March 1st 2024 Meeting

AgRobotics Working Group Meeting Agenda, March 1st, 2024 

1. New Members:  

   1. Susan Murch – UBC 

   2. Jeff Paddock   - Conestoga  

   3. Mark Goldfield 

2. Presentations: John Cassidy - Update on Thrive (https://thriveagrifood.com/)  

3. Conferences/Meetings/Field Tours/Demonstrations 

   1. London Farm Show, March 6-8th, 2024, London Ontario 

   2. Ottawa Farm Show, March 12-14th, 2024, 4899 Uplands Drive, Ottawa 

   3. New York State Organics Summit, April 3-5, 2024, Syracuse New York NYS Organics Summit (nysar3.org)   

   4. International Symposium on Robotics & Automation - Monday, 22 July 2024 in Manhattan, KS, USA, in conjunction with the 16th International Conference on Precision Agriculture. ispag.org/Events/R_A_Symposium 

   Attendees at recent conferences, please be prepared to provide a brief update to the group. 

4. Project Updates  

   1. Beta website now live 

5. Funding Announcements/Opportunities –  

   1. The Greenbelt Foundation is accepting Letters of Intent for the 2024 Spring Grant Round which is open 

   Resilient Greenbelt 

   Resilient Greenbelt works with nature to create and improve public benefits provided by the natural systems of Ontario's Greenbelt. 

   Sustainable Greenbelt 

   Sustainable Greenbelt sustains the healthy communities and rural vitality provided by the agricultural and rural economic systems of the Greenbelt. 

   Accessible Greenbelt 

   Accessible Greenbelt sparks and develops awareness, appreciation and engagement of the Greenbelt in residents, visitors and stakeholders. 

   Letter of Intent Due Date: March 22, 2024  

   Grant Guidelines 

   1. Agri-Innovate - AgriInnovate Program: Step 1. What this program offers - agriculture.canada.ca 

   2. OMAFRA/SCAP Funding Announcement and Program Details Link - Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership | ontario.ca 

   3. The Grow Ontario Accelerator Hub : Bioenterprise is OPEN for applications as of January 15, 2024. 

   4. Resilient Agricultural Landscape Program (RALP) The Canadian and Ontario governments are investing up to $20 million to support the adoption of land-based improvements that will: reduce greenhouse gas emissions, store carbon, enhance other ecological good and services. Funding will be provided to eligible farmers to help improve on-farm productivity and increase the resilience of agricultural landscapes in response to a changing climate. 

6. Agriculture Technology Innovation Initiative Governments Driving Innovation in Food Production | Ontario Newsroom The governments of Canada and Ontario are investing up to $25 million, through the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, to expand capacity and realize efficiencies in the agriculture and food sector through the Agri-Tech Innovation Initiative. The Initiative will include a funding opportunity for eligible businesses to increase their efficiency and productivity by investing in new technology, equipment, as well as building or facility modifications. ATII will be administered by the Agriculture Adaptation Council Agricultural Adaptation Council : ATII (adaptcouncil.org) Applications OPEN Closes March 28, 2024 at 11:00 a.m  

7. Round Table 

8. Other Items 

• Intelinair Now Integrates With CNH Brands | The Scoop (thedailyscoop.com) 

• Funding accelerates autonomous systems | The Western Producer 

• Barriers to Scaling Automation in Agriculture - THRIVE (thriveagrifood.com) 

• Bluewhite raises $39M Series C to scale agricultural autonomous tractors - Robotics 24/7 (robotics247.com) 

• CSRWire - CNH Recently Attended FIRA 2024 Event for Agricultural Robots 

• Robotic Revolution: How AI and Robotics Are Shaping a Greener Futu… (bnnbreaking.com) 

• Ag-Robot Buying Guide 2024 is out now - Future Farming 

• Explore our Field Robots Dossier for cutting-edge insights - Future Farming