There are increasing opportunities to use sensor technology and artificial intelligence (AI) in our daily routines, from smartwatches to AI-based assistants. In the livestock and agricultural industries, farmers can also utilize technologies such as sensors and computer vision systems to monitor their crops and herds. To prepare farmers, students and industry professionals for the digital agriculture era, CALS has launched the Smart Farm Hub, a multidisciplinary initiative that aims to provide the tools and knowledge needed to embrace and manage digital technologies.

Farmers must monitor the weather, commodity inventories, market prices and animals to make management decisions. Doing so without the aid of technologies can be challenging and time consuming. Fortunately, there are plenty of sensor technologies and AI tools to help farmers. However, adopting these technologies is not always straightforward, as farmers may feel overwhelmed with the number of options and with the amount of information generated. In addition, the availability of professionals and resources in this field is still limited.

To address those needs, the Smart Farm Hub will feature a series of articles and guides on topics like precision dairy farming, data management and AI applications in agriculture. In addition, its Instagram page posts videos from world-renowned researchers and industry professionals covering diverse topics about technology and AI for agriculture.

The Smart Farm Hub is a collaboration between UW–Madison professors and is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (Grant 2023-68014-39821/accession no. 1030367). The project is led by Joao Dorea and includes other faculty from the Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences — Victor Cabrera, Chuck Nicholson and Jennifer Van Os — as well as Yong Jae Lee from the Department of Computer Sciences. The project also has a diverse team of postdoctoral researchers, graduate students and undergraduates.

If you are interested in hearing more about technology and AI for agriculture and livestock production, visit the Smart Farm Hub website, subscribe to receive their articles and follow their Instagram page @smarfarmhub.