AgRobotics in Ontario

Kristen Obeid, OMAFRA Weed Management Specialist – Horticulture

What a challenging-few-years the agriculture sector and the world has had.  But challenges pave the way for opportunities.  And there are opportunities abound in the AgRobotics space.  What is the problem you are trying to solve?  Likely, there is a company somewhere in the world trying to solve it.

Since 2021, an AgRobotics Working Group comprised of more than 50 people (OMAFRA staff, Haggerty Creek AgRobotics, growers, grower associations, agri-business, universities and colleges, federal and municipal governments and technology companies) have been meeting weekly.  The group brainstorms about available and future technologies, builds networks and collaborations, conducts on-farm demonstrations, and builds cross-functional teams to apply for funding opportunities in hopes of ground truthing these technologies in Ontario production systems.  The technology companies are impressed with the diversity of production, government support and research capabilities in Ontario.

In 2021, Haggerty Creek AgRobotics Division along with OMAFRA and grower associations conducted six demonstrations with three different robots in Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, peppers, onions, carrots, celery, strawberries and haskaps.  The robots included:

• Naïo Oz is an inter-row weeding robot. Capable of weeding through standing crops in row widths of 30” or more. Guided by RTK GPS. It can attach any implement, such as a 1-row seeder, hooded sprayer, wagon to haul loads, etc. video of two robots in a celery field
• Naïo Dino is an inter-row weeding robot.  Capable of weeding in any row spacing (adjustable tool bar) of a standing crop.  Guided by RTK GPS.
• Korechi RoamIO is an autonomous platform for soil sensing, mowing, cultivating, the limit is your imagination.

There will be two demo days featuring multiple robots.

Join the AgRobotics Working Group for in-field demonstrations highlighting the NaïoDino and Nexus The Goat at the Ontario Crops Research Centre -Bradford (Muck Crops Research Station) located at 1125 Woodchoppers Lane, King, ON.

No registration is required for the event on July 6th.

Join the AgRobotics Field Tour, July 13th from 9-4 either in-person or virtually. This tour starts at Haggerty Creek Ltd. 7708 Bentpath Line, Bothwell, ON, N0P 1C0. Registration for the July 13th tour is required, please sign up at https://survey.clicktools.com/app/survey/go.jsp?iv=25t6zheg5h9kv or by calling the Agricultural Information Contact Centre at 1-877-424-1300.

Arrive at 9AM	Refreshments at Haggerty Creek Ltd. (Haggerty AgRobotics Company) 7708 Bentpath Line, Bothwell, ON.
9:15 –10:30 am	AgRobotics presentation and demonstration of robots for use in field crops.
10:30 –11:00 am	Drive to 9488 McCreary Line, Dresden, ON.
11:00 –11:45 pm	FarmDroid in sugar beets 9488 McCreary Line, Dresden, ON.
11:45 –1:00 pm	Boxed lunch at Dresden Park.
1:00 –2:00 pm	Travel to 9928 Walker Rd., Grand Bend, ON.
2:00 –3:30 pm	Nexus La Chèvre weeding in carrots 9928 Walker Rd., Grand Bend, ON.
3:30 –4:00 pm	Networking and travel home.

Please reach out to Kristen Obied (kristen.obeid@ontario.ca) if you have any questions.