By Amy Duke
Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences has joined the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, Team Pennsylvania, and Innovation Works/The Robotics Factory to launch the Keystone AgTech Alliance, a statewide partnership designed to accelerate agricultural innovation and position the commonwealth as a national leader in agricultural technology deployment.
The alliance will bring together research, industry, government and economic development partners to create a stakeholder-centered agricultural innovation ecosystem to hasten adoption of practical solutions to improve profitability, sustainability, workforce resilience and economic growth.
Penn State’s contribution to the alliance centers on its unique ability to move innovation from discovery to deployment — using its research facilities and farms to test and validate technologies under real-world conditions — and its statewide Penn State Extension network to help farmers evaluate and adopt solutions that work for their operations.
The partners announced the alliance at the FIRA Robotics Village exhibit during Penn State’s Ag Progress Days. Troy Ott, Peter and Ann Tombros Dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences, said the announcement of this collaboration was especially fitting as Ag Progress Days celebrates the 50th anniversary of its permanent home at the Russell E. Larson Agricultural Research Center at Rock Springs.
“For 50 years here at the Russell E. Larson Research Center, Ag Progress Days has brought together farmers, researchers, industry leaders and innovators to solve real-world challenges,” Ott said. “As we celebrate that legacy, we’re also looking ahead. At Penn State, we believe research has its greatest value when it moves beyond the lab to improve farms, businesses and communities.”
Source : psu.edu