HARRISBURG, Pa. — Pennsylvania Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding recently toured the new DAT-AI-LAB at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine New Bolton Center.
The first-of-its-kind laboratory dedicated to monitoring animal behavior using artificial intelligence, officially opened with $31,000 in grant support from the nation’s first Agricultural Innovation Grant Program, and a $90,000 grant from Pennsylvania’s Center for the Poultry and Livestock Excellence, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture said in a statement.
This lab is the result of a collaboration between Penn Vet researchers and Pennsylvania-based AgriGates, and it will expedite collection and analysis of animal behavior data to help veterinarians and farmers better tailor treatments for animal health and farm profitability.
“The technology in this new, state-of-the-art lab at the New Bolton Center is already serving as a powerful tool to monitor animal health and speed up intervention when speed counts most to protect livestock and a farmer’s operation, and we hope more farmers will benefit from it,” Redding said. “Helping farmers work more efficiently and effectively to compete and grow their businesses is the reason the Shapiro Administration launched Ag Innovation Grants. This investment is working across Pennsylvania improving lives and helping agricultural businesses get stuff done.”
One of 88 projects funded in the first $10 million round of Ag Innovation Grants, the state-of-the-art DAT-AI-LAB will provide a physical location to house data infrastructure and foster collaboration among Penn Vet researchers and AgriGates analysts, PDA added. Also, this new lab improves the capabilities of the New Bolton Center, which was expanded earlier this year with funding from the Commonwealth.
The DAT-AI-LAB provides solutions to specific challenges veterinarians and farmers face in the early detection of livestock health conditions that may require measures like quarantine, dietary adjustment, or medical treatment, resulting in healthier animals, and preventing more expensive interventions and costly downtime and losses, PDA noted.
“The DAT-AI-LAB represents a major step forward for Pennsylvania agriculture and veterinary innovation,” Daniel Foy, AgriGates CEO and co-founder, said. “By bringing together animal science, artificial intelligence, engineering and real-world farm systems, we are building tools that help farmers and veterinarians detect health and welfare challenges earlier, improve decision-making, and strengthen the long-term resilience of livestock agriculture. We are proud to help position Pennsylvania as a national leader in livestock AI and behavioral intelligence.”
“Animal agriculture, at more than 70 percent of farm-gate cash receipts in the Commonwealth, equates to opportunity for AI to optimize on-farm decisions concerning machinery, workforce, precision inputs, and for the animals, their husbandry, health, and wellbeing,” Andrew Hoffman, University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine dean, said.
The other 87 projects funded by the Ag Innovation Grant Program include technologies dedicated to improving on-farm efficiency, generating renewable energy, and supporting crops and practices that store carbon or release non-renewable resources, PDA added.
For more information about the Agriculture Innovation Grant Program, visit https://www.pa.gov/agencies/pda.
