Ottawa invests $3.5M in EMILI growth

GROSSE ISLE — A Winnipeg-based non-profit committed to advancing digital agriculture is receiving a multimillion-dollar investment from the federal government that coincides with the organization’s 10th anniversary.

Liberal MP Doug Eyolfson (Winnipeg West) announced Prairies Economic Development Canada is investing $3.5 million in the Enterprise Machine Intelligence and Learning Initiative.

“This investment will help more Canadian companies test and validate new technologies, attract investment, develop skilled talent and bring innovative solutions to the market faster,” Eyolfson said Wednesday morning at EMILI’s Innovation Farms facility northwest of Winnipeg.

“Most importantly, it will help ensure that producers have access to practical tools that make their farms more productive, more sustainable and more resilient.”

The investment is expected to support 165 new jobs, help train 350 people, assist 150 small- and medium-sized businesses and support the federal government’s $3 billion national food security strategy, Eyolfson added.

EMILI is grateful for the investment, said Jacqueline Keena, the non-profit’s chief executive officer.

“It’s really wonderful to get (while) celebrating EMILI’s 10 years of being an organization,” she said. “It’s really going to allow us to support more companies testing and demonstrating their technologies at scale here at Innovation Farms.

“We do this work because we think that producers shouldn’t have to adopt … new technology before it’s proven at scale,” she added. “That’s why we play this role to help de-risk technologies along the way.”

The announcement was part of EMILI’s annual field day event, which gives stakeholders an opportunity to learn about the digital technologies the organization is testing.

The event doubled as an anniversary celebration for EMILI, which was founded in 2016 by a group of community leaders in Manitoba who sought to grow the economy with a specific focus on advancing agricultural technology in the Prairies.

EMILI has tested and validated 90 projects over the last five growing seasons, said Keena, who has led the organization since 2017. The non-profit has helped its partners attract $20 million in investments and on-board hundreds of customers and staff members.

This year, EMILI is partnering with 24 innovators to collaborate on 33 unique projects. This includes commercial and pre-commercial solutions EMILI is testing and demonstrating in crops and storage bins across 10,000 acres on its two Innovation Farms sites in Grosse Isle and MacGregor.

Attendees at Wednesday’s event had the opportunity to learn about four of those projects, including EMILI’s collaboration with Duck Foot Parts Inc. The Saskatoon-based company produces slip-over paddle tines for combine headers that increase harvest efficiency.

Duck Foot Parts has already tested the product in Brazil, Denmark and Ukraine and knows that it will work in Manitoba, said Kris Kristjanson, sales manager. Still, collaborating with EMILI is advantageous for the exposure.

“We’re a Saskatchewan-based company, so to be able to get more presence in Manitoba coming to a farm like Innovation Farms is good for us,” Kristjanson said. “It’s good for us to be able to be here and show our product.”

Attendees also learned about EMILI’s collaboration with Corteva Agriscience Canada Co., which involves testing the efficacy of drones that are used to spray crops.

Kevin Falk, a research scientist at Corteva, said although he has his own research farm near Carman, he appreciates collaborating with Innovation Farms.

“It opens up my world from just living 24-7 on a research farm to being able to come here and talk to people … that are interested in this technology,” Falk said. “(We’re) ensuring that the farmers get the best result because if the farmers succeed, then (we) succeed.”

Ray Bouchard, one of EMILI’s founding board members, said it’s exciting to see how far the non-profit has come in its first 10 years. He praised Keena’s leadership and the work of EMILI’s approximately 15 staff members.

“Things are lined up pretty well for us to continue to play a key role in the ag innovation ecosystem, both here in Manitoba and nationally,” Bouchard said.

EMILI’s 10th anniversary celebrations continue with a few more events this year, Keena said, including the non-profit’s annual Agriculture Enlightened conference in November.

aaron.epp@freepress.mb.ca