Integrated Agricultural Technology Development

Recurring Request: $1,078,000

Clemson PSA proposes to establish a joint technology industry program that builds upon precision agriculture breakthroughs in the design and use of robots, drones, UAVs and online farm efficiency applications supported by FY2013-14 ($500,000) and FY2015-16 ($250,000) legislative funding. Technological innovations developed by researchers at Clemson’s Edisto Research and Education Center help farmers maximize the efficiency of irrigation and fertilizer applications and increase productivity. Additional recurring funding will allow Clemson researchers to leverage recent advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI), remote sensing and data management into Integrated Agricultural Technology Systems designed to help farmers improve efficiency and productivity through predictive farm planning and data-driven farm operation.

Working in public-private collaboration with major technology companies, Clemson PSA will help farmers better understand environmental conditions, forecasts, and crop management options. Capitalizing on information extracted from technologies such as remote sensing, sensor-based measurements of field and crop conditions, and integrating this information into an advanced decision platform will improve the efficiency and effectiveness of common agricultural practices such as irrigation, planting and harvesting times, chemical applications, yield monitoring, pest management and field design. These Integrated Agricultural Technology Systems will also enable the ongoing evolution of agricultural analytics for crop production.

The requested funding will provide the personnel and technology needed to establish and implement this collaborative effort.

Funding Request Breakdown