Development of farm-efficiency and traceability platform
A new platform developed and funded by Farmers Edge, OPIsystems and Protein Industries Canada, is intended to increase the efficiency of farmer decision-making and expand Canada’s plant-protein market opportunities.
The $ 21 million project is being led by Farmers Edge Inc. and OPIsystems Inc., with a co-investment from Protein Industries Canada.
Predictive models
Farmers Edge and OPIsystems are capturing farm-level data related to crop and storage health management. This data in turn will be used to develop predictive models that use artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to help farmers enhance production practices, as well as make better storage and marketing decisions. This is expected to increase return on investments related to all areas of seed selection, irrigation, equipment selection and post-harvest management.
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Improve traceability
Once the initial phase is complete, Farmers Edge and OPIsystems will partner with the Standards Council of Canada to improve traceability along the plant-protein value chain. By using the data captured on farms, the partners will use a comprehensive digital platform to show consumers and trade partners how the products they‘re buying were produced and managed. The platform will include transparency related to production practices and any applicable regulatory or trade compliance checkoffs.
200 new Canadian jobs by 2025
When complete, the final products from both phases of the project will provide full traceability along the entire plant-protein value chain. This platform is expected to lead to approximately 200 new Canadian jobs by 2025.
Farmers Edge and OPIsystems are together investing $ 13.6 million into the project, with Protein Industries Canada investing an additional $ 7.4 million.
