Over $2M invested to develop digital tech in agriculture

The Governments of Canada and Manitoba are investing more than $2 million to help develop and implement digital technology in the agricultural sector.

Premier Wab Kinew and Agriculture Minister Ron Kostyshyn announced the funding on Thursday, saying the money will go to the Enterprise Machine Intelligence and Learning Initiative (EMILI) for Advancing Digital Agriculture Opportunities.

“New innovations are providing a vast amount of new insight that allows [agricultural] operations to be more productive,” said Ray Bouchard, EMILI board chair.

This funding will build on the launch of EMILI’s Innovation Farms Project – a full-scale farming operation that’s used to test new processes and technologies, to provide collaboration and demonstration for both experts and the general public.

As part of this project, the new 8,500-square-foot Innovations Farms Centre opened on Thursday.

At the Innovations Farm Centre, EMILI can look at farm data, test technology solutions and host educational events. The centre has workshop space, meeting rooms, offices and a control centre.

“Farming may be an age-old practice, but we are entering an exciting new era full of potential,” Bouchard said.

EMILI is a non-profit with the goal of empowering Manitoba farmers to leverage digital disruption and focus on digital agriculture.