“We’re just right at the cusp of some really interesting innovations as we begin to implement artificial intelligence and advanced sensors into the machines themselves. Whether that’s a machine that identifies weeds and treats them specifically or identifies pests and deals with them on the fly, we’re on the forefront of some really great technology that farmers will begin to see in their fields within the next year or two.”

said Curt Blades, senior vice president of ag services at the Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM).

With continued development of artificial intelligence and machine learning, sensor technologies, digital miniaturization and increased electrification in the tech space, more and more of those technologies are finding their way to the field. That is allowing farmers to tackle some of the environmental challenges the world is facing.

The environmental advantage comes from GPS technologies, that drive a tractor or combine more accurately, meaning the work gets done more quickly and the engine gets turned off sooner. Precision application technologies, can significantly reduce the amount of fertilizers and pesticides applied to crops by directing them only to the plants they are intended for, and not other plants or the bare ground in between rows.

“It makes sense for a farmer financially, but it also has a societal gain as there are fewer inputs involved. And that’s ultimately very good for the environment as well as the farmer.”

Blades explained.

The other challenge facing America, and farmers especially, is the tight labor market. While labor shortages may be relatively new to the American economy at large, a combination of political and economic pressures have made this a challenge for farmers for more than two decades. The most impacted segment of the ag economy? Specialty crops.

“’Specialty crop’ is a pretty broad term, but it encompasses a number of things, including fruits and vegetables. You’ve got trees, flowers, and even aquaculture, so when we talk about ‘specialty crops’ it’s a very broad term.”

said Austin Gellings, manager of ag services at AEM, who focuses on specialty crop issues.

While ‘specialty crop’ is a very broad term, they frequently share one main commonality: Human labor.

“The reason there hasn’t been much mechanization in this market is because specialty crops are delicate. What you ultimately harvest is what the consumer ends up buying and seeing in the store, and most people don’t want to buy damaged produce. With specialty crops, you have to be delicate in the way you handle it, making mechanization more difficult.”

Gellings continued.

However, as the number of farm hands willing to maintain, handle and harvest produce continues to dwindle, the need for machines that can handle these delicate crops and get them out of the field and into the grocery store is growing significantly. There is also an environmental benefit here as well, as more mechanization for specialty crops mean fewer tons of produce are left to rot in fields.

Gellings explained:

“It’s very labor-intensive now. But one machine can do, on a per-hour basis, what 20 people are capable of doing. So being mechanized not only allows you to do more, to produce more, it also helps eliminate food waste in the fields because we’re able to get food out of there when it needs to get out of there.”

“It’s amazing, the amount of technology that’s built into a tractor, combine, sprayer or into a seeder. Some of the most high-tech, data-intensive applications in technology today are happening in agriculture, and I encourage everyone to take a look because it’s really exciting to see what the future holds for this industry.”

Blades said.

The post Ag Tech-Centered Solutions Help Solving Labor Shortages and Environment Problems appeared first on North America FarmQuip Magazine.

Crossing the street, brushing our teeth, and drinking coffee, all come with varying degrees of hazard. This is why we wait for cars, spit out our toothpaste, and limit our caffeine intake. In fact, managing our exposure to activities and substances that are potentially harmful, is simply part of life.

And yet, virtually all substances have the potential to cause harm. Even water, in certain amounts, is lethal. The dose dictates the poison!

So, when a system classifies substances based exclusively on their hazard or risk, that system ignores the most important factor – the degree to which we are exposed. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) cancer classification, for example, virtually disregards exposure amounts or limits, when labeling carcinogenic substances or activities.

On the other hand, the Canadian Government regulates medications and pesticides with the understanding that everything comes with associated risks. The Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA), an entity within Health Canada, determines whether a pesticide product can be used safely, based on the amount that is necessary to control the pests. They then establish limitations on how the product should be used, so that both humans and the environment are thoroughly protected.

I came to Canada in 2010 to study plant biology at the University of Alberta. Today, as a PhD scientist, my role is to understand ‘the science behind the agricultural practices’. So, joining the regulatory team at Corteva Agriscience in 2014 was a great fit for me.

Of course, as a scientist, I was also very curious about how a big corporation operates. Is their science reliable? Who works there? Do farmers have a choice or are they being forced to use their technologies?

The good news is that scientists like me at Corteva are held to the same ethical standards as the scientists I worked with at the university research level. Remember, to earn a PhD, it takes at least 11 years of university studies.

The public wants to know more about the food they eat. Where does it come from? Who’s growing it? How is it being grown? And they are exposed to multiple sources of information that are driving their eating habits. This is an incredible opportunity for farmers who want to help the public understand what they do, how they do it, and why. To help inform the public, you must understand how PMRA assesses the safety of pesticides.

It takes approximately 10 years to come up with a new pesticide that’s unique, beneficial to farmers, safe to humans, and safe to the environment. This is not an easy task. Especially when you consider that our chemistry and biology scientists begin the process choosing from more than 100,000 possible chemicals to end up with one or two that meet or surpass the criteria.

Once the thoroughly-researched chemical candidates are chosen to become products, further studies are conducted to determine the pest it controls. Tests are also conducted to assess the optimal application rates, and its safety to humans and the environment, based on the proposed application patterns and volumes.

Overall, it takes nearly 150 separate studies to assess the safety and efficacy of a chemical product. This is a huge investment for innovator companies.

PMRA, as other agencies around the world, evaluates the safety and integrity of a chemical pesticide product by several types of studies in the scientific areas of:

• Chemistry. Farmers can be reassured that what’s in the package will work as expected.
• Toxicology. Any chemical – even water or coffee – has the potential to cause negative effects if a person is overexposed. For pesticides, PMRA wants to know the safe amounts everyone in the population can be exposed to in the short and the long term.
• Occupational exposure. Based on the proposed label uses, PMRA assesses exposure to the applicators and bystanders. Then, the personal protective equipment and the re-entry time are established, which provide instructions on how to apply the product safely.
• Environmental toxicology. Crops are not isolated environments. There may be animals visiting the field, or a natural forest may be near.  To assess the potential effect of the pesticide on non-target species, PMRA uses worst-case scenarios to test environmental toxicology (or example, a bird feeding exclusively from a field that has been treated).
• Residues. Once a pesticide is sprayed, it acts on the pest and then starts to degrade. PMRA assesses studies that show how much pesticide residues there are on the crop at different times after spraying and up to harvest.  PMRA then establishes the maximum residue limit (MRL) – the amount of pesticide residue that is acceptable and expected when the label is followed.
• Environmental fate. PMRA needs to understand how long it will take for the product to dissipate or breakdown and how the product moves in soil, water, and air. Considering the physical and chemical characteristics of the compound, PMRA can establish the fate of the product once it is sprayed.
• Value. Any label claim (such as this product controls unwanted pests) must be demonstrated through field trials before it can be approved by PMRA. The rate that is used to control a pest must be enough for consistent control but cannot be more than is needed.

Pesticides are one of the most regulated chemicals on the planet. Many studies from several different scientific areas are reviewed by regulatory agencies before a pesticide is considered for registration. We can be confident that registered pesticides can be used safely, while bringing tremendous benefits to the environment, producing more on less land. Pesticides also make good economic sense, keeping food prices low, and ensure that farmers have the right tools to grow their crops.

Source: Corteva

The post Corteva explains what we can learn from Canada’s process for unpacking new pesticides appeared first on North America FarmQuip Magazine.