Cybera Summit 2011 - Banff

A Spud Farmer…Its true:

History of Farmingnow here’s something you didn’t think you were coming to Banff to hear…

What does ICT Cloud computing and the Neolithic Farming Revolution (end of the stone age) 10,000 years ago have in common?

Fertile Crescent

Farming Revolution – 8000 BC in the Fertile Crescent and other areas Birth of civilization and abundant populations For the first time in Human history people were “rich” Allowed a lifestyle change that brought about the luxury of free time, - beginning

of writing and art and somewhere down the road… cloud computing

They are new cutting edge technology of their time…

Important factors of theFarming Revolution Period

Producing enough food to support a healthy community, survival

Security of food supplies from raiding neighbors – began civilization and hierarchies

Rise and fall of Empires based on productivity of land, water, fertility and the cycle of Mother Nature (MNS)

So begins a quest for food production sustainability

and a required increase in yield / acreto support the growing population

Game changing events of agriculture

irrigation

Nutrient addition

Mid 1800’sJustus von Liebig

“law of the minimum”

Haber – BoschFeeding 1/3 to ½

Of the population today

Industrial RevolutionEarly 1900’s

Farming Revolution

8000BC

Green Revolution1940-70: high yielding

varieties, distribution of fertilizer and pesticides

Yield

Time

GMO

ART

ART

ART

ART

CyberInfrastructure

Reality Today

P r e d i c ti o n t h a t O n l y 6 c o u n t r i e s w i l l b e ex p o r ti n g M o r e f o o d t h a n t h ey c o n s u m e w i t h i n t h e d e c a d e

Farming’s Sustainable areas:1. Climate, Land and water2. Community, communication3. Distribution of goods, and inputs4. Energy security5. Economics

Sustainability and the return to natural cycles that support

themselves

Important factors of the Farming Revolution Period TODAY

Producing enough food to support a healthy community Planet

Security of food supplies – Food Safety

Rise and fall of Empires Population based on productivity of land, water, fertility and the cycle of Mother Nature

(MNS)

And so begins continues a quest for food production sustainability - indeed an increase in

yield / acre

How can Cyber Infrastructure Help?

1. Best Management Practices – with Knowledge of Today

2. Food safety, and real time public communication

3. Precision Agriculture dialed up – this is not new

The implementation of yesterdays ideas, with technology, data analysis and management capacity of todayEmpathy and a Desire to

feed the world!Can we together help create Alberta’s new champion

Best Management Practice

What we are doing with technology available today

Built in Alberta…

Best Management PracticeWhat we are doing with technology available today

What we are doing…

Grow, Live, Be the Change

http://www.alltech.com/FutureOfFarming/default.aspx#/?buildingIndex=0

2. Food safety, food production communication

record keeping, regulation and traceability stewardship

Real time seamless communication With variable rate technology, new regulation

and record keeping regulation, there is a dire need for advanced technical help in the agricultural field

Collaboration necessary, tecconnect center in Lethbridge a superb example of initiating the collaboration required

3. Precision Agriculture:Incredible Potential to increase the

Yield / Acre!

The technology available todayWhere it can take us tomorrow

Field Variability: Significance…

Variable Rate Technology

1000 0 1000 2000 Feet

N

EW

S

NW 26 10 19 W4; 10 (122.21 ac.)

(122.2ac.) Field Boundary

Blend336 (8.6 ac.)268 (19.0 ac.)197 (35.2 ac.)165 (36.1 ac.)137 (23.4 ac.)

1000 0 1000 2000 Feet

N

EW

S

SE 25 10 19 W4; 10 (133.58 ac.)

(133.6ac.)Field Boundary

Blend North336 (2.5 ac.)268 (11.0 ac.)197 (16.2 ac.)165 (18.5 ac.)137 (18.4 ac.)

Blend South420 (1.9 ac.)364 (4.3 ac.)306 (13.6 ac.)278 (21.1 ac.)250 (26.2 ac.)

(66.5ac.)MZ North (67.0ac.)MZ South

Infra Red and other sensor technology from satellites

Understanding an Irrigation Pivot

Variable Rate IrrigationGIS and recipe referenced

Excited “progressive Farmers say:YAAAAAAHOOOOOO!!!

Now that’s a return on Investment!

A Potato Field 2010:Planted acres: 128

operational inputs $2222/acHarvested acres: 80

Potato Fields 2011:Planted Acres: 1280

Harvested: 1097 (87%) same inputs

Potato Fields 2010:Planted Acres: 1300

Harvested: 998 (82%) same inputs

Better Potato Fields – What it needs to look like!

Yield Sept 17th Picture late June Picture late July

Yield estimate

This field:~ 20% - 20 t/ac or more

~60% - 16-19t/ac ~20% - <16t/ac

In short this means we can either increase the

yield on 80% of the field with Precision ag

technology, or reduce inputs accordingly.

What we can do tomorrow, the applications…Tech support – within Alberta we have an incredible opportunity

Unmanned Aircraft, real data, real time, every day, real recipe’s real ROI in Alberta

Integrated data hub, replicable agricultural and demographic W2E powered

Smart Energy Grid, ship data, not power - Distributed

Link the public with their food, real time, real seamless

BE a Real sustainable smart system, closed biosphere aware – We are feeding the world

Data management

Hub

ICT linkPrecision AG

GreenStar Network?

Potential clients: Water and Environmental Hub?

AB ARD open dataCenter network?

Optic Fiber

$

Yes I agree, Change happens. Another reason the stone age ended was

because humans discovered farming…

let us not forget…

Tweet: "The stone age didn't

end because we ran out of stone." Change

happens ready or not

Thanks!

The OPPORTUNITYCollaboration with all the right people

are in this room to champion the Alberta / Canada Advantage, be a part of it

the technology expertise and cyber infrastructure presence The Value-add and true example of technology WOW The Rural Development and distributed wealth advocate The farmer with a need, that recognizes the technology can help us do

better, and the technology people that recognize we can help them to achieve their goals with a real application today that helps build and create a network required for tomorrow, with sustainable ROI all the way through!

Fantastic R&D presence – AB innovates, the refreshed and inspired new provincial leadership, the universities and colleges, the brilliant youth

Together Let’s make it happen!

Why make this happen?

Grow, Live,

Be the Change