OCTOBER 2024 TOOLKIT

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) AND EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES IN AGRICULTURE

Public and land-grant universities play a crucial role in developing and implementing AI and emerging technologies. These breakthroughs are revolutionizing agriculture by enhancing efficiency, productivity, and sustainability. AI Institutes for Agriculture, supported by National Science Foundation and U.S Department of Agriculture, collaborate with many universities, industry, commodity groups, NGOs, and other partners. They are hosted at the following universities:

Iowa State University: AI Institute for Resilient Agriculture (AIIRA)
University of California, Davis: AI Institute for Next Generation Food Systems (AIFS)
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign: AI Institute for Future Agricultural Resilience, Management and Sustainability (FARMS)
University of Minnesota Twin Cities: AI Institute for Climate-Smart Agriculture and Forestry (AI-CLIMATE)
Washington State University: Institute for Agricultural AI for Transforming Workforce and Decision Support (AgAID)

RESEARCH AND EDUCATION

Land-grant universities are advancing key AI applications including:

Precision Farming: AI analyzes data from satellites, drones, and sensors to optimize irrigation, fertilization, and pest control.
Crop and Soil Monitoring: AI-driven technologies revolutionize early detection of pest infestations and diseases and prevent crop loss.
Resource Optimization: AI-driven systems optimize water and fertilizer usage, promote conservation, and result in healthier crop growth.
Predictive Analytics: AI forecasts weather, crop yields, and market demands to aid in planning and decision-making.
Sustainable Practices: AI supports techniques such as reduced tillage and nutrient management that enhances soil health.
Robotics and Automation: AI-powered robots perform tasks like planting, weeding, and harvesting.

Key emerging technologies include:

Precision Agriculture: Uses data from sensors, satellites, drones, and robotics to optimize resource use, improve crop yields, and increase productivity. This enables precise application of inputs (e.g., water, fertilizers), increases efficiency, and reduces waste.
IoT* and Smart Sensors: Gathers real-time data on crop health, soil moisture, and environmental conditions to help farmers make informed decisions about irrigation, fertilization, and pest control.
Indoor Vertical Farming: Grows crops in stacked layers in controlled environments, maximizes yield in limited spaces, and uses less water than traditional methods.
Advanced Livestock Technology: Includes automated milking systems, smart feeders, and health monitoring sensors to improve animal care and farm productivity.
Biotechnology: Advances in genetic engineering are improving crop resistance to diseases.

*The Internet of Things (IoT) is a network of everyday objects that are connected to the internet and can collect and share data with each other, allowing them to communicate and work together.¹

EXTENSION

The Cooperative Extension services are incorporating AI to enhance their operations and serve their communities across the United States.

The Extension Foundation AI
“Extension AI” includes the ExtensionBot tool. ExtensionBot is a LLM Agnostic chatbot that is built and deployed by the Extension Foundation working closely with Eduworks Corporation. ExtensionBot is backed by an LLM (Large Language Model) that is trained exclusively on data provided by Cooperative Extension institutions and Ask Extension. ExtensionBot provides citations to Extension resources with its responses that can be verified in real-time.

The ExtensionBot is supported by a partnership of more than 20 land-grant colleges, the Extension Foundation, and the USDA.² Listen to how Oklahoma State University is using ExtensionBot.

The Foundation’s larger goal is to build an LLM that is trained on Extension Resources from across the Cooperative Extension service. Each new institution or contributing member strengthens the LLM. The foundation is asking institutions to create data dumps as well as a “data pipeline” for their data.³

Through the integration of research, education, and Extension, land-grant universities play crucial and unique roles that advance AI and emerging technologies. These institutions serve as hubs for innovation and combine cutting-edge AI research with real-world applications. Extension facilitates the dissemination of practical solutions to farmers so that technological advancements are accessible and impactful.

Land-grants foster collaborations among AI experts, agricultural scientists, students, NGOs, industry partners, Extension educators, and others. This synergy increases productivity, enhances sustainability, reduces costs, trains the next generation of ag professionals, and contributes to resilience.

The AI in agriculture market is projected to rapidly grow from $1.7 billion in 2023 to $4.7 billion by 2028. Future success depends on continued research, infrastructure investment, and efforts to make these technologies accessible to farmers worldwide.⁴

_{Sources: 1. What is IoT? - Internet of Things Explained - AWS (amazon.com); 2. ExtensionBot here to help - Brownfield Ag News; 3. ExtensionBot – Extension Foundation; 4. The Future of Farming: AI Innovations That Are Transforming Agriculture (forbes.com); Perplexity; AI in Agriculture and Farming: Revolutionizing Crop Growth - Intellias; Artificial Intelligence Improves America’s Food System | USDA; Special report: AI Institute for next generation food systems (AIFS) - ScienceDirect}

SOCIAL MEDIA

SAMPLE POSTS

AI/EMERGING TECHNOLOGY
Future agricultural leaders are learning to harness [AI/emerging tech/robotics] in [course/major]. Learn more how our students are preparing to tackle global food security challenges with cutting-edge solutions: [project link]

AI [and/or other emerging tech] are transforming agricultural research at [@school]. Check out how [PI] is using [tech] to help feed our nation: [project link]

Cooperative Extension experts like [name] are embracing AI to help farmers make data-driven decisions, optimize resources, and increase yields: [project link]

NATIONAL HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH
In honor of #HispanicHeritageMonth, @SCHOOL celebrates the achievements of [name] for [their] contributions to the advancement of agricultural research: [project link]

Looking for pre-made stories to feature? Check out:

Land-grant Impacts
Scroll down to "View by Institution" and click your university's name. Only institutions who submitted impacts to the National Impacts Database in 2023 are listed. This page features research and Extension impacts.
Multistate Research Funds Impacts
Scroll down to "Filter by Institution" on the sidebar and click your university's name. This page features research impacts.

