By Mark Woolsey

Feral hogs in Georgia cause an estimated $150 million in agricultural damage each year, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

To address this growing threat, Kennesaw State University researchers are launching an AI-powered drone system to autonomously protect peanut fields from nighttime wildlife intrusion and reduce costly crop losses.

Supported by a $25,000 Georgia Peanut Commission grant, the one-year Night Owl project is a collaboration between Kennesaw State assistant professors Taeyeong Choi and Yan Fang, and University of Georgia agricultural economist Ford Ramsey.

“The idea came from conversations with local farmers, who shared that wild animals were a bigger problem than pests, especially at night,” said Choi, quoted on the university’s news release. Choi teaches information technology in KSU’s College of Computing and Software Engineering (CCSE).

“Traditional deterrents like fences are too expensive to install and maintain, so they often rely on staying up late with dogs to chase the animals off. That’s simply not sustainable,” he said.

To read more about this project, follow this link to the KSU website.