Grant: Engage Plus Grants for Colleges

Schuyler Farms Limited grows apples, grains (corn, soybeans, and wheat), cherries, and raises sheep in Simcoe, Ontario. Apples are a crop that have challenges, including weather, fungus (ex: scabs), insects and moths. These challenges can be addressed with sprays, which are costly (time, money, and environment) and require strategic timing for applications. Currently, Schuyler Farms times sprays based on human observations, spreadsheet tracking and weather stations. Mohawk College has expertise in modular sensor and software development, and data analyses. Mohawk College and Schuyler Farms will collaborate and build upon an initial NSERC Engage project to improve weather analyses to determine if and when sprays are required and to track physical infrastructure, such as fuel tank levels. Localized weather monitoring that tracks temperature and precipitation will help to determine if spraying is needed based on objective data. Apple scabs are caused by a preventable fungus that can cause losses of 70% or greater. Farms have both business and public perception challenges to reduce the amount of sprays that are applied to their crops, and a sophisticated algorithm with reliable sensors will help to determine accurate spray timing and potentially reduce the amount of sprays. Reducing sprays provides business and environmental benefits by reducing financial costs and resource usage. At $224.6 million of farm gate value in 2017, apples are the leading national fruit crop and it is important to support their profitability and sustainability.