A local organization is hoping to push farming forward by embracing digital technologies and environmental methods to make the industry more sustainable.
Alberta Innovates is spending more than $5 million to support upcoming research companies in creating more economic and environmentally friendly operations for those working in the agriculture or the bioindustrial sectors.
“They were proposing us solutions for some of the problems that the two sectors are facing right now,” Virginia Mulligan, Alberta Innovates agri-food innovations programs senior manager, told Global News.
“The importance of technology or new processes and new technologies really needs to be embraced.”
The organization is funding 11 projects run by small to medium-sized companies.
According to a news release, some of the projects include digital tech to estimate wheat yields and manage harvest, using artificial intelligence to identify lame cattle before transport, and developing a made-in-Alberta carbon-dioxide sensor for grain bins to reduce crop loss.
“In our case in Alberta, we cannot stay behind. We have to adapt to the new way of doing things. With more automation, more digitalization, with the use of machine learning or artificial intelligence,” Mulligan said.
TerraVerdae Bioworks Inc. is one of the projects to receive funding. The company focuses on designing biodegradable and compostable plastics.
Its latest project was creating a biodegradable coating for seeds.
“The plastic is in the soil and it biodegrades in a timely manner, and therefore, it delivers the nutrients to the seed. And this will help with the overall picture of crop production efficiency,” TerraVerdae director Ray Bergstra said.
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“The main thing is the elimination of any potential for microplastics build up in the soil,” he said.
The Edmonton-based team developed biopolymer technology based on polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), which are polymers that are naturally biodegradable.
Through a heated reactor, Bergstra is able to extract biopolymer from naturally produced bacteria. It is purified to make bio-plastic, which is used to coat the seeds.
According to Bergstra, this will maintain soil health and reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with crop production.
“As this film is lying on the field, and then as it degrades, it can deliver these micronutrients to the crop,” he said.
Bergstra said the funding granted from Alberta Innovates will allow his firm to conduct larger-scale field trials.
“I am pleased to see Alberta Innovates support these cutting-edge projects. This funding will help Alberta agriculture continue to be a significant driving force for our economy and allow our producers to continue to provide high-quality agricultural products,” RJ Siguardon, minister of agriculture and irrigation, said in a media release.
Mulligan said new ideas on how to improve efficiency, sustainability and reduce workloads for producers are welcome.
The Agri-Food and Bioindustrial Innovation Program with Alberta Innovates remains open to new funding applications. Successful applications can receive up to $500,000 in funding per project.
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