Artificial Intelligence: A Sustainable Approach to Today’s Farming

Sep 21, 2023

By Caitlyn Lamm

When it comes to technology, I would not consider myself an early adopter.

I prefer chatting with a cashier to using a self-checkout. I write lists with a pen and paper instead of an app on my phone. And I’m often asking my smart-device-loving-husband, “What the heck do we need that for?”

However, I can even recognize the good technology can do. Particularly when it comes to the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in farming and its role in animal care and sustainability.

Here are a few examples of AI in agriculture I find especially fascinating:

Some dairy farms use AI to milk their cows. The robot can autonomously hook itself up to a cow’s udders and simultaneously track how much milk she produces along with important health metrics. These data points help farmers make needed adjustments to a cow’s diet to ensure she is receiving all the nutritional requirements needed to live comfortably.
While not yet widely adopted, a newer innovation in pig farming is AI to monitor individual pigs in a pen. Cameras can differentiate between pigs and monitor their activity, feeding habits and weight. This allows farmers to provide individual care and also take a pig to market at the correct weight. A farmer I talked to recently was fascinated by this technology but was cautious about if it would pencil out, a valid point with farm inputs being incredibly high right now. Universities have also been exploring AI’s role in early diagnosis of respiratory illnesses in dairy calves with nearly 90% accuracy.
There is new sprayer technology on the market that allows a machine to roll through a field and identify what is a weed and what is a crop. With this type of precision, individual weeds are targeted with herbicide. It’s worth mentioning as you see sprayers rolling across fields, the amount of actual chemical sprayed per acre is equivalent to your large, trendy drink tumbler—the rest is water. However, with newer technology, resources can be further reduced. Drones have also been instrumental in identifying problem areas in a field and applying targeted crop protection.

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Video: Why Port Infrastructure is Key to Growing Canada's Farms and Economy

Grain Farmers of Ontario (GFO) knows that strong, modern port infrastructure is vital to the success of Canada’s agriculture. When our ports grow, Ontario grain farmers and Canadian farms grow too—and when we grow, Canada grows.

In this video, we highlight the importance of investing in port infrastructure and how these investments are key to growing Ontario agriculture and supporting global trade. The footage showcases the strength of both Ontario’s farming landscapes and vital port operations, including some key visuals from HOPA Ports, which we are grateful to use in this project.

Ontario’s grain farmers rely on efficient, sustainable ports and seaway systems to move grain to markets around the world. Port investments are crucial to increasing market access, driving economic growth, and ensuring food security for all Canadians.

Why Port Infrastructure Matters:

Investing in Ports = Investing in Farms: Modernized ports support the export of Canadian grain, driving growth in agriculture.

Sustainable Growth: Learn how stronger ports reduce environmental impact while boosting economic stability.

Global Trade Opportunities: Improved port and seaway systems help farmers access new global markets for their grain.

Stronger Communities: Investment in ports means more stable jobs and economic growth for rural communities across Ontario and Canada.

We are proud to support the ongoing investment in port infrastructure and to shine a light on its vital role in feeding the world and securing a prosperous future for Canadian agriculture.

Special thanks to HOPA Ports for providing some of the stunning port footage featured in this video.