More than 35 members of the Manitoba Digital Agriculture Table gathered at EMILI’s Innovation Farms powered by AgExpert on June 4 to discuss issues, opportunities, and exchange knowledge to enhance our province‘s competitive advantage, grow our collective agricultural capacity, and strengthen the economy.
Strong winds and smoky skies may have kept the group in the farm shop during this meeting, but those in the attendance made the most of this opportunity to connect in person.
“We are so grateful to all of you for joining us today and contributing to the digital agriculture industry in Manitoba. Each of the organizations we represent, from industry and start-ups to academia and government, contribute something valuable to growing the ecosystem and advancing digital agriculture,” said Jacqueline Keena, managing director of EMILI, as she welcomed participants to Innovation Farms.
The morning began with an overview of how EMILI is supporting educators interested in teaching students about digital agriculture innovation along with demonstrations of two classroom tools, Ozobots and Micro:bits.
Left: EMILI’s project associate Brittanie Parisien gives an update during the June 2025 meeting of the Manitoba Digital Agriculture Table; Right: A demonstration of the Micro:bits learning tool.
Yvonne Kinley, director of Business Development & Innovation at University of Manitoba Extended Education shared the importance of foundational skills in navigating a career in AI agriculture. She discussed how EMILI and the University of Manitoba collaborate to provide opportunities for people to gain the skills they need for a digital agriculture career and shared details about programming in development that focuses on agricultural management, operations and food safety.
Colin Hornby, general manager of Keystone Agricultural Producers discussed the organization’s Career Pathways Program, an online resource to highlight career opportunities in agriculture that targets youth and adults not currently working in agriculture, and those looking for growth in their careers.
Christine Kulas, programs and events manager at Agriculture in the Classroom, shared information about the Amazing Agriculture Adventure initiative, a hands-on field trip that introduces students to Manitoba’s agriculture industry. Students learn about how food is produced and how agriculture impacts their daily lives and are introduced to potential careers in agriculture and how technology is changing the industry.
Christine Kulas, Yvonne Kinley, and Colin Hornby spoke at the June 2025 Manitoba Digital Agriculture Table meeting.
After hearing from our speakers, Innovation Farms manager Leanne Koroscil took the floor to share an update on some of the technology being tested on Innovation Farms this season, including the University of Toronto’s FINCH project, Elmer’s Manufacturing’s HIVE Motherbin, and Geco Strategic Weed Management’s AI software.
Innovation Farms manager Leanne Koroscil presenting at the Manitoba Digital Agriculture Table meeting at Innovation Farms.
Koroscil discussed how technology like the centre’s drone and a camera attached to a boom on a tractor are applied in real life to gather information needed for each of these projects, and the Innovation Farms team gave the audience a demonstration of the Oz robot, a small, autonomous robot that can be programmed to seed, weed, and complete other farming tasks at the touch of a button.
Innovation Farms manager Leanne Koroscil demonstrates the Oz robot during the June 2025 meeting of the Manitoba Digital Agriculture Table at Innovation Farms.
As the meeting wrapped up, participants took the opportunity to connect with each other, meet new contacts and catch up with their peers across industry and academia.
The vision of The Manitoba Digital Agriculture Table is to increase collaboration between Manitoba’s thriving industry and academic communities in order to advance the digital agriculture ecosystem in the province.
Over the past year, EMILI has engaged with approximately 120 participants over four meetings, fostering a diverse network across the industry to discuss issues, share opportunities, and exchange knowledge.