Over 125 participants from across the agriculture industry responded to a poll on agtech at Agriculture Enlightened 2025, EMILI’s annual conference that brings together producers, agri-food and technology experts, researchers, and students. The survey focused on technology and artificial intelligence (AI) in agriculture, and asked the following questions:
- Which option most increases a producer’s trust in technology?
- What has the most impact on today’s agriculture industry?
- How prepared are you for the AI era?
In response to what increases a producer’s trust in technology, over 45 respondents said using the technology themselves was the most important factor. There was a tie for the second highest response, with Seeing a neighbour use the technology and Seeing economic value / ROI both receiving 32 votes.
Survey results from Agriculture Enlightened 2025.
Almost half of respondents said that advancements in farm technology have the most impact in the agriculture industry. When considering AI in agriculture the majority of respondents said they are somewhat prepared, while 20% of respondents said they feel prepared.
Survey results from Agriculture Enlightened 2025.
Survey results from Agriculture Enlightened 2025.
This survey was inspired by a sticker board used at EMILI’s Innovation Farms during the 2025 season. Over 175 guests touring the farm responded to the questions by placing a sticker on the board using a colour that best represented their profession.
When considering what increases a producer’s trust in technology, the majority of guests at the farm said using the technology themselves and seeing a return on investment would be the most influential. When breaking up the results by profession, it was interesting to learn that more agribusiness professionals believed farmers would be most influenced by proven ROI, while the majority of students believed farmers would trust a product more by testing it themselves.
These results vary slightly from the answers collected at Agriculture Enlightened. Almost 25% of conference survey participants said seeing a neighbour using the technology would increase trust in a product, whereas the same answer only received 11% of votes from farm survey participants.
Total results from sticker board survey at EMILI’s Innovation Farms.
Results by profession, from sticker board survey at EMILI’s Innovation Farms.
When responding to what has the most impact in the agriculture industry, the sticker board results mirrored the conference results. The sticker board revealed that the majority of respondents agreed that advancements in farm technology is the most significant factor. However many respondents working in agribusiness also responded that data literacy has an essential role in the industry.
Total results from sticker board survey at EMILI’s Innovation Farms.
Results by profession, from sticker board survey at EMILI’s Innovation Farms.
In our final sticker board question, the majority of respondents said they are somewhat prepared for the AI era, while the fewest number of respondents said they feel prepared for AI in agriculture. This could suggest that while the industry is starting to learn about and adopt artificial intelligence in agtech, more work is required to prepare the agri-food and agriculture industry to ensure they can use AI confidently and safely.
Total results from sticker board survey at EMILI’s Innovation Farms.
Results by profession, from sticker board survey at EMILI’s Innovation Farms.
“The sticker board at Innovation Farms was a fun and interactive way for our visitors to share their reactions on the future of digital agriculture in the industry. The final result was certainly colourful and offered a wide variety of perspectives from across the industry. We’re grateful to everyone that participated!”
Leanne Koroscil, Innovation Farms Manager, EMILI
These survey results provide insights into how EMILI’s agriculture network feels about specific topics, and we look forward to collecting and sharing more results during our 2026 season. We hope to see you next year at Agriculture Enlightened 2026, where we will celebrate 10 years of EMILI! Sign up here to be the first to know when tickets go on sale.
Since 2020, Agriculture Enlightened has brought together a diverse stakeholder group including agri-food and technology experts, industry leaders, decision-makers, researchers, and students from across the prairies. Learn more here.