Cornell University has been awarded part of a $2 million planning initiative by the US National Science Foundation to establish AI4AG, a national testbed for artificial intelligence in agriculture.
The AI4AG project aims to create an “AI-Ready Living Lab” within the demo sites (cast) of Cornell Agricultural Systems TestBed and The Farm of the Farm. It works under Cornell Digital Agricultural Research Institute (cida), When researchers, students, and industry partners can develop and safely test AI innovations under large-scale, real-world agriculture and commercial conditions.
“AI-led innovations can address key challenges such as reduced farm profitability, labor shortages, animal diseases, pest management, food safety and weather fluctuations,” he said. Giulio GiordanoProfessor of dairy cow biology and management in the Department of Animal Science at the University of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CAL), and Director and Chief Researcher of CAST. “By making it easier to test, refine and share new ideas and AI tools, our goal is to demonstrate the potential for AI to transform agriculture and contribute to a more sustainable and resilient US food system.”
According to Giordano, this early stage of the project will build strategic planning and governance structures, including executive leadership, testbed management, research steering committees and advisory committees, to guide AI innovation. Priorities include building an interdisciplinary external user community, enhancing cast infrastructure, demonstrating AI reading with integrated data, and creating operational frameworks that external partners can access and benefit from the testbed.
AI4AG is guided through CIDA to bring together expertise in engineering, computing, life sciences, veterinary medicine and social sciences. CIDA's mission is to build a dynamic community of researchers, industry partners, farmers and students working together to create efficient and sustainable food systems.
co-Director of Cida, Giordano, along with other co-directors, is a professor of epidemiology at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Hakim Weatherspoon, Professor of Cornell Ann S. Bowers College of Computing and Information Science, Fenki Yu and a multidisciplinary approach to the Roxan E. Zach Engineering Energy Engineering at Project.
“This kind of project would not be possible without the cross-collaboration perspective, ideas and skill sets that Cida connects,” says Giordano.
CAST, a USDA-supported “Farms of the Future” program, is advancing data-driven solutions for climate smart agriculture. The three commercial-scale farm ecosystems serve as hubs for research, expansion and education in outdoor crops and dairy production. This is two of the most important sectors of the US agricultural economy.
Researchers working at CAST will integrate existing and emerging digital technologies into an environment that closely replicates commercial agriculture. This approach allows scientists to address pressing challenges, such as increased efficiency, labor shortages and the need for sustainability, while generating insights that can be applied across farms across the country.
“By embedding AI4AG in the cast, Cornell is uniquely located to accelerate the design, evaluation and deployment of AI solutions that can make farms more efficient, resilient and sustainable,” Giordano said.
Stephen D'Angelo is the communications manager for Biological Systems at Cornell Research and Innovation.
Jackie Swift is an animal science communication specialist and cast communication manager at the University of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
