Most of the workshop participants are members of an N.C. PSI network of Cooperative Extension agents representing 32 counties across the state. The network leverages agents’ strong local relationships and applied expertise to help drive future initiative projects and to beta-test new technologies on farms.
Hyde County Agent Andrea Gibbs calls the workshop and others offered through the N.C. PSI “valuable chances to engage in projects that hold real potential to benefit our growers.”
In the weeks since the workshop, she’s already made headway on a new AI-related collaboration. With researchers at NC State and East Carolina University, she’s discussing the best ways to use a network of sensors to collect real-time data that could help Eastern North Carolina farmers make more informed water management decisions.
Though the project is in its infancy, N.C. PSI Platform Director for Extension Outreach and Engagement Rachel Vann says it’s the kind of outcome workshop organizers had hoped for.
“This training was an impactful example of the spirit of N.C PSI,” says Vann, an associate professor in the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences. “It connected the applied expertise of our Extension agents with researchers that they would not normally interact with, educated them on cutting-edge technologies needed to most optimally serve our growers and facilitated connections so Extension agents would then feel comfortable bringing their producers’ challenges to researchers.”
Toward a More Data- and AI-Savvy Workforce
The workshop was part of the multi-institution SAPLINGS project, led by N.C. A&T State University and funded by a U.S. Department of Agriculture initiative aimed at cultivating the next generation of food and agriculture professionals.
The goal of SAPLINGS — short for System Approach to Promote Learning and Innovation for the Next Generations — is to prepare a data- and AI-savvy workforce in agriculture.
As NC State’s principal investigator for the SAPLINGS project and N.C. PSI’s platform director for data-driven plant sciences, Cranos Williams says he strives to “lower the barrier of entry to AI and data analytics approaches across ag stakeholders — from researchers to Extension agents to growers.”
The AI workshop, he says, was an opportunity to do that.
“We thought that it would be important to have a training session that provided hands-on opportunities to learn more about tools used to develop AI solutions for use in agriculture and, at the same time, get Extension agents exposed to translational projects that have used AI to directly impact agricultural stakeholders in North Carolina,” explains Williams, a professor in the departments of Plant and Microbial Biology and Electrical and Computer Engineering.
A Multifaceted Approach
The N.C. PSI’s Alexandra Goodnight, a program specialist, and Sarah Dinger, program manager for education and extension outreach, organized the workshop.
Expert-led talks and demonstrations were mixed with opportunities for agents to ask questions, try out software and share perspectives born of their experience working directly with farmers every day.
Systems engineer Shelly Hunt, with the global data analytics firm SAS, gave the agents an overview of what AI is and how it works, then agents tried their hands at using SAS Viya, a platform for data management, analytics and AI development.
The agents also got a chance to learn more about NC State’s Data Science and AI Academy, an effort to enhance data science AI research, education and extension expertise across the university, and the N.C. Ag Analytics Platform, a partnership involving NC State, N.C. A&T State University and SAS that leverages data collection, management and analytics to enhance the state’s agricultural systems and profitability.
Several N.C. PSI researchers and partners showcased their efforts to develop AI-driven technology supporting a range of solutions, from faster nematode identification and analysis to more accurate measurements of methane emissions in cattle.
As Vann notes, agents approached each interaction with energy, “asking incredibly thoughtful questions on how this innovation can benefit their producers on the local level.”
‘Extension Has a Role to Play’
One researcher who was peppered with agents’ questions was Chris Reberg-Horton, a professor of crop and soil sciences, who is exploring ways to use cameras mounted on robots and tractors to collect images of weeds and plants. The goal is to teach AI-powered devices to recognize different species, a first step toward new technologies that will allow producers to farm more precisely — applying fertilizers and pesticides only when and where they are needed.
“One of the gaps in AI and precision ag is that this area is evolving very quickly, and engineers on campus are coming up with new ideas constantly. When one of those new ideas works, there is still the question of how it gets to farmers,” says Reberg-Horton, the N.C. PSI’s platform director for resilient agriculture. “Either it takes the long road to commercialization, which is great for really big new ideas, or Extension has to play a role with smaller ideas – ones that might not be billion-dollar breakthroughs but could really help North Carolina farmers.”
Different Perspectives on Agents’ Role
Kimberley Webb, a Wake County agricultural agent, came away from the workshop eager to be part of the university’s efforts to use AI to tackle farming challenges.
She joined Extension in the fall, bringing a strong research background that includes years of experience as a government and industry scientist.
“I now have a better idea of how I can get farmers thinking about artificial intelligence and getting them to see how it could be used on their farms in different ways,” Webb says. “I also really appreciate that the PSI focused on helping us think about how we can analyze data so we can better explain it to the farmers down the road and make recommendations that’ll actually help them in their pockets.”
Agents are in a prime position to help communicate about complex technologies and ideas to end users and others who “may not be exposed to them on a day-to-day basis,” Webb says.
“We can also play a role in building really good relationships with farmers so we understand their needs and feed that back to those at the university developing the research,” she adds. “That way, we end up with solutions that are going to work on the farm.”
I see my main role as helping connect … research to practical, real applications on a farm.
Karen Blaedow, an agricultural agent in Henderson County, agrees.
“I think bringing agents in early helps us identify things that could make the technology more field-ready,” she says. “The great thing about bringing people together from lots of different disciplines and backgrounds is we just have a different way of looking at things. I may never understand how to write code or how the software’s doing what it’s doing, but I can help identify what would help a grower make good management decisions.”
Blaedow was especially intrigued by what was heard from Reberg-Horton and other researchers considering ways to use image recognition technology to make farming more precise.
“I would love for these researchers to know that, ‘Hey, if you’re considering a crop in this area in the mountains, I’m on board for helping get that into the field,’” she says. “I see my main role as helping connect such research to practical, real applications on a farm. Then once that testing is in place, we can communicate that to the growers and let them know when the technology is at a point where they can try it.”
Strengthening the Local Connection
Williams says that as interdisciplinary research and extension teams at NC State continue working to get projects to that point, the SAPLINGS project is poised to offer more AI-related training opportunities for agents over the next three years.
“The speed at which AI is changing how we interact with and use data in our everyday lives is amazing. Our goal is to leverage these kinds of innovations to positively impact agriculture.,” he says. “I see Extension agents as an essential part of this, using their skills to help us as researchers accelerate the translation of data-driven solutions to the grower.”
We are the trusted local connection that delivers research-based information from campus and the PSI to our growers. … I’m excited about what lies ahead.
Dylan Lilley, an agricultural agent and Hertford County’s Extension director, also sees agents as critical to the successful integration of AI in agriculture.
“Agriculture has changed tremendously in the nine years I’ve served as an agent, and I can only imagine what precision agriculture and AI will look like in 5, 10, or 20 years,” Lilley says. “I believe our role as agents will remain crucial. We are the trusted local connection that delivers research-based information from campus and the PSI to our growers, helping them maximize profitability and sustainability on their operations.
“I’m excited about what lies ahead.”
Source : ncsu.edu