THE FARM OF THE FUTURE: HARNESSING DATA-DRIVEN TECHNOLOGY FOR A SUSTAINABLE AND RESILIENT US AGRICULTURAL SYSTEM

We propose the Cornell Agricultural Systems Testbed and Demonstration Site (CAST), a networked cluster of test farms with associated facilities and personnel that will leverage the resources of Cornell and its partners to conduct data-driven research, extension, and education under the aegis of the Cornell Institute for Digital Agriculture (CIDA).CAST will advance, evaluate, and demonstrate data-driven solutions for food systems. Amultidisciplinary team of new and well-established researchers, extension specialists, and educators from Cornell University (CU) and the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (UAPB) will undertake a comprehensive, systems-based approach to research, extension, and education, focusing on specific field-crop and animal models to generate knowledge, experiences, and opportunities with application to these agricultural sectors and far beyond. Under the framework of CIDA and other Cornell initiatives, we will leverage existing knowledge, resources, and cross-disciplinary activities through multiway collaboration; private and public stakeholders in food systems will be actively engaged. CAST will promote stakeholder engagement in a commercial-farm-like setting where technologies and practices can be tested, their data collected, integrated, and analyzed, and their effects on decisions, animals, the environment, and people discerned. CAST will also be central to extension and education, on-site and virtually: farmers, students, researchers, and other stakeholders will help shape its research agenda, and knowledge produced will be fed back to all through continuous extension and education. Our Aims are:AIM 1: Research. At CAST we will conduct scientific groundwork for innovation, demonstration, and evaluation of data-driven technology and management practices for farming. CAST's unique ecosystem will support integration and testing of commercially available technologies and development, deployment, and testing of technologies in the research pipeline. The economic, environmental, and social outcomes of adopting the proposed technology solutions will be quantified using a combination of economic analysis, systems modeling, and behavioral research. CAST will enhance and demonstrate the value of integrating a wide range of existing and emerging technologies and practices. Our specific objectiveisdemonstratingthe value of integrating existing and emerging data-driven technologies and practices under commercial-farm-like conditions. To accomplish this goal research will be organized under four thrust areas:(1) Innovation in Technology and Farm Practices, (2) Data Integration, (3) Data Analytics and Decision Support, and (4) Impact Assessment.AIM 2: Extension. The stakeholder network to be developed for this project--the CAST Network for Extension and Teaching (CAST-NET)--will involve farmers, manufacturers, consultants, academic experts, and others in every stage of problem identification, planning, implementation, evaluation, and feedback. CAST-NET will provide insights about cutting-edge technology goals, actively support adoption, and build informed trust that forthcoming technologies will repay the cost and effort required to adopt them. To promote adoption of innovations developed and demonstrated at CAST, we will communicate our vision, activities, and actionable outputs to CAST-NET and other stakeholders by providing access to in-person and virtual demonstrations, testing, evaluations, and new knowledge. Exchange knowledge between CAST and stakeholders will harnesstechnology to build more sustainable, resilient, and equitable farms and communities.AIM 3: Education. Benefits offered by new technologies will be sustained by the next generation of engaged, enthusiastic, and well-prepared students. CAST's cluster of working farms, where purposeful experiences range from handling actual soils, plants, and animals to coding, device testing, and hypothesis testing, will provide rich opportunities for experiential learning. Students will create, experiment, and experience in the development, delivery, and evaluation of technologies for the FotF. We will leverage existing programs and create new educational initiatives at Cornell Universityand the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff that employ the resources of CAST. Students will be engaged in research, outreach, and science communication. Collectively, theseactivities will provide real-world, hands-on educational experiences to the next generation of agricultural leaders, scientists, and professionals.