testing, research, and technology development.

soil
Calculating soil organic carbon
EMILI, FCC, Holos, TCS Land & Sky

With carbon sequestration data from Holos™ and crop health monitoring data from TCS's satellite data, AgExpert Field is a low-touch way to calculate soil organic carbon.

Inputs Pro mobile app
Real-time agronomic data
EMILI, InputsPro

We are using InputsPro moblie application to retrieve information on rates, water volume, tank mix options and more for the safe and effective application of crop inputs.

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This is Agriculture
Multi-partner activity

Throughout 2023, EMILI will be using the hashtag #ThisisAgriculture to introduce you to the talented and diverse people and technologies that make up Canada's digital agriculture sector.

ATP NutriScan
Nutriscan soil testing and analysis
EMILI, ATP Nutrition

Soil samples collected from a canola nitrogen ramp trial will be analyzed with ATP’s NutriScan diagnostic tool to demonstrate how real-time monitoring of field conditions can provide more frequent insights into the nutrient status of your soil to inform decision-making.

Connect with us

Working together, we can increase integration of intelligent technologies, empower people with digital skills, support scale-ups to grow in the prairies, and accelerate Manitoba's growth as a leader in digital agriculture.

Whether you are from industry, academia, or leading a start-up, we'd love to connect with you about collaborating on a project. Book a meeting with our Innovation Farms manager or visit Innovation Farms Powered by Ag Expert to learn how we are able to provide industry and academics access to leading-edge equipment, technology, and production practices.