NFarms Research Will Bring Precision Ag Innovations to Producers

Husker scientists and staff are formalizing existing research and outreach in precision agriculture into a strategic initiative called NFarms. The effort, in collaboration with producers and industry, will refine and expand precision ag capabilities crucial to boosting farm efficiency and environmental sustainability.

University of Nebraska–Lincoln faculty pursue a range of precision ag work on 3,000 acres of the university’s Eastern Nebraska Research, Extension and Education Center near Mead. Those efforts will be channeled into NFarms to facilitate strategic coordination and maximize the outreach and benefits.

NFarms will be a test bed for new technologies, as well as platforms to help farmers better harness data. The initiative also will develop innovative decision-making tools producers can use for efficient field management.

Think drone- and sensor-enabled operations that lift productivity and resilience to new heights. Plus software solutions that provide cloud-based ag data storage and data analytics. Plus nitrogen management innovations and ag robotic breakthroughs.

“NFarms provides a real opportunity as a technology hub integrating the farm system,” said Joe Luck, professor of biological systems engineering and associate director of ENREEC. “We have a real-world environment to test these technologies and show producers how they’re going to impact their operation.”

To buttress that work, the university in 2024 will break ground on an NFarms facility that will house precision ag technologies. Construction is expected to be complete in the summer.

The university’s precision ag work at the Eastern Nebraska Research, Extension and Education Center operates under real-world conditions, on a scale similar to that of actual working farms. The cutting-edge research involves both irrigated and dryland fields.

NFarms will provide private-sector opportunities. As the initiative advances, companies and entrepreneurs will be able to use the precision ag resources to test innovative ideas for new methods, products and services.

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