A Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council (CAHRC) report found 26,400 agriculture-related jobs went unfilled across Canada in 2014. The same study predicted that by 2025, the number will increase to 114,000, which represents more than 25% of the nation’s entire agricultural workforce, resulting in millions of dollars of lost productivity annually.

Raven Industries has been working to complete a partial solution for dryland farming labour shortages and inefficiencies. Its proprietary OMNiPOWER™ technology is a U-shaped autonomous power unit that performs various agricultural functions traditionally associated with a standard tractor. The platform connects with any farm implement designated as “OMNiPOWER-Ready,” and Raven will collaborate with short-line manufacturers seeking to enter the autonomous agriculture industry.

The project team will research and create software and AI functions that include a classification model, autonomous implement loading, computer- and camera-assisted vision, multi-unit operation, field mapping, and the collection and processing of data.

This initiative’s expected benefits include mitigating the effects of labour shortages, managing soil compaction, and reducing fuel costs and emissions.

CAAIN Contribution
$1,507,408

Total Project Value
$ 4,152,732

Project Contact
Marco Coppola
Manager of Business Excellence
Raven Industries
Marco.Coppola@ravenind.com

Project Video