Amid the unpredictable weather this season, Manitoba farmers gathered in Grosse Isle to explore the potential of new technologies in managing risks to their harvests and adapting to extreme weather conditions. Jacqueline Keena, CEO of the Enterprise Machine Intelligence and Learning Initiative (EMILI), highlighted the increasing variability and severity of weather patterns experienced this year.
EMILI, a Manitoba-based non-profit organization focusing on agricultural innovations, hosted Agronomy Day at its Innovation Farms Grosse Isle location on Rutherford Farms. The event brought together industry experts, entrepreneurs, farmers, and agronomists to delve into digital agricultural tools. The emphasis was on showcasing how these technologies can be integrated into real farm settings using data and feedback.
The theme of this year’s event was “weathering change,” addressing the implications of the season’s excessive rainfall on crop health and future harvests. Keena shared how their farming plans were abruptly altered during a heavy rainstorm in June, causing significant damage to fields at the 5,500-acre Rutherford Farms site.
A key highlight of the event was the discussion around Crop Intelligence, a data-driven agronomic tool that functions like a weather station, gathering information on precipitation, temperature, and environmental conditions. This tool, combined with a soil probe, enables users to monitor soil moisture levels and predict crop yields throughout the season.
Leanne Koroscil, Innovation Farms manager at EMILI, emphasized the importance of utilizing new technologies to address the impacts of climate change and variable weather patterns on farming practices. Charles Fossay, a seasoned farmer near Starbuck and director at Keystone Agricultural Producers, praised the utility of tools like soil probes, particularly for irrigation farmers, in optimizing crop management decisions.
Reflecting on the evolution of the industry over the past decade, Keena noted the widespread recognition of the value of artificial intelligence and new technologies in agriculture. The focus now lies in demonstrating the practical benefits of these innovations to farmers like Fossay, encouraging their adoption on a broader scale.
Moving forward, EMILI aims to validate the effectiveness of new technologies in farming practices before farmers make adoption decisions, ensuring that these tools are fully optimized for their operations.