New App Brings Artificial Intelligence to Scouting

Sep 21, 2018

By Ryan Adams

Scouting is time consuming and requires plenty of knowledge. Knowing what a weed is at the very early stages of emergence or identifying a disease before it spreads too far can have an economic impact on your farm. A new app from xarvio – the Digital Farming Company – which is how BASF refers to this newly acquired business, offers a high-tech way to speed scouting, and make inexperienced scouts more effective.

“The app has artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms that help identify weeds and disease in the field,” says David Gray, xarvio’s commercial and business development manager. “When you’re in the app you snap a picture of the weed and it tells you with a percentage of confidence what you’re looking at. At over 90% confidence you should consider that accurate.”

The app was officially launched today, Aug. 28, at the 2018 Farm Progress Show.

What sets this weed/disease app apart from others is that the identification is being done by a remote server that has more than 150,000 weed and disease images in a massive database for comparison. In effect, the computer sees your picture and quickly compares it to all other images to find just the right match. And your pictures get added to the database and over time the system gets even better.

Source: ncsu.edu

Video: Why Port Infrastructure is Key to Growing Canada's Farms and Economy

Grain Farmers of Ontario (GFO) knows that strong, modern port infrastructure is vital to the success of Canada’s agriculture. When our ports grow, Ontario grain farmers and Canadian farms grow too—and when we grow, Canada grows.

In this video, we highlight the importance of investing in port infrastructure and how these investments are key to growing Ontario agriculture and supporting global trade. The footage showcases the strength of both Ontario’s farming landscapes and vital port operations, including some key visuals from HOPA Ports, which we are grateful to use in this project.

Ontario’s grain farmers rely on efficient, sustainable ports and seaway systems to move grain to markets around the world. Port investments are crucial to increasing market access, driving economic growth, and ensuring food security for all Canadians.

Why Port Infrastructure Matters:

Investing in Ports = Investing in Farms: Modernized ports support the export of Canadian grain, driving growth in agriculture.

Sustainable Growth: Learn how stronger ports reduce environmental impact while boosting economic stability.

Global Trade Opportunities: Improved port and seaway systems help farmers access new global markets for their grain.

Stronger Communities: Investment in ports means more stable jobs and economic growth for rural communities across Ontario and Canada.

We are proud to support the ongoing investment in port infrastructure and to shine a light on its vital role in feeding the world and securing a prosperous future for Canadian agriculture.

Special thanks to HOPA Ports for providing some of the stunning port footage featured in this video.