DIY Automation and Precision Agriculture

John Van de Vegte P.Eng. Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs

Environmental Management Branch

Improving Agriculture

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Need to Improve:

Need to Reduce:

ProductivityCrop Yield

Livestock Health

Cost of ProductionRisk of Loss

Environmental ImpactWater & Energy Consumption

Improving Agriculture

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Technology Data

Use technology to:• Collect data on farm environment and process• Quantify the existing process• Make data-driven decisions on how to improve farm operations• Use data to improve process control• Create autonomous process (ie valve control)

Data & Technology in Our Lives

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• Collection, storage and manipulation of data• Technology is available and cheaper than ever before!

Technology Already in Agriculture

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Precision Ag

Robotics in the BarnGPS-Guided Tractor

Reducing Cost of Technology Trend

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Do-It-Yourself Technology

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Input Brain Output

Collect Data Do What? Do

Technology does not have to be complex!

Inputs

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Temperature $2.75ea

Ultrasonic Distance $9.30ea

Pressure $2.50ea

Relative Humidity $1.25ea

CO2 Concentration $150ea

• Sensor measures the parameter of interest• Digital or analog output signals• Many sensors available at reasonable prices

Liquid Level$90.00ea

Brains

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Data Loggers Programmable Logic Controller

Microprocessor

• Collects & stores data from Input • Uses data to make decisions based on program algorithm

Programming the Brain

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Playing Video Games

Into

Programming Microprocessor

Do you have a programmer in-house?

Free microprocessor programming language and tutorials available on-line www.arduino.ccwww.raspberrypi.org

Outputs

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Information (from Data Logger) Action (from PLC or Microprocessor)

• Conducts actions as directed by the program in the Brain

Examples

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• Examples of project conducted over the past 2 years

• Initial focus on data collection to quantify processes

• Evaluation of the data collected highlights opportunities to improve process

Knowledge is Power

Field Vegetable Livestock Tree Fruit

Wash-Water Turbidity Monitoring

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Can field vegetable wash-water turbidity monitoring be used to reduce water consumption?

• Measurement captured every 30sec on data logger.

• Reduced water consumption and increased recirculation in vegetable wash process

Manure Monitoring at Swine Barn

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0

1

2

3

4

5

6

25/04 14/06 03/08 22/09 11/11

Dis

tanc

e fro

m S

enso

r (ft)

Time

West Pit Level Measurement 2017

• Manure volume monitoring at pig farm• Ultrasonic sensor with 5m range• Measurement captured every 1hr on data logger

Does actual manure production match estimate in nutrient management plan?Why: Manure production and spreading needs to be managed

Ammonia Levels in Lamb Barns

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0

5

10

15

20

25

30

NH3

Con

c'n

(ppm

)

NH3 Concentration (PPM)

• Ammonia sensor with 200ppm limit• Measurement captured every 30min.

What is Ammonia concentration in lamb barns?Why: Exposure to excessive ammonia has health impacts. Exposure limit for humans is 25ppm (8hr time weighed average)

Methane Levels in Swine and Dairy Barns

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Tem

p.(º

C)

CH

4 C

onc’

n(%

LEL)

What is methane concentration in swine and dairy barns?Why: Methane is explosive at concentrations between 5% and 15%

• Wireless sensor with data sent to Cloud• Measurement captured every 15min.• Found instances of high methane concentration

Peach Size in Harvest Totes

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Can we measure peach size range in totes on arrival at packaging operation?Why: Peach size required to manage packaging process.

• Camera mount above door to cold storage• Read RFID tag on skid• Digital photo taken every 0.5 seconds as lift-truck brings skid into storage• Automatically determine when full skid is in view• Measure diameter of all visible peaches• Export peach size data for skid to production management software

Summary

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• Make data-driven decisions on how to improve your production process.

• Technology to collect critical data at your farm is available at reasonable cost.

• You can Do-It-Yourself!

What do you want to measure or control at your farm?

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Thank You!