Bought by Van Eekelen Enterprises Ltd. to service its vegetable fields, “Robot One” is a machinelearning technology that is taught to differentiate between weeds and crops so it can selectively kill weeds using a range of onboard mechanisms, improving profitability while reducing herbicide use. Photo credit: InnovateBC
BRITISH COLUMBIA – The B.C. On-Farm Technology Adoption Program is now open for applications.
With up to $2 million available for farmers from the Federal and Provincial Government, funding is available for adopting new labour-saving technologies to enhance profitability and efficiency.
This second round of funding focuses on new commercially available farming technologies that will help grow, raise, harvest, pack or store food more effectively, productively or profitably. The program will fund labour-saving technologies that help address labour shortages and improve processes for labour-intensive tasks.
Farmers can use the funding to buy new technologies, such as equipment and robotics that can operate independently and adapt to their environment. Examples are automated weeding equipment and harvesters or machinery that can perform tasks with minimal human interaction, like automated grading and sorting machines.
Applications for this round of funding are open from Tuesday, Aug. 20, to Oct. 6, 2024.
The program, funded by the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, is delivered by Crown agency, Innovate BC. The partnership is a five-year, $3.5-billion investment by federal, provincial and territorial governments to strengthen the competitiveness, innovation and resilience of Canada’s agriculture, agrifood and agriculture‐based products sector. This includes $1 billion in federal programs and activities and a $2.5-billion commitment that is cost-shared 60% federally and 40% provincially/territorially for programs that are designed and delivered by provinces and territories.
During the first intake of the program, 54 farms were awarded a total of $2 million to help buy new equipment.
Van Eekelen Enterprises Ltd, in Abbotsford, acquired an autonomous weeding platform that uses AI image recognition to help control weeds. It uses a combination of lasers, mechanical weeders and potential selective spraying to eliminate weeds in the field.
Business Examiner Staff
