Harnessing the power of AI for agriculture
February 25, 2026
The future of farming can sometimes seem very uncertain. From fluctuating crop prices, a changing climate, and concerns about sustainability, there are a myriad of complex challenges for soybean growers to address. There are even more decisions farmers need to make with imperfect information. Researchers at the University of Minnesota are harnessing the power of artificial intelligence (AI) to tackle these complex problems and aid in decision making at the Precision Agriculture Center and the AI Institute for Land, Economy, Agriculture, & Forestry (AI-LEAF).
The interdisciplinary teams at AI-LEAF are at the intersection of AI and agriculture. New AI tools are being used to analyze the massive amounts of data available to farmers for things like improved productivity, sustainability, efficiency, fertilizer application, and weed control. At another level, researchers are utilizing AI to evaluate the impact of agricultural practices on a large scale and under different, changing climate scenarios.
Another project uses AI to review satellite images to monitor the health of a field. Stress to soybean plants caused by soybean aphid can be detected by satellite-based remote sensing. The abundance of aphids on soybean plants was found to significantly affect simulated and actual Sentinel-2 spectral data. Machine learning models were developed to accurately classify infestation levels of soybean aphid in commercial soybean fields.
“Satellite data from hundreds of commercial soybean fields has been successfully used to develop AI-predictions of when and where to spray for aphid control. This breakthrough shows the value of multi-disciplinary research,” said David Mulla, faculty member in the Department of Soil, Water, and Climate and a senior researcher at AI-LEAF. Learn more about AI in the agriculture sector.
Soybeans and soy products are helping move agriculture into the future — feeding the world, providing sustainable alternatives to multiple industries, and improving environmental, human, plant, and animal health. Learn more about CFANS' role in the research and development of this important crop in The Science of Soybeans.
