Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1484475
TECHNOLOGY Through a grant from the Almond Board of California, Earles and his team are developing an ag sensing solution called AgKit. This project includes an autonomous sensing device that is mounted on the front of a tractor that captures video footage as people are driving through the orchard. Researchers are then using this data to develop agricultural and biological models for important functions like yield prediction, tree health and pest and disease scouting. "The AgKit is low-cost, quick to install and retrofits on any tractor," said Earles. "We want to start getting data and building these models now so that in three to five years, when all of this video footage is being generated from autonomous tractors, we have already done the work that can be used for generating the agronomic insights." Earles has been working on AgKit in grapes for even longer than almonds with a specific focus on yield prediction and forecasting. He is hoping to make similar progress in almonds alongside Vougioukas – who is developing techniques for real time automated yield monitoring. "In-field yield data is an important part of all of this. Without granular, ground-truthed yield data, we can't know for sure how accurate our yield prediction models are," said Earles. This is another major step in the evolution of efficient orchard management – more accurate, real-time yield prediction and monitoring. This is possible with the flywheel between data and automation combined with the investment in research to develop these models. The journey toward autonomy Even with these advancements, the path toward farm autonomy is not a short one. Iftach Birger grew up on a large almond farm in Israel, but chose to launch digital ag startup FieldIn rather than returning to the orchard. Birger said a lot of people in his generation are making a similar choice. "The way that the next generation will evolve farming will be when they are ready to embrace 21st century tools," said Birger. "21st century farms utilize data and automation to run the farm in a different way." FieldIn's auto-spray is the first of a series of autonomous products the company is launching to help growers along their journey to an autonomous farm. Birger and colleagues have outlined a five-step journey toward farm autonomy which includes digitizing the farm, benchmarking key metrics, identifying and deploying the right autonomous technology, automating decision making, and re-designing the farm around these capabilities. "We have a basic set of rules for autonomy," said Birger. "It needs to provide return on investment from day one. It needs to be very straightforward to use. It needs to be a risk mitigator. And it needs to do something that a human cannot easily and repeatedly do." Want to see what's next? International Forum of Agricultural Robotics' Ag Robotics Forum October 18 – 20 Fresno Convention and Entertainment Center ABC is a sponsor for the unique event that will focus on autonomous solutions for California and North American producers, including live demos, networking with manufacturers, and research project presentations. REGISTER TODAY fira-agtech.com/c/fira 5 "Monarch Tractor's Petition for Updated Autonomous Tractor Regulations Denied" https://www.precisionfarmingdealer.com/articles/5132-monarch- tractors-petition-for-updated-autonomous-tractor-regulations-denied Continued from page 10 Companies and images used in this article do not reflect endorsement by the Almond Board of California. Blue White Robotics retrofit that turns any tractor into autonomous equipment. Courtesy: Blue White Robotics 11