By Rita Giordano
At a roundtable discussion at New Bolton Center’s Allam House and the outdoor ribbon-cutting event that followed, university leaders, state officials and other stakeholders engaged in plans for the new center.
Pennsylvania Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding said the new center shows what can happen when people come together to collaborate for change.
“We can do it better together,” Redding said. “That’s why this day is an important day to celebrate. It’s a good reminder that innovation matters. It is because when we invest in innovation, we’re not just building technology. We’re building resilience. That resilience is critical. You help us find the disease earlier, help us resolve the problem faster. You help both the animals and the planet get better. Our food systems get better, and the families certainly are better off for Pennsylvania.”
Last year, AgriGates received a grant from the state’s first $10 million round of Agriculture Innovation Grants. Daniel Foy, co-founder of AgriGates and the new lab, said that the money helped kickstart DAT-AI-LAB, which stands for Data, Analysis, and Technology for Artificial Intelligence in Livestock Animal Behavior. In addition, Pennsylvania’s Center for Poultry Livestock Excellence contributed over $200,000 over the past three years to help develop the AI and machine-learning technology to study animal behavior and, most recently, to help create the lab.
“Animal behavior is an underappreciated, universal economic indicator for the identification of clinical problems and the early diagnosis of health and welfare in animals,” Foy said.
Source : upenn.edu