“No farms. No farmers. No food.”
You may have seen this bumper sticker or a variation of it, especially if you’ve visited our campus. It’s a message that resonates at Mississippi State University and across rural communities in our state and nation.
Like so many Mississippians, agriculture has always been a part of my life. Family, friends and neighbors had many connections to farming when I was growing up, and I developed an early interest in agriculture and then a passion for it. I’ve spent most of my life working to advance agriculture and rural development and have seen many changes. I have never seen anything like the changes we are seeing and will see because of autonomy and artificial intelligence.
It’s breathtaking to think what the future holds — if we get it right. That’s what we’re trying to do at Mississippi State. Our university has been at the forefront of innovation and invention throughout our nearly 150-year history — from the first demonstration of a commercial cotton picker and pioneering applications of anhydrous ammonia fertilizer in the 1930s and 1940s to the launch of unmanned aircraft systems with advanced sensors that are pushing the boundaries of precision agriculture research and development today. That includes the largest fleet of U.S.-manufactured spray drones in higher education.
We are using high performance computing resources to help our partners find innovative solutions to their toughest problems as well. MSU has a long and successful partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and our campus is home to “Atlas” — a supercomputer that is powering essential research for USDA. Together, we are solving complex agriculture and food security problems to feed a growing world.
We are also home to the Agricultural Autonomy Institute. It’s the nation’s first interdisciplinary research center focused on autonomous technologies designed to enhance precision and efficiency on our farms. It brings together experts from across our university with interests in robotics, artificial intelligence, and remote sensing. That includes that fleet of spray drones I mentioned. We’re utilizing them in advanced ag autonomy research. We’re also working with a global agricultural equipment manufacturer to enhance how its products can utilize technology to automate critical steps in crop production. All of these different technologies hold enormous potential to enhance precision, boost yields, and grow profits for producers.
These topics and more will be in focus during the 4th annual AI in Agriculture conference that MSU is hosting March 31-April 2 at The Mill Conference Center. It’s a showcase of AI-in-agriculture research and development. It will foster collaboration among faculty, students, industry professionals, and stakeholders to improve food security and agricultural livelihoods through the effective and responsible use of AI technology. After all, agricultural innovation impacts all of us and requires us to work together to support thriving farms that meet the needs of consumers. We’re honored to host this special event on our campus and welcome these visitors from across the U.S. to our community.
There’s no question that we’re always going to need farms and farmers. But we are also going to need more innovation and new tools like AI to feed, clothe, and shelter our growing world. That’s why research universities and land-grant institutions like Mississippi State and the work we are doing are so essential to the well-being and economic future of our state and nation. It’s a responsibility we take seriously and just one of the many ways we are taking care of what matters.
