Sask.-developed artificial intelligence technology changing the way farmers look at grain
Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology developed in Saskatchewan is changing the way farmers see their grain.
From GPS on tractors to individual controls on seeders, third-generation farmer Chris Procyk says farming is seeing benefits from technological advancements.
“Ag is pretty funny that way,” he said. “It’s been evolving as long as it’s been around and probably seen more evolution in the last 10 years in terms of technology.”
However, one place Procyk is being held back is selling his grain.
For generations, grain quality has been graded at elevators or labs by a human.
“[They’re] looking for any insect damage from midge,” Procyk explained. “There’s usually some colour [to the kernel].”
“What you want to see is these good plump kernels.”
Grain Grading
Wheat that is grown in Saskatchewan has 55 characteristics graders look for.
They can be visual or chemical.
“You can’t visually tell protein [levels],” Procyk said.
For farmers looking for top dollar for their grain, the human eye can be subjective.
“[A grade] can vary from truck to truck, field to field or bin to bin,” Procyk added. “That’s where a machine would go a long ways.”
That’s where Procyk found Ground Truth.Ag.
The Saskatchewan company has taught AI to grade grain.
“The AI is looking at the picture and identifies all the kernels in the picture,” COO Divyesh Patel told CTV News during a demonstration. “Then it looks at each kernel one-by-one.”
A farmer or elevator can pour a sample into the machine and have the grain graded in seconds, taking away the guess work producers have been fighting against for a century.
“Because we have the ability to look at every kernel and assign a very specific damage score to each kernel, our analysis is much more consistent,” Patel said.
Financial Impact
Procyk said the difference of a grade-1 to grade-2 grain, is mere cents per bushel and can be even greater from a grade-2 to grade-3.
Over the scheme of an entire harvest, can mean a loss of thousands of dollars.
“Every increment matters,” he went on to say.
Ground Truth believes the AI system will also create greater consistency among all levels of the supply chain. Allowing grades to remain the same through multiple transactions of the same grain.
“Whenever you load a truck or train, you have to grade it, so those processes can be slowed down,” Patel said. “It will make the whole supply chain move more efficiently. Transactions and grading happen faster.”
Future of AI in Agriculture
Ground Truth.AG CEO Kyle Folk believes these are just the first steps of AI in the agriculture sector.
“Agriculture is no stranger to change,” he said. “Over the last 100 years, we’ve gone through several evolutions.”
“AI has ton of potential and it’s up to us as to what we can imagine and what we can utilize,” Folk added.
Pocyk doesn’t know where AI will take the industry next.
“The sky’s the limit,” he said. “This will be the tip of the iceberg.”
When asked what his grandfather would say about farmers using AI, Pocyk said, “he’d think we’re nuts.”
He added AI could help farmers better trust their process to output the quality grain the world knows Saskatchewan for.
“Quicker information means quicker decisions and more accurate decisions,” Pocyk said. “Then you’re not redoing things because of poor information.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Trump's Madison Square Garden event features crude and racist insults
Donald Trump took the stage Sunday night at New York’s Madison Square Garden to deliver his campaign's closing argument with the election nine days away after several of his allies used crude and racist insults toward U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris and other critics of the former president.
B.C. election results: Mail-in ballots heavily favour NDP, only absentee ballots left to count
The majority of mail-in ballots tallied this weekend for the final count in B.C.’s nail-bitingly close 2024 provincial election went to the NDP, increasing the party’s chances of clinching a third term.
Here's when you need to change your clock back
Millions of Canadians will notice their clocks turn back by one hour on Nov. 3, marking the end of daylight saving time this year.
New polls show Sask. NDP leading over Sask. Party ahead of election day
A pair of new pre-election polls indicate that the Saskatchewan NDP has a slight lead ahead of election day.
17-year-old charged for driving 188 km/h on Hwy. 417 in Ottawa
A 17-year-old Ottawa driver was caught speeding nearly 90 km/h over the speed limit on Highway 417.
Hollywood star Victor Garber gets emotional after surprise meeting with his former teacher in London, Ont.
Victor Garber got teary-eyed when he walked into a brunch in his honour Sunday in London, Ont.
Another bumpy week ahead as Trudeau faces deadlines from Liberal MPs, Bloc
Another week, another raft of imminent challenges to Justin Trudeau's leadership of both the country and the Liberal Party.
He lost a finger and survived a kidnapping. Then, this climber took on a 9,000-foot 'death-trap'
With jaw-dropping big wall ascents and a life packed with adrenaline and adventure, climber Tommy Caldwell has had a career worthy of – and captured by – a feature film.
How to make sure your used clothes go to the right place – and not to organized crime
Giving away used clothes for a second life feels like an act of charity – and it often is. But it’s become more complicated. A W5 investigation has discovered allegations that organized crime players are muscling in on charities to access their donation bins.