The Australian Farmer

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A Digital Publication and Knowledge Tool for the Forward-Thinking Farmer

Australia’s Farming Future

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Contents

the australian farmer

• Australian Women in Agriculture • AUSVEG • Avocados Australia • Beef cattle breeders - various: Australian

• Federated Farmers of New Zealand • Fertilizer Australia • FNQ Growers • Fruit Growers Victoria • Fruit Producers SA • Future Farmers Network • Grain - various: Grain Producers Australia, Grain Industry Association of South Australia, Queensland Agricultural Merchants, Grain Producers South Australia • Goat Industry Council of Australia • Irrigation Australia • Livestock SA • Melons Australia • Maize Association of Australia • NT Farmers Association • NT Show Council • Nursery and Garden Industry for NSW & ACT • Nursery and Garden Industry Victoria • Nuts - various: Almond Board of Australia, Hazelnut Growers

Australian Association of Stud Merino Breeders, NSW Stud Merino Breeders Association Ltd, Merino SA • Passionfruit Australia • Protected Cropping Australia • Queensland Country Women's Association • Queensland Farmers’ Federation • Regional-rural sport - various: NSW Rugby League, Queensland Rugby League • Ricegrowers’ Association of Australia • Secondary education - various: ASTA, DATTA (QLD), ITE (NSW), Australian Boarding Schools Association, Primary Industries Education Foundation Australia

Limousin Breeders' Society Ltd, Charolais Society of Australia, Herefords Australia, Australian Brahman Breeders’ Association, Australian Brangus Cattle Association, Australian Galloway Association, Angus Australia, Droughtmaster Australia, Kimberley Pilbara Cattlemen's Association. Australian Lowline Cattle Association, Australian Red Poll Cattle Breeders Inc

15 – Our gratitude to Australia’s peak farming bodies

38 - Time in equals yield up for leading drill manufacturer

• Berries Australia • Cattle Australia • Cherry Growers Australia • Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport Australia

• Society of Precision Agriculture Australia

• Soil Science Australia • Summerfruit Australia • Tasmanian Women in Agriculture • Tractors and Machinery Association of Australia • Turf Australia • Victorian Agricultural Shows Ltd

• CANEGROWERS • Cotton - various :

16 - Foreword from Andrew Weidemann AM - Chairman of Grain Producers Australia - Patron of The Australian Farmer

Australian Cotton Shippers, Cotton Australia, Women in Cotton

of Australia, Pistachio Growers' Association Incorporated, Chestnuts Australia Inc, Australian

• Dairy - various: South Australian Dairyfarmers

41 - Levelling the field: Agtech puts you in control

Walnut Industry Association, Australian Macadamia Society

Association, Australian Dairy Products Federation, Dairy NSW, Dairy Research Foundation

• Ovine - various: Sheep Producers Australia,

42 - Dealers: essential partners in agriculture, not just middlemen

Chapter 1 - Digital Technology

18 - Digital Agriculture: A Tale of Unrealised Expectations? By Simon Cook, Elizabeth L. Jackson, and Derek Baker.

46 - Australian grain producers can be autonomous

24 - The future of ag-tech: reflections on four decades of innovation - By Peter Schmidt

50 - Australian farmers are key to the energy transition - Shaun Westcott

26 - As the AgTech bubble runs out of hot air, what have we learnt? By Professor Andrew Robson

Chapter 3 - Innovation in Practice

30 - Digital Transformation in Agriculture: Making Farming Efficient, Precise & Productive.

56 - Rise of the electric farm

60 - From Tradition to Innovation: Transforming Farming with Modern Practices - A.G. Schilling

Chapter 2 - Automation and Machinery

62 - Shearwell is now bringing to market a premium one-piece steel NLIS tag for cattle.

