b'UPDATEAgriUF/IFAS Awards $321K In AI Grants to Advance Ag-Tech Industryby MEREDITH BAUER-MITCHELL, UF/IFASUNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA Institute of Food and Ag- ofbee-trackingsoftwareinthecurrenttechnologicalearly, minimizing the need for fungicide usewhich de-ricultural Sciences has announced the recipients of thelandscape. That research project, led by UF/IFAS profes- creases farmers costs and limits environmental impact.2026 Launching Innovative Faculty Teams in AI fundingsor Changying Charlie Li, will use Internet-of-ThingsThe University of Florida is very fortunate to have program (LIFT AI), which provides UF/IFAS research- (IoT) cameras and AI tracking algorithms to monitorthe fastest supercomputer in higher education, and these ers with funding to pursue artificial intelligence researchbees as they collect and disperse pollen, which will helpLIFT AI projects are great examples of leveraging this within agriculture. beekeepers and farmers improve management strategiesresource for the benefit of our stakeholders says Robert Five UF/IFAS teams were chosen this year, with a to- around pollination. Gilbert, UF/IFAS dean for research and executive direc-tal of $321,811 funded. The teams will use UFs super- Another project will focus on using AI to protecttor for academic affairs.computer, HiPerGator, to reach their research goals thatagriculture in the Everglades area. Current methods ofAll of the chosen research projects include plans for strive to solve problems of food system security, diseasefinding and managing crop diseases in the Evergladesquickly getting the research out to farmers and stake-prevention and environmental protection. Agricultural Area, a region of about 700,000 acres southholders,suchasviaUF/IFASExtensionscommunity Testing new possibilities on behalf of farmers andof Lake Okeechobee where sugar, rice and other crops areoutreach,viaspecificcommoditygroupcommunity producers is what we do best, and leveraging AI in ourgrown, involve spotting them by eye and confirming withnetworks, or open-source software applications for the research is one of the ways UF/IFAS hopes to help solvea laboratory test, a process that can be labor-intensive,public to use. The projects also include entrepreneurship these agricultural problems faster and more efficiently,costly and slow to identify infections before they spread.training to foster technology transfer and new public-pri-says Damian Adams, UF/IFAS associate dean for research. Led by Katia Viana Xavier, assistant professor at the UF/ vate partnerships through their discoveries.Funded projects will address challenges with effec- IFAS Everglades Research and Education Center in theFor the full list of recipients, go totive pollination of blueberry crops in light of challengesDepartment of Plant Pathology, the project will use AI- centralfloridaagnews.com/uf-ifas-awards-321k-in-ai-such as varying bloom times across cultivars and a lackequipped drones to fly over crops and spot crop diseasesgrants-to-advance-ag-tech-industry/LCFBPFLCFP010521aBPFP010521aProtect ThoseProtect ThoseWho Matter WWW.SFBLI.COMWho Matter WWW.SFBLI.COMBartow Oice (863) 533-0561Bartow Oice (863) 533-05611350 E. Main Street, Building A, Suite 413a5rt0o Ew. ,M FaLi 3n3 S8t3re0et, Building A, Suite 4BBartow, FL 33830Winter Haven Oice (863) 299-3892Winter Haven Oice (863) 299-38923039 Cypress Gardens Rd30i3n9te Cry Hparevessn G, FaLr d3e3n88s 4R-d2258WWinter Haven, FL 33884-2258Haines City Oice (863) 421-4545Haines City Oice (863) 421-4545203 S Dixie DrH0a3in Se Ds iCxiitey ,D FrL 33844-28732Haines City, FL 33844-287330 | CFAN FloridaAgNews.com'