Time to Put Research to Work with AI Capabilities

Researchers have been collecting data for centuries now. Artificial Intelligence is able to learn some of that information and use it for modern-day applications in agriculture. Associate Professor of Computer Science at Dakota State University in South Dakota, Austin O'Brien says many colleges and universities use their own test crops and herds as a source of information, and it's time to put all the data collection and research to work.

“So whether that's having drones that can be able to fly over these different fields, take pictures, identify where you might have like you say, crop damage, disease, pests, things like that, or where you might need to enrich the soil better things of that nature. That's kind of where we're getting started, and then automating the process of having these machines, perhaps do them on their own as well. That's kind of more of, I think the long-term goal that we would have.”

Researchers are also looking into applications for AI use and animal production, according to O'Brien.

“You know, being able to identify diseases as early as possible, so maybe getting pictures of them or other sensors, you know, heat, temperatures, things like that, and so that you can get in front of disease and kind of catch it on an animal before it spreads through the herd. O'Brien

says the use of AI could create even greater accuracy for meeting nutrition requirements and livestock feed rations or application of crop protection products.”

O’Brian says the use of AI could create even greater accuracy for meeting nutrition requirements and livestock feed rations or application of crop protection products.