Ontario Grain Farmer November 2021

Department of Plant Agriculture at the University of Guelph Ridgetown Campus. “But the collaboration and research being conducted through this robotic working group is helping autonomous robotics gain momentum.” Obeid says the working group recently identified machine tire size as a concern for different soil types and cropping systems. “The resulting discussion was a terrific opportunity for representatives from participating robotics companies to trouble- shoot and work to improve the machines, making them as beneficial to Ontario cropping systems as possible.” FINDING A FIT FOR FIELD CROPS Baresich has already identified specific applications for managing resistant weeds in crops such as no-till soybeans. “These robots could be used to recognize and target (kill) problem weeds like Horse- nettle and Canada fleabane to remove them from the crop, and ultimately help fight the growing resistance problem. This targeted approach could allow robotic models to cover sufficient acres and be economically viable,” he says. Soil sampling is another task Baresich predicts autonomous robots could shoulder for farmers and agronomists. He notes the increasing labour requirements to sample soil as nutrient management systems such as the 4R Nutrient Stewardship program (Right Source, Right Rate, Right Time, Right Place) are being implemented. “Robots could be deployed to collect samples with minimal damage to crops, while saving countless labour hours,” he explains. And because these are still early days in robotic development and applications, Baresich predicts we have only touched the surface of opportunities such as soil sampling, saying there could be so many more sensors that could be added to these machines to gather endless amounts of data to improve soil and crop performance. “Depending on the application, we could see robotics in Ontario fields sooner than later,” 8 says Robinson. “I predict within the next five to 10 years.” WORK CONTINUES Plans are already underway to continue the Ag Robotics Working Group’s research and machine testing in 2022 and beyond. “There are only a handful of working robotic units in North America,” notes Robinson. “And since Ontario offers such a wide range of crops and growing conditions, we’ve got the ideal environment for testing these systems.” Robinson will oversee the testing and measuring robotics’ performance in 2022 at the University of Guelph Ridgetown Campus. He says the demonstrations will also continue in field crop trials, where practical applications in multiple crops can be thoroughly tested. “We’ve proven the technology works this year, showing robots can be successfully deployed in Ontario fields,” says Baresich. “Our next steps are to determine how to reliably ramp these up to commercial scale levels where growers feel confident in the machine’s performance.” A number of farmers in Ontario have even ordered their own autonomous robots for next year’s growing season. These early adopters have been added to the working group to expand the testing results. The working group wasn’t in Obeid’s plans for 2021, but after spending much of the past year with the robots, she says she is grateful for the opportunity to work with such innovative technology and leaders. She cannot wait to continue the research and learning in 2022 and beyond to bring the opportunities the robots can offer. “The only limit to the robots is your imagination.” she says. l FIELD DEMONSTRATION OF ROBOTS. PHOTO COURTESY KRISTEN OBEID. continued from page 6