A Winnipeg-based organization promoting the adoption of ag technology has launched a free, online course to help farmers build knowledge and skills around agricultural and farm data.
“We hope that it equips farmers with the right questions when it comes to farm data and digital technologies,” said Dan Lussier, director of EMILI’s Canadian Agri-food Data Initiative, in a Jan. 24 news release.
Why it matters: Digital technology is increasingly part of how farmers do business, and there is a free option for producers to hone their skills at using it.
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EMILI, otherwise known as the Enterprise Machine Intelligence and Learning Initiative, has launched its Fundamentals of Farm Data program. It’s a self-directed, free, online course, with three introductory modules and one more advanced module on cybersecurity.
The first three modules provide an overview of data types, such as big data, aggregated data or metadata, before branching into data ownership, privacy and security.
EMILI didn’t want to assume that farmers were already comfortable with the language of technology, Lussier said, and farmers don’t need to be technology experts to take the course.
“Some people may find (the modules) very useful. Some people may already be familiar,” he said. “That’s OK.”
The course explores how data is collected and used in agriculture. Finally, it jumps to an in-depth exploration of cybersecurity.
“Farmers are certainly asking questions about how their data is managed and those questions range, of course, across through … issues around things like privacy and cybersecurity and a whole bunch of different questions,” Lussier said.
EMILI will continue to roll out modules later this year. They will include detailed discussions of data privacy, along with topics like inter-operability, data governance, open data and artificial intelligence.
Lussier said they’re also working with ag groups to develop in-person or online training seminars.
EMILI is hosting a webinar on agtech and ag data on Feb. 27 as part of Manitoba Tech Week.
More information on the course can be found at the EMILI website.