37 - A stronger, safer, smarter ute for work and play

Contents

81 - Growing a financially fit farm - Mike Krause

63 - Laser-Focused Bird Control

64 - The Great Reset for Australian Agriculture - Nutri-Tech Solutions’ CEO - Brain Sait

82 - Our $100 billion future starts with the soil

66 - Endless compliance is undermining productivity and imposing a human cost on businesses. - Tom Grigg

84 - Our Future Food Security: Time to Take Control

86 - How agriculture can switch diesel for alternative energy to power industry

68 - All Bark, All Bite: Anti-Crime Measures Working for Farmers

69 - Professional services fit for your farm, your family, and your future

90 -The truth about carbon on the farm - Interview with Mark Wootton

70 - Machine learning and connectivity the next challenges for agtech

94 - Kids on the farm: a force of nature By Tanya Nagle

74 - Five Mins Q&A with Kelly Freeman, Managing Director of Nutrien Ag Solutions Australia

97 - A rural outlook you can bank on. Rural Bank

76 - Traditional trade skills from the past are key to Australia’s agricultural future. Q&A with Andrew Weidemann AM.

99 - Taking on La Niña with weather insurance

100 - Making revegetation ‘climate ready’ The Yass Area Network of Landcare Groups

Contents

102 - The Future of Food Off- world and On - Professor Matthew Gilliham

124 - Landing the right pair of hands for the job

125 - Empowering Regional Communities Through Local Banking and Sustainable Growth - Regional Australia Bank

104 - Independent exchange is advancing the Australian grain industry

106 - The Future Forces Shaping Australian Agriculture - John Harvey

127 - Trace elements: They continue working, even when you’re not!

130 - Australian farmers can increase income while tackling climate change

108 - An agricultural education for every possibility

Improve powerline visibility with aerial markers When you’re working on the land, look up and live

110 - Aerial markers - Essential Energy

133 - Totally Natural Nutrition: working with nature not against it

136 - Are we at war with nature? The language of leadership at the tipping point. By Lorraine Gordon

112 - Time to choose a better energy future

If contact with the network occurs, STAY. CALL. WAIT. Stay in your vehicle, call 000 and wait for the all clear from Essential Energy. Fully lower machinery before moving off and keep tall machinery and collection points well away from powerlines. Mark powerlines with ground, pole or aerial markers.

Find out about our Aerial Marker Program or order free safety resources at essentialenergy.com.au/farm-safety

118 - AI for a Prosperous Future: How AI Assessment of Quality Can Empower Australian Farmers

140 - Nudgee College: A school built for boys from the bush

120 - How to Transform Yields from the Ground Up - Bactivate

143 - Is our current education model fit for purpose?

122 - Agritech, the future of farming

144 - Simplifying Livestock Tracking with Easy Online Ordering

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Contents

176 - A Farmer’s Daughter – Travels from the paddock to the boardroom. By Kristina Hermanson 178 - Amy Pascoe, Little Acre co-founder, talks stereotypes, innovation, and the problem with “Grown in Australia” labels.

146 - Cross-Pollinating Agricultural Research

Chapter 4 - Plant Health

152 - Ancient farming, modern lessons: adapting Australian agriculture to climate change. By Dr. Gintarė Bidlauskienė

180 - When economic rationalism is irrational - By Dr Joanne Sillince

156 - Crop modelling in crop management and genetic improvement

182 - Advocacy from the Apple Isle: women in leadership

160 - Seed Certification Key to Australia’s Agricultural Future

Chapter 6 - Animal Health and Research

188 - The hidden losses of pasture utilisation - Professor Sergio (Yani) Garcia

164 - Biosecurity is Everyone’s Business – Including our Farmers - Greg Chandler

191 - Regulations need to catch up to science on beef emissions - Dr Chris Parker

Chapter 5 - Women in Agriculture

168 - Putting it on the agriculture agenda: bush foods and blockchain - Rayleen Brown