Feel free to reach out to us with specific posts that you would like @AgIsAmerica to share. Please email your request to Kim Scotto at agcomms@aplu.org or use #AgIsAmerica.

HASHTAGS AND HANDLES

HASHTAGS
#LandGrantUniversities
#AgIsAmerica

HANDLES

Ag is America	@AgIsAmerica
APLU Ag	@APLU_Ag
Sec. Vilsack (Secretary of Agriculture)	@SecVilsack
USDA	@USDA
USDA National Institute of Food & Ag	@USDA_NIFA
APLU	@APLU_News

CALENDAR

OCTOBER HOLIDAYS

MONTHS

National Apple Month, #NationalAppleMonth
National Hispanic Heritage Month, #HispanicHeritageMonth (September 15 – October 15)
National Pasta Month, #NationalPastaMonth
National Pizza Month, #NationalPizzaMonth
National Pork Month, #NationalPorkMonth
National Sausage Month, #NationalSausageMonth
National Seafood Month, #NationalSeafoodMonth
Vegetarian Month, #VegetarianMonth

WEEKS

October 6-12: National Fire Prevention Week, #FirePreventionWeek
October 7-12: National 4-H Week, #4HBeyondReady
October 13-19: National Veterinary Technician Week, #NVTW

DAYS

October 1: International Coffee Day, #InternationalCoffeeDay
October 1: World Vegetarian Day, #WorldVegetarianDay
October 1: National Taco Day, #NationalTacoDay
October 5: World Teachers' Day, #WorldTeacherDay
October 11: World Egg Day, #WorldEggDay
October 12: National Farmer’s Day, #NationalFarmersDay
October 14: Indigenous Peoples’ Day, #IndigenousPeoplesDay
October 15: International Day of Rural Women, #RuralWomen
October 16: World Food Day, #WorldFoodDay
October 20: Anniversary of Equity in Educational Land-Grant Status Act of 1994
October 21: National Apple Day, #NationalAppleDay
October 22: National Nut Day, #NationalNutDay
October 24: National Food Day, #NationalFood Day
October 26: National Pumpkin Day, #NationalPumpkinDay
October 28: National Chocolate Day, #NationalChocolateDay

_{Source: September - National Day Calendar}

USDA EVENTS & DEADLINES

October 1 – Technical Assistance Webinar: Specialty Crop Research Initiative Request for Pre-Applications
The Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SCRI) call for Pre-Applications for FY2025 is open. The close date is November 8, 2024. This webinar will provide interpretation of the RFPA and an opportunity to ask questions. The purpose of the SCRI program is to address the critical needs of the specialty crop industry by awarding grants to support research and extension that address key challenges of national, regional, and multi-state importance in sustaining all components of food and agriculture, including conventional and organic food production systems.

October 2 – Webinar: USDA Actions on Reducing Food Loss and Waste
This webinar will explore the connection between food loss, waste, and food insecurity, highlighting USDA's initiatives and contributions in these areas. University experts will present new AFRI-funded programs, followed by a moderated discussion.

October 3 – Webinar: Post-Award Management for Competitive Grants
Effective post award management is needed to accomplish project goals and the legislative intent for the program. In this third installment of the Grant Applicant/Awardee Technical Assistance (GAATA) series, learn more about award amendments, no-cost extensions
reporting requirements, and more.

October 3 – Listening Session: Children, Youth and Families At Risk (CYFAR)
The USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) will host a listening session to hear stakeholder feedback regarding all aspects of the Children, Youth and Families At Risk Program (CYFAR). During the listening session, stakeholders may share their feedback with NIFA representatives. The event is being offered on two dates/times to fit the scheduling needs of interested attendees.

October 4 – Listening Session: Children, Youth and Families At Risk (CYFAR)
The USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) will host a listening session to hear stakeholder feedback regarding all aspects of the Children, Youth and Families At Risk Program (CYFAR). During the listening session, stakeholders may share their feedback with NIFA representatives. The event is being offered on two dates/times to fit the scheduling needs of interested attendees.

October 22 – Webinar: Addressing Critical Shortages in Nutrition Professionals
Employment in food, nutrition, dietetic and medical sciences is projected to grow 6-10 percent over the next 10 years, though decreases in students qualified to fill these growing needs are reported. Societal challenges such as tackling food and nutrition insecurity and ensuring health equity require an educated and diverse workforce of knowledgeable skilled and semi-skilled professionals to help address these needs. Multiple barriers limit the number and diversity of people interested in pursuing careers in nutrition and related fields, including the high cost of education and training programs. This webinar will discuss these challenges and provide an overview of relevant NIFA funding opportunities designed to diversify and expand education and workforce development opportunities for traditional, underserved, and underrepresented communities.

_{Source: Upcoming Events | National Institute of Food and Agriculture (usda.gov)}