Show Notes
Digital agriculture, decision science and generative artificial intelligence (AI) all converge into a new tool for agronomists and seed sales reps. How will this enhance the way trusted advisors make recommendations to farmers?
Imagine you're an agronomist traveling from farm to farm. You have an assistant riding along in your passenger seat who can answer your every question about product information, yield history, etc. They're with you all of the time and they seem to be able to recall any relevant piece of information you want or need in seconds. They have access to a vast network of pooled knowledge covering many years and many different geographies that can easily be condensed into a casual conversation.
By now most of us have heard of ChatGPT, Gemini, Anthropic or one of the other chat-type AI interfaces. These tools utilize generative AI because they can predict patterns in data and use them to provide information that is relevant and tailored to specific questions and requests. Corteva Agriscience has recently introduced CARL, a new AI-driven tool to help agronomic advisors.
Matt Smalley, Ph.D. has led the effort to get a new generative AI tool into the hands of Corteva agronomists and sales reps. In today’s episode, we’re going to not only talk about this tool, but also better understand where digital fits in the modern farm, and what difference artificial intelligence could make in our ability to execute better agronomic decisions.
”Project CARL stands for Corteva Agronomic Research Library… it's a generative model, kind of like ChatGPT, that's been augmented with Corteva agronomic research library. And so it has increased skill in answering questions in the agronomic realm. And it's also been augmented with Pioneer product information.” - Matt Smalley, Ph.D.
Agronomy Innovation Manager Mike Anderegg is an early user of CARL, and part of the team helping to get it into the hands of Corteva Agronomists.
“ The data influx that we have had for a number of years has raised the question: now what do we do with it? …We are starting to discover what we can do with it…I think we're still just scratching the surface of what we can do with that next level of intelligence.” - Mike Anderegg Some Takeaways from this episode include: Corteva’s shift from selling digital products to implementing decision science in every aspect of the business. It was the right move at the right time, and I opened the door for something like Project CARL when the time was right. Generative artificial intelligence is changing the way we interact with data. Tools like CARL are removing so many friction points from the old way of accessing data. Just chat with it like you would chat with a mentor or colleague to find the answer you want. Like gene editing, we are just barely starting to see the early signs of what will ultimately be possible. As these tools emerge, they don’t displace the agronomist or other trusted advisors. Those relationships are more important than ever. But the most vulnerable to these big technological shifts are those that refuse to embrace it. Agriscience Explained is brought to you by Corteva Agriscience and hosted by Tim Hammerich. This show is produced by Clint Pilcher, Rayda Krell and Ann Leonard. Jaime Hammerich and Grant Bolton edit these podcasts, and the music was composed by Dmitri Volkov. Subscribe for more Agriscience Explained: From Science to Solutions.
More from Agriscience Explained
Please send us your feedback on the podcast: [email protected] In this episode, we look back on the past 100 years, and highlight what will carry over into this next chapter in the company’s history. Corteva Agriscience chief technology and digital officer Sam Eathington and some really special guests discuss the past, present and future of agriscience innovation.
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In today’s episode, we’re following a molecule around the world, from being discovered in Japan to being developed in the United States to becoming a solution for farmers in the United Kingdom. Joining us is one of those farmers in the UK, Julian Gibbons. Julian has seen a variety of fungicide solutions come and go for important wheat diseases like Septoria tritici, or speckled leaf blotch. He’s really excited about the potential for a relatively newly registered product derived from a natural compound called Inatreq Active™. And the story of the need for Inatreq and the road to getting this product to farmers is the focus of today’s episode.
We celebrate the 100th year anniversary of Pioneer Seeds, and take a look back at the history of hybridization. The process may seem simple: to take two varieties or even species and cross them together to create more desirable offspring. But the concept of controlled hybridization, intentionally transferring pollen from a chosen male parent to a chosen female parent, is relatively new in the history of agriculture. But it has been nothing short of revolutionary.