REGINA — SaskTel and the University of Saskatchewan (USask) announced today they have partnered to launch a “living laboratory” at the university’s Livestock and Forage Centre of Excellence (LFCE) to test, develop and demonstrate smart farming technologies.
Smart farming involves collecting and analyzing big data so that producers can make informed and sustainable farm management decisions that improve productivity, says the SaskTel press release.
The initiative will focus on conducting research, improving education around smart farming, and testing and validating new agricultural technology ideas and solutions. The project is being driven by researchers from the colleges of engineering, agriculture and bioresources, and the computer science department at the university.
The LFCE would be the first research smart farm in Canada focused on maximizing efficiency in livestock operations through the latest Internet of Things-based technology in an interconnected wireless environment, says the release.
“We are excited to partner with SaskTel to help producers advance livestock farming to the next level through use of some of the world’s best digital agricultural technologies — from drones equipped with software, to sensors that can monitor herds and their health,” said Karen Chad, USask vice-president of research, in the release. “This cutting-edge research will help meet the world’s increasing food demands, while enhancing training of our students in the latest high-tech farming techniques.”
SaskTel and USask plan to invite key stakeholders in the agriculture industry, including agtech start-ups, to identify challenges, propose solutions and initiate projects to test and validate these solutions at the LFCE.
“SaskTel is continually working to grow and innovate as a company. As there is a need for increased data-based decision making and farm-wide wireless connectivity, this agreement presents a perfect opportunity for SaskTel to lend its expertise,” said SaskTel president and CEO Doug Burnett.
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