193 - Expert insights from the top. By Michael Crowley

172 - Panels and pastures: Australia’s Agrivoltaic opportunity- Karin Stark

194 - Reinventing the livestock breed society By Dr. Alan Couch

INDUSTRY SUPPORT Giving access to the latest theory and practice of agricultural science, technology, and innovation to our regional agricultural developers is a key building block in a nation's successful food-fibre ecosystem. 1MG’s journal The Australian Farmer (TAF) delivers a definitive informational resource direct on these and related disciplines to most of the country's farmer population. The Australian Agritech Association has initiated a partnership with The Australian in mid-2023 including a commitment to author in the publication and digital distribution. Andrew Coppin - President of Australian Agritech Association “We have been supporting The Australian Farmer digital publication for many years as a regular distributor to our dairy processing members. We appreciate the work of 1MG providing our members with easy access to insightful information on the state-of-the-art of applied agricultural science, technology, and innovation. We look forward to an ongoing partnership with 1MG”. Janine Waller - Chief Executive Officer Australian Dairy Products Federation “We have been proud to support The Australian Farmer (TAF) digital publication as a regular distributor to our organisation’s membership since its inception nearly 10 years ago. We admire the good work that 1MG does to give our members easy access to incisive information on the state-of-the-art of applied agricultural science, technology, and innovation. Member feedback on TAF is only ever positive when we receive it. We anticipate this strong and highly valued alliance partnership with TAF will endure for the foreseeable future. Colin Bettles - CEO of Grain Producers Australia “Mitsubishi Motors Australia is committed to empowering Australian farmers with reliable, innovative vehicles – such as the Triton ute. We were excited to find a media outlet – The Australian Farmer – that specifically focuses on providing news, analysis, and feature articles to Australia’s farming communities. Kate Sellar, Mitsubishi Motors Australia Ltd. - Marketing Manager, Brand Marketing & Corporate Affairs

“Calrossy Anglican School highly values our relationship with The Australian Farmer. This relationship supports the promotion, education and training of the next generation of farmers, enhancing opportunities for regional and rural students within the agricultural sector.” David Smith - Principal of Calrossy Anglican School “We recognised early on that THE AUSTRALIAN FARMER (TAF) is a worthwhile publication because of its commitment to widely report on key developments in these areas. The journal, which we have both authored in and agreed to distribute year-on-year, plays a crucial role in unlocking some of Australia’s best kept secrets on cutting edge agriculture for the country’s farmer population. We are proud to support TAF and believe in its contribution as a unique knowledge tool to assist Australia’s farmers.” Murray Wilton - General Manager, Royal Agricultural Society of NSW TAF is filling a gap in the Australian agricultural publishing landscape by providing forward-thinking farmers, and their various suppliers, with a highly relevant and engaging experience. We are proud to be a part of this "good for Australian farmers" social enterprise and look forward to what I am sure will be a long term-partnership with the publisher 1MG. Shane Wilkins - Industry Practice Group Lead (Agribusiness), Findex Thank you for your continued engagement with Herefords Australia, and for the opportunity to support THE AUSTRALIAN FARMER over recent years. It is a pleasure to be involved with a publication that showcases and

supports Australian agriculture so passionately. Olivia Pearce, Marketing and Communications Coordinator, Herefords Australia

Contents

217 - Rural Health: Improving mental health help for farmers in the face of increased droughts and rising temperatures

196 - Agtech success pivots on linking the algorithm with farmer needs. By Professor Lewis Kahn

221 - Our agricultural future will be defined by Science and Innovation – we need to get used to it.

197 - The place of the horse in Australia: a national survey

225 - Youth and Succession Planning: The young Aussie woman challenging traditional views of farm succession planning

199 - Boosting Cattle Herd Health and Profitability with Marks-Min®

229 - When cropping meets the carbon economy: play the offensive game

Chapter 7 - Water and Irrigation

202 - Anne Currey of Irrigation Australia outlines what is needed in technology and policy to keep Australian irrigators on top 204 - Water Stewardship: A Pathway to Sustainable Agricultural Futures. By Dr. Sandra J. Hall

233 - Social licence in the 2020s - By Colin Bettles, Grain Producers Australia

237 - Innovations for a climate resilient sustainable agricultural sector By Shahbaz Mushtaq

241 - Educating future leaders of the Ag workforce - Dr Simon Livingstone and Luciano Mesiti

206 - Drought-Proofing a Sunburnt Country. By Warwick Lorenz

210 - Pumping white gold: rural water solutions backed by 70 years of success

245 - Community connections: The key to disaster resilience

248

249

the australian farmer

248 - Partners & Credits, Editorial Advisory Board

Our Partners

Our valued partners were invited to join the second volume of The Australian Farmer not only because of their relevance to farmers, but because of their innovative and high quality products and services. The companies and institutions below have proven track records in research and development, a history of pioneering and unconventional thinking and a patient and unstinting dedication to the Australian farming community.

LASER BIRD CONTROL SYSTEMS

Chapter 8 - Additional Reading

You can click on the logos below to directly access individual stories on each organisation.

“They’re a special breed A quiet, hard-working lot People from towns afar May or may not Know what farmers do From daylight until dark Meeting needs never voiced And always hit the mark. …”

(see pp 78-79 f or full poem “Farmers” by Edwina Smith)

Thank you to Australia's farmer peak bodies and other NFPs for their support and encouragement

• Australian Horticultural Exporters' and Importers' Association • Australian Livestock Property Agents • Australian Lot Feeders Association • Australian Mango Industry Association • Australian Mushroom Growers Association • Australian Seeds Authority • Australian Seed Federation • Australian Society of Agronomy • Agricultural Shows Australia • Agrifutures Australia • Australian Table Grape Association reaching not only Australian farmers, but a wider rural audience. In addition, many peak bodies and their repre- sentatives provided important and valuable input that enabled us to fine-tune our content and make sure the publication was interesting, informative and instructive to Australia’s farmers. As such, we would like to deliver the warmest thanks and ac- knowledgment to the peak bodies listed here. Finally, we are particularly appreciative of regional federal MPs the Hon. Bob Katter and the Hon. Michelle Landry for their enthusiastic em- brace of this project and willingness to share The Australian Farmer with their farming constituents.

• Australian Agritech Association • Australian Bushmen's Campdraft and Rodeo Association • Australian Banana Growers' Council • Australian Chicken Growers' Council • Australian Custard Apple Growers Association • Australian Environmental Pest Managers Association Limited • Australian Farmers Market Association • Australian Fodder Industry Association • Australian Grape & Wine Inc • Australian Horse Industry Council It’s no exaggeration to say that the first volume of The Australian Farmer would not have existed with- out the support and outstanding leadership shown by many peak bodies across all facets of Australian agriculture. And that support and encouragement was equally vital to the health of this book, the second volume of The Australian Farmer . Our gratitude is owed to the excellent and hard- working peak farming bodies for their much-appre- ciated assistance in distributing both volumes of The Australian Farmer to their many farming mem- bers. In doing so, they continue to provide Austral- ian farmers with the resources and knowledge to be more productive and profitable. Our analysis shows that this distribution effort was highly effective in

the australian farmer

• Australian Women in Agriculture • AUSVEG • Avocados Australia • Beef cattle breeders - various: Australian

• Berries Australia • Cattle Australia • Cherry Growers Australia • Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport Australia

• Society of Precision Agriculture Australia

• Soil Science Australia • Summerfruit Australia • Tasmanian Women in Agriculture • Tractors and Machinery Association of Australia • Turf Australia • Victorian Agricultural Shows Ltd

• CANEGROWERS • Cotton - various :

Australian Cotton Shippers, Cotton Australia, Women in Cotton

of Australia, Pistachio Growers' Association Incorporated, Chestnuts Australia Inc, Australian

• Dairy - various: South Australian Dairyfarmers

Walnut Industry Association, Australian Macadamia Society

Association, Australian Dairy Products Federation, Dairy Research Foundation

• Ovine - various: Sheep Producers Australia,

Foreword By Andrew Weidemann AM

the most of this important role. I have since 2016 developed a close professional relation- ship with the company’s senior management and consider them to be both very talented and earn- est; their values are of the highest order. I am personally committed to helping ensure TAF’s positive impact on Australian agriculture continues – its future utility will mostly depend on the support One Mandate Group receives from the various corners across the na- tion’s agricultural landscape.

publication in its category. This multi-decade company, based in Sydney NSW, has built a vast network of distinguished writers including agricultural scientists, educators and advocates from government, private industry and academia that looks to be without peer. Their book of distinction, that undergoes digital delivery via 50+ agricultural peak bodies, is helping to promote cross-pollina- tion of innovative ideas and lift the narrative around innovation prin- ciples and practices, that are of universally relevance, in a mean- ingful way for 125,000 farmers and those that support them. Most pleasing is their commit- ment, as a NFP, to rural commun- ity-related objectives. I note, for example, they have a number of CSR initiatives including a free printed TAF distribution for 100s of high schools via the Primary Indus- tries Education Foundation Aus- tralia, an editorial focus on women in ag and a history of donating to various rural causes. Recently, having been a TAF Advisory Board Member since its inception, I have eagerly as- sented to the publisher’s invita- tion to become TAF’s new Patron – replacing the late Major General Michael Jeffery who was, follow- ing his tenure as Governor Gen- eral, the world’s first national soil health advocate. With big shoes to fill, I am earnest about making

With a 30+ year farming history built on principles of early adoption of technology and investment in R&D, quality literature examining latest trends in modern agriculture has al- ways been important to me. I have, for example, been an avid reader of specialist publisher One Man- date Group’s The Australian Farmer (TAF), a deluxe digital book and at- tendant web platform campaign, since its original launch in 2017. TAF offers the forward-thinking Australian farmer and other pro- fessionals working in the wider agricultural economy something profoundly unique and increasingly useful to support their decision making: access to latest advance- ments in agricultural science, in- novation, technology, productivity and profitability at the national level. As an example of practical innovation, which I have been fas- cinated in personally for several decades, the group I currently chair has developed the first voluntary code for autonomous farm equip- ment which has been promoted world-wide as a major step forward for agriculture. Innovations like this one demonstrate the merit of long- term investment made by farming businesses right across the country as the industry seeks to maintain a competitive edge. I have enjoyed watching TAF continue to deliver value to our industry over the years and now consider it Australia’s leading

Andrew Weidemann AM, A third-generation farmer from Rupanyup in Victoria’s Wimmera Region Chairman of Grain Producers Australia and Patron of The Australian Farmer (TAF) Digital Book and web campaign.

1 Digital Technology

the australian farmer

Digital Agriculture: A Tale of Unrealised Expectations? By Simon Cook, Elizabeth L. Jackson, and Derek Baker. The future of ag-tech: reflections on four decades of innovation. By Peter Schmidt As the AgTech bubble runs out of hot air, what have we learnt? Professor Andrew Robson. Digital Transformation in Agriculture: Making Farming Efficient, Precise & Productive - By Dr Imran Ali.

DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY

Digital Agriculture: A Tale of Unrealised Expectations?

By Prof. Simon Cook, Dr. Elizabeth L. Jackson, and Prof. Derek Baker.

Time to build on the success of bottom-up and multi-disciplinary approaches, for more industry led agricultural innovations that add value.

technology. But clarity is needed to explain how change is likely to occur, what drives and what obstructs change, given the pe- culiarities of agriculture and the array of factors to consider. Here we attempt to demystify the pro- cess of digitisation for Australian agriculture to establish a solid basis for expectations. We do so by: 1. Defining the potential for

have no doubt that digital tech- nology will ultimately deliver major change to Australian agri- culture. But what will this change look like to Aussie farmers, and how can they meaningfully en- gage? In the absence of concrete analysis, narratives can evap- orate and leave people disillu- sioned, creating a problem for those doggedly pursuing authen- tic progress. Agriculture, we know, has enormous potential for pro- ductive change through digital

Digital agriculture has attracted plenty of excitement in recent years from investors – close to USD30B a year so far and increas- ing, pandemic notwithstanding. The vision of drones zooming over Australian rural landscapes to de- tect crop nutrition status or of ro- bots tending vertical farms make a good story. And though narra- tives are powerful influencers for change as pointed out by Nobel Laureate Robert Shiller i , many are built on uncertain foundations. We, too, like these ideas and

digital agriculture globally as food systems respond to growing demand;

2. Explaining

common

causes of failure; 3. Identifying the different pathways to success - how they work and how they can be realised in Austral- ian agriculture; and 4. Finally, we focus on what farmers can expect from these changes, and what they and their partners need to do to lever the power of digital for sus- tainable growth.

the australian farmer

THE GLOBAL POTENTIAL FOR DIGITALLY-DRIVEN CHANGE IN AGRICULTURE Numerous recent research en- deavours and reports have highlighted this, including – • McKinsey ii , reporting Agri- culture to be the least digital of all sectors in the US and Australia, and major change to be inevit- able. As digitisation of business processes and supply chains will create economic growth, it can- not be ignored. • The World Bank concluded that data are our future iii , identifying the under- utilisation of existing data by society, and calling for a re-imagining of data usage and re-usage to forge eco- nomic and social value. • In Australia, AUD30B of change is expected iv , mainly through production gains in grains and livestock. In- vestment in Agri-food Tech is on a steep upward trajec- tory, with investment at the farm-gate end of the supply chain gaining momentum. • The World Economic Forum v highlights digital innovation in global food systems, discussing inclu- sive and sustainable food systems from the perspec- tives of technology (e.g. artificial intelligence and blockchain), as well as human decision making. • Lajoie-O’Malley and others vi point to the role of digital

technology for gains in food system sustainability, encouraging an ecosystem view of food systems and posits that ecosystems ser- vice researchers’ contribu- tions to digital agriculture advancements could result in a more responsible pro- vision of food to society.

from other areas. 3. Process failure is the most common cause, by far. This occurs when the system around the tech- nology (especially people and organisations) hasn’t been considered, and is what scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) call the ”Technology Fallacy”. PATHWAYS TO SUCCESS “Everybody is trying to figure out where the value is?” bemoaned a 2017 Wall Street Journal article about the disappointing adop- tion of digital agriculture in the US. So, what indeed are the path- ways to value and success? Let’s focus on some basics: • Value must be created - though this seems ob- vious, we sometimes find the technology so exciting that we forget to ask “how will it pay for itself?”; • Value must be shared be-

WHAT COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG? Theory and practice don’t always align. In our experience, we’ve seen three types of failures: 1. User failure. Farmers or other users either aren’t in- terested in change, or don’t see enough value in the change to invest in it. This is the rarest type of failure. 2. Technology failure is still worryingly common. Sometimes the technol- ogy is just too difficult to get to work or expensive to manage. This type of failure often occurs when technology has been sim- ply transposed to farming

tween different actors - particularly along supply

DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY chains, in a business pro- cess that is sustainable; and • The process must be scal- able. • This last point is often overlooked yet it’s vital, because the ways in which organisations capture value from digital tech- nology vary significantly. From a classification de- veloped in UK manufactur- ing, we call these : • The “John Deere model”- much farm machinery comes with a mass of em- bedded digital technol- ogy, with farmers using the technology to improve field operations; • The “CBH model” - value is created in bulk commod- ities through management of scaled-up processes, with scale operators using digital technology to manage processes on be- half of farmer customers; • The “Syngenta model”

Services (DAS), digital trading, landscape valuation, and OFE (On-Farm Experimentation). Graincast™, Australia's first re- al-time grain forecast platform, was developed with CSIRO’s expertise in grain forecasting, climate, remote sensing, data management, software engin- eering, and social innovation. This app assists grain grow- ers with crop decision making through making available yield data - from individual paddocks and across the whole farm. MEAT AND LIVESTOCK INDUS- TRIES Satellite imagery pasture evalu- ation, electronic identification (eID), animal welfare monitor- ing and dual-energy x-ray ab- sorptiometry technology (more commonly known as “DEXA”) for meat quality grading, have al- ready become an integral part of the Meat and Livestock industry, with some common failures and successes. HIGH VALUE PRODUCT Digitally enhanced connectivity between consumer and producer has been growing in popularity and effectiveness. In the coffee industry, CROPSTER is a great example of software which con- nects coffee professionals world- wide from producers all the way through to people in cafes, work- ing with small to large businesses across the coffee supply chain to deliver solutions that add value. In Australia, the FA CRC is co-creating projects in numer- ous dimensions of the agri-food

“disruptors” which provide digital services connecting farm- ers, processors, intermediaries, retailers, consumers, and many more. Many such services are new and developing rapidly, with weak and strong ties to what we have always thought of as the “farm economy”, as well as links to other industries and their commercial practices. Above all, leadership is re- quired to take aspirations of value creation from digital agri- culture into the future. Govern- ment leadership is the most traditional and obvious source of leadership. There is evidence of this playing-out in our Fed- eral Minister for Agriculture’s 2022 pledge of $68 million to im- prove traceability systems alone. Leadership is, however, being realised in new forms unique to Australia. An example is the Food Agility Co-operative Research Centre (FA CRC) which is partner- ing government, academia, and industry for the co-creation of es- tablishing new data-driven tech- nology for the agri-food industry. HOW WILL DIGITAL AGRICUL- TURE APPEAR AMONGST AUS- TRALIAN PRODUCERS? A number of ways Digital Agri- culture (DA) has been enhancing Australian Agriculture, specific- ally Grains, Meat and Livestock, Dairy and High Value Product, include the following: GRAINS INDUSTRY The Australian Grains industry has several DA tools, such as Graincast, Digital Agriculture

- rich sources of data are available to farmers through technology em- bedded in chemical or seed product; and • The “CSBP model” - sup- pliers of “standard” inputs may embed digital tech- nology in production pro- cesses for users to get more value out of these inputs. The examples above derive from incumbents in value chains. Moreover, a range of additional opportunities are emerging to exploit opportunities for digital services. These are the so-called

the australian farmer

industry whereby technology is enabling value creation in high-value products. Examples include disease monitoring in shellfish to reduce cost of clos- ures; and blockchain technology in the cherry market to improve biosecurity, improve supply chain efficiency, and reduce the incidents of unnecessary prod- uct recalls. WHAT THEN IS THE ROLE FOR “DIGITAL FARMERS”? While patchy success has been enjoyed in the uptake of digital farming innovations, most of the above business models remain cases in which farmers are recipi- ents of digital products rather than co-developers. In the past, they have been privileged with innovations being introduced to them, with supported learn- ing. Change was seen as the role of government extension services, and for many this echo persists. We think this needs to change, particularly in coun- tries like Australia where public- ly-funded agricultural research and extension is diminishing. Signs of demand for pivoting away from government-funded agricultural science in Australia included organisations like the Grower Group Alliance in West- ern Australia, where innovation needs are being placed into the hands of producers, as well as the Co-operative Research Cen- tres (CRCs) whereby research is funded through co-operation between Private Industry and Government. While such prom- ising structures are on the rise,

agriculture remains the least digitised of all sectors in the US and Australian economies viii ix . While no one wants to distract farmers unnecessarily from their core business, their participa- tion is paramount. It is import- ant that farmers engage in the development of business cases to help adopt digital technolo- gies in ways that advance farm management and supply chain performance alike. How can this happen? The key is to develop digital skills amongst producers and their partners through farmer-cen- tric organisation, such as we’ve developed for on-farm experi- mentation. Not that farmers themselves need to become digital specialists, but rather that they engage closely with the pro- cess to ensure that management evolves through technology. This will not succeed through top-down, externally driven pro- cesses similar to the government

extension services that were widespread until the 1990s, but through the growth of endogen- ous, farmer-driven, digitally-en- hanced business use cases that meet the requirements men- tioned in (3) above and deliver value along the supply chain x . For this to occur, farmers and their consultants must imitate what other industries are doing and prepare to allocate time and money to engage with innov- ation ecosystems in ways that support the evolution and scal- ing up of successful digital busi- ness models. The top-down/bottom-up concept xi is drawn from market- ing science whereby new product development executives have determined what consumers need and have set manufactur- ing and service provision in place to align with market forecasts (i.e. top-down). The bottom-up approach flips this logic on its head to suggest that consumers

DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY

of delivery, and the availability of multiple communication channels such as CRCs and producer groups as mentioned above. Australian industry’s generally low level of engagement with universities for research and innovation xii is evi- dent as universities struggle to en- gage in the new communication channels, and also with the new “breeds” of firm – big and small – selling DA to farms and the food industry more generally. A pressing issue, and one that is directly within the control of farm- ers, is that of education. It has long been known that educated people (not only in the farming commun- ity) are more likely to explore and adopt innovations; this applies regardless of the source of that education (i.e. higher education, further education or local educa- tion). The profile of people new to agriculture has never been more diverse and the imperative is for this diversity to grow. We predict an expanded disciplinary base for knowledge growth and a “holy trinity” of skills: • Biological scientists – to understand the complex biological processes in- volved in creating value from a farm business; • Data scientists – to create methods of capturing and reporting meaningful data that adds value to the farm business; and • Behavioural scientists – to

reason why this concept cannot be translated into digital trans- formation in agriculture whereby farmers, as consumers of digital in- novation, provide developers with their user requirements. Until that occurs, digital adoption is likely to be slow, farmer-alien and discon- nected with many of the opportun- ities that await digital agriculture. WHAT’S NEXT FOR DIGITAL AGRI- CULTURE AND FARMER LEARN- ING? Lack of digital connectivity is a genuine barrier to the adoption of digital innovations in regional, rural and remote communities. Yet the situation is steadily improving, in Australia at least. However, this is a barrier that can be questioned with governments. Our traditional mechanisms for extension of scientific discovery to farmers have shifted over time, to reflect the iterative nature of in- novation, the changed economics

and their needs are what should be driving innovation. When one thinks of a pyramid whereby there are few corporate decision makers at the top and numerous consum- ers at the bottom; the flow of ideas and decision making about innova- tion development had traditionally filtered from the top of the pyra- mid to the bottom, whereas the bottom-up approach now seems to be gaining traction. Simanis and Duke (2014) give multiple ex- amples of where the top-down approach has failed (e.g. the poor response of sub-Saharan Africans to insecticide-treated bed nets) as it risks alienating those who use the consumer innovations, while the bottom-up approach has made high-impact on society (e.g. an e-verification solution for tracking genuine agricultural in- puts, whereby African farmers can verify the authenticity of seeds or pesticides via their mobile phones at agro-dealer shops). There is no

understand that knowledge creation and therefore value creation from new ways of innovation requires change

the australian farmer

to the farm business and its bio- logical and social environments xiii . Peak industry councils like the newly-launched Cattle Aus- tralia - national peak body for the grass-fed cattle industry to provide a unified and influential voice for producers, Wool Produ- cers Australia, and Grain Growers, among others, are contributing a great deal to the future of their respective sectors by offering scholarships to develop leader- ship capabilities amongst early to mid-career people in farming. An example includes the scholar- ship by the Australian Institute of Company Directors, a course that

teaches governance principles to new and emerging leaders. This creates national networks for young people in agriculture and provides them with the appro- priate skills to lead and govern their industries into the future. However, a great deal more is needed, including contributions from outside the reach of Peak industry bodies. Acceptance of knowledge diversity is a key in- gredient in improving adoption of digital agricultural innovations and transforming how farmers learn new skills to change their farm businesses.

(sometimes uncomfortable change) to existing practi- ces (how to deal with this change is within the domain of behavioural scientists).

The core message remains that knowledge diversity, and its com- munication, is needed. Further- more, whether people new to agriculture have an education in marketing, finance, chemistry, engineering, biology or any other discipline, there must be a fun- damental understanding that farming and its associated innov- ations are multi-disciplinary, thus input is required from a plethora of skills to ensure value is added

i Shiller, R. J. (2017). Narrative Economics (Working Paper No. 23075). NBER. ii Manyika, J., Ramaswamy, S., Khanna, S., Sarrazin, H., Pinkus, G., Sethupathy, G., & Yaffe, A. (2015). Digital America: A Tale of the Haves and Have-Mores. McKinsey Global Institute. iii World Bank (Ed.). (2021). World Development Report 2021: Data for better lives. iv Burwood-Taylor, L. (2021). AgFunder AgriFoodTech Investment Report 58. v World Economic Forum. (2021, September). Food Systems: Data, Digital and Innovation Levers. vi Lajoie-O’Malley, A., Bronson, K., Van der Burg, S., & Klerkx, L. (2020). The future(s) of digital agriculture and sustainable food sys- tems: An analysis of high-level policy documents. Ecosystem Services, 45, 101183. vii Pavitt, K. (1984). Sectoral patterns of technical change: Towards a taxonomy and a theory. Research Policy, 13(6), 343–373. viii Trendov, N.K., Varas, S., & Zeng, M. (2019b). Digital technologies in agriculture and rural areas—Status report, FAO, Rome. Licence: cc by-nc-sa 3.0 igo. ix Blackburn, S., Freeland, M., & Gärtner, D. (2017). Digital Australia: Seizing opportunities from the Fourth Industrial Revolution, Digital/McKinsey. x Lacoste, M., Cook, S., McNee, M., Gale, D., Ingram, J., Bellon-Maