Agricultural Autonomy Institute joins Harper Adams University's 125th anniversary celebrations

A leading American expert in agricultural autonomy has paid tribute to Harper Adams University as it marks its 125th anniversary.

Dr Alex Thomasson is Director of Mississippi State University’s Agricultural Autonomy Institute - which has enjoyed a growing relationship with Harper Adams in recent years, including research partnerships and staff exchanges.

The seeds of the partnership were sown by a meeting between Dr Thomasson and the later Professor Simon Blackmore, a pioneer in agricultural robotics and automation and the first Harper Adams Professor of Agricultural Engineering, in China.

Dr Thomasson recalled: “I was taken with his vision and have pursued a similar vision.

“One of Simon’s students was Kit Franklin, and I met Kit at a precision agriculture meeting in Minnesota, and I was really interested in the work they were doing on the Hands Free Hectare project.

“They were really the first to do this work and I felt like aligning myself and the work we wanted to do here with them was a good move for us.”

When Alex travelled to the UK, he made a point of meeting Kit in person – going on to visit Shropshire and Harper Adams University.

 A few years later, once MSU had set up their Agricultural Autonomy Institute at MSU’s Starkville campus, Kit – by now a Senior Engagement Fellow at Harper Adams - was one of the star guests and featured in a panel discussion at its grand opening.

Engineering students from both institutions have since carried out exchange trips – with the first six, a group of final-year Masters Engineering students from Harper Adams, visiting in June 2024, and a group from MSU making a reciprocal visit later that month.

Kit has also returned to Starkville and speaking earlier this year at the end of six-month residency at the institute, said: “Ask anyone in agriculture what farming will look like in 20 years, and they’ll likely say, ‘shinier tractors, higher costs, less profit.’

“What we need to say instead is: ‘rethink the possible.’

“That’s what they’re doing at the Agricultural Autonomy Institute, and I’m proud to play a small part in that.”

In a video specially recorded for Harper Adams as the institution marked a century and a quarter of innovation, Dr Thomasson said: “I wish you all the best on Harper Adams’ 125th anniversary – I have high hopes we’ll maintain a collaborative approach between my university, Mississippi State, and also Harper Adams University.

“There is much work to be done in the autonomous agricultural systems area, and I think both of us are well-positioned to work not only individually, but collaboratively, on these projects,

“I see tremendous need because of the difficulties with labour, the growing need to use artificial intelligence with all the data we are collecting in agriculture, and I am very hopeful we’ll work towards working with Harper Adams University on many projects like this.”

_{Dr Thomasson’s video was originally featured in one of the ‘Green Brick’ research stories launched at our 125^th anniversary celebrations – read more here and see our wider 125^th anniversary coverage here.}