Chinmay Soman, co-founder and CEO of EarthSense Inc., demonstrating new robotics that provide real-time field data collection and analytics. CALS partners with EarthSense to help develop precision agriculture technology for farmers in North Carolina and beyond. Photo provided by EarthSense Inc.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/section>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\nPlant breeders can use data collected from drones to quantify the traits they are breeding for, such as drought tolerance or growth rate, and identify, diagnose and treat stressed plants. But Reberg-Horton emphasizes that anyone doing digital ag research can only work at stations with internet connectivity. He says that some crops and regions are being left out as a result.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeremy Martin, superintendent of the Sandhills Research Station in Jackson Springs, explains that the Drone Pilot Project started at his station not only because it\u2019s one of a few with high-speed internet connectivity, but also because of the area\u2019s sandy soils, which are ideal for intentionally stressing plants through nutrient and water limitations.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe Drone Pilot Project is a collaboration between the N.C. Plant Sciences Initiative, Plant Breeding Consortium, NC Agricultural Research Service, USDA Agricultural Research and NCDA&CS. The N.C. PSI Compute Team is made possible by the hard work of Rob Austin, Amanda Hulse-Kemp, Anna Locke, Jacob Fosso Tande and Jinam Shah. Photo provided by Rob Austin.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nThe N.C. PSI Compute Team leading the Drone Pilot Project aims to develop a synergistic, accessible system of drone data collection and analysis that any researcher can use. The idea is for research station staff to conduct weekly drone flights of every research plot at the station, collecting every primary type of data used in plant trials. Field researchers have agreed on a standard set of sensors for drone flights that includes camera imaging and multispectral imaging calibrated to the light plants respond to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After a day\u2019s flight, the station staff member loads the data on a computer at the station into an app that Reberg-Horton\u2019s team has developed. At midnight, the data migrates back to campus to be processed and stored.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe high-speed connection that we have at Sandhills is what allows that midnight data transfer to take place. If they didn't have a broadband connection, you could forget it,\u201d Reberg-Horton says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After a successful transfer, a second app developed by the N.C. PSI Compute Team stitches as many as 20,000 images from the previous day\u2019s flight together into one large image of the entire station. The app then calculates indices of interest that get stored in a database for access at any time. The intention, Reberg-Horton says, is to eventually have an archive of every research station every week during the growing season in the hopes of answering both anticipated and unanticipated research questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"Drones are just the tip of the iceberg. We plan to move into data collection via ground-based robots and tractor-based imaging systems for other crops.\u201d - Chris Reberg-Horton<\/p><\/div><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDrones are just the tip of the iceberg,\u201d Reberg-Horton says. \u201cNot everything can be captured from the skies. Fruit crops with thick canopies, for example, need to be imaged from the sides and below. We plan to move into data collection via ground-based robots and tractor-based imaging systems for other crops.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Future of Farming<\/h2>\n\n\n\nKeith Starke, superintendent of Central Crops Research Station, operating a tractor that needs internet connectivity for its precision agriculture technology that often improves efficiency and sustainability. Photo credit: Marc Hall.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nBeyond drones and robots, the data those devices collect must ultimately add value for the end user. With the future in mind, Smith has left room for evolution. Eventually, the cabinets that house the internet equipment on every research station will also play host to machine-learning hardware. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt's not only about data collection for our researchers,\u201d Fisher says. \u201cIt's also about testing new technology that farmers can employ on their farms. And they\u2019re already asking us questions that we aren't ready to answer and won\u2019t be able to answer until we have high-speed internet capabilities on our stations.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The kinds of questions growers are asking relate to the financial pros and cons of adopting new technology. Will a drone save them money on labor, chemicals and equipment? Is it as effective at managing pests and disease? Or, they may have already adopted data-generating technologies but aren\u2019t sure how to best utilize the information or apply it to management decisions. The power of a digitized research station network is in quantifying the value of technological investments that can push North Carolina farmers into a league of their own in the global marketplace. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"AI and digital ag is the revolution of our time.\" - Chris Reberg-Horton<\/p><\/div><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAI and digital ag is the revolution of our time,\u201d Reberg-Horton says. \u201cIt\u2019s about NC State staying on the forefront of innovation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\n
All graphics by Patty Mercer.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n"},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A group of dedicated people across the state are bringing high-speed internet and advanced AI technology to our research stations and field labs in a collaborative effort to move our food system into the future.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":39,"featured_media":2746,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"views\/single-immersive.blade.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"source":"","_tec_requires_first_save":true,"ncst_custom_author":"","ncst_show_custom_author":false,"ncst_dynamicHeaderBlockName":"ncst\/default-immersive-post-header","ncst_dynamicHeaderData":"{\"backgroundColor\":\"red_400\",\"caption\":\"Photo credit: Marc Hall.\",\"displayCategoryID\":446,\"showAuthor\":true,\"showDate\":true,\"showFeaturedVideo\":false,\"subtitle\":\" A group of dedicated people across the state are bringing high-speed internet and advanced AI technology to our research stations and field labs in a collaborative effort to move our food system into the future.\u00a0\"}","ncst_content_audit_freq":"","ncst_content_audit_date":"","_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"_tribe_blocks_recurrence_rules":"","_tribe_blocks_recurrence_description":"","_tribe_blocks_recurrence_exclusions":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[446],"tags":[399,450,37,449,447,455,454,145,452,451],"_ncst_magazine_issue":[445],"class_list":["post-2584","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fall-2024","tag-ai","tag-broadband","tag-department-of-crop-and-soil-sciences","tag-drones","tag-future-proof","tag-iot","tag-it","tag-n-c-plant-sciences-initiative","tag-ncdacs","tag-research-stations"],"displayCategory":{"term_id":446,"name":"Fall 2024","slug":"fall-2024","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":446,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":13,"filter":"raw"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Future-proof Farming Starts with Fiber<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n