The iScout Color Trap monitors insects attracted to the

The iScout Color Trap monitors insects attracted to the sticky trap’s color. The iScout is an example of “real-time Artificial Intelligence” technology that will be discussed prior to the economic game breakout session. (Photo: Iowa Soybean Association)

Conference preview: Interactive Economic Games

January 27, 2022 | Kriss Nelson

How often do you go to a meeting where you can play a game and have a chance to win a prize?

There is a chance to play interactive economic games with other farmers and agronomists during the Iowa Soybean Association’s Innovation to Profit Conference on Feb. 17 at the FFA Enrichment Center in Ankeny.

These interactive games were developed as part of a multi-institutional project called “Smart Integrated Farm Network for Rural Agricultural Communities,” to explore new ways to create local community-focused, independent, farmer networks.

The interactive economic games are designed for farmers and their consulting agronomists to gauge their risk perception and desire to share production challenges and personal stories for community-based responses to different crop production and conservation challenges.

Examples of crop production issues that can be managed collectively by farmers and their crop advisors are insect infestation, weeds, disease and even nutrient and water stresses.

Those who attend the session at the Innovation to Profit Conference will be introduced to the project, and supplied with iPads or laptops to ensure an interactive, hands-on experience. Each participant will be asked to complete a short background survey.

Participants will play several interactive games to assess behavioral attitudes such as trust, risk preferences, selflessness and cooperation to build robust local groups or local networks.

“The project uses various networking, internet-of-things (IoT), remote sensing and data collection technologies to improve connectivity within and between farms, and real-time Artificial Intelligence (AI) sensing to detect insects and diseases within fields to promote increased yield and profitability,” says Peter Kyveryga, ISA senior research scientist and director of analytics.

All responses will be confidential. Researchers will analyze the data and share it with the workshop participants after the conference.

For more information on this session, contact Peter Kyveryga at pkyveryga@iasoybeans.com.

To register and view the full agenda for the Innovation to Profit Conference visit the conference page. 

Above are responses from farmers as part of the pilot “Smart Integrated Farm Network for Rural Agricultural Communities” group from Central Iowa.


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