U.S. National Institute of Food and Agriculture announce $3 million in grants

Dec 17, 2014

Four universities will use funding to advance use of robots in agriculture

By Diego Flammini, Farms.com

Robotics technology initiatives at Georgia Tech, University of Illinois, Carnegie Mellon University, and Washington State University will share $3 million in federal monies to develop the newest technology of robots able to work alongside people involved in production agriculture.

“We are on the cusp of seeing incredible advancement in the use of robotics and sensors supporting agriculture in this country,” said Sonny Ramaswamy, director of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture. “These technologies, which are components of the ‘internet of agricultural things,’ have the ability to make agriculture production more efficient, saving time and money – benefits that can be passed from producers to consumers.”

Georgia Tech
The university will receive $900,498 of federal funding to research robotic technology that can independently collect soil samples and leaves for use in integrated crop and pest management systems.

University of Illinois
With their $532,607 of the money, their major initiative is for building a framework for cooperative networks involving robots and humans in hopes they can sustain high performance in ever-changing environments and the use of resources.

Carnegie Mellon University
The Pittsburgh based university will get $556,726 of the federal grant funding to put towards developing a way of detecting people in agricultural settings; creating safer and more effective working spaces and implementation of robotic equipment.

Washington State University
Receiving the lion’s share of the funding at $1,010,169, they’ll focus on creating a technology allowing for human-robot and robot-robot interaction. This technology will be used to develop a bin-management system for tree fruit orchards.

Video: Dicamba Returns for Georgia Farmers: What the New EPA Ruling Means for Cotton Growers

After being unavailable in 2024 due to registration issues, dicamba products are returning for Georgia farmers this growing season — but under strict new conditions.

In this report from Tifton, Extension Weed Specialist Stanley Culpepper explains the updated EPA ruling, including new application limits, mandatory training requirements, and the need for a restricted use pesticide license. Among the key changes: a cap of two ½-pound applications per year and the required use of an approved volatility reduction agent with every application.

For Georgia cotton producers, the ruling is significant. According to Taylor Sills with the Georgia Cotton Commission, the vast majority of cotton planted in the state carries the dicamba-tolerant trait — meaning farmers had been paying for technology they couldn’t use.

While environmental groups have expressed concerns over spray drift, Georgia growers have reduced off-target pesticide movement by more than 91% over the past decade. Still, this two-year registration period will come with increased scrutiny, making stewardship and compliance more important than ever.