Jasmine Neupane grew up watching farmers in Nepal work long hours on small plots of land, hoping for a good harvest. Now, she's helping farmers in a completely different way — with artificial intelligence.
Neupane, a researcher at the University of Missouri, has built an AI model that could change how farms are planted. Her team studied corn and soybean fields in Miami County, Ohio, looking for smarter ways to plant seeds. Instead of dropping the same number of seeds everywhere across a field, the AI helps farmers figure out exactly how many seeds different parts of the field need.
"Fields might look the same from the road, but they're not," Neupane said. "Some areas have better soil and moisture, while others are more prone to erosion or nutrient loss."
The AI learned to make these decisions by studying ordinary farm data — things like soil samples, the shape of the land, and years of harvest records. It then generated planting plans customized to each area of the field, a technique called variable-rate seeding.
The results were encouraging, especially for corn. The model found spots where planting more seeds actually helped and spots where it didn't — information that could save farmers money and boost their harvests at the same time. Soybeans proved trickier, because those plants can adapt to weather conditions in ways that are hard to predict. Neupane said more research is needed before the AI can give soybean farmers the same level of detail.
This targeted approach doesn't just benefit farmers' wallets. By applying seeds, fertilizer, and crop protection only where needed, farmers can avoid overusing chemicals that might wash away into nearby waterways.
"It keeps farmers from applying nutrients or chemicals unnecessarily," Neupane said. "That helps prevent runoff and other environmental impacts, protecting nearby soil and water."
This summer, Neupane plans to bring the research closer to home, testing the AI on fields at the University of Missouri's own Digital Agriculture Research and Extension Center. Her ultimate goal stretches far beyond one state.
"When you really understand what your field is telling you, you can manage it much more strategically," she said. As AI tools continue to improve, Neupane hopes farmers everywhere — no matter how small their land — will be able to make more informed decisions about how to grow food.
The study was published in the Agronomy Journal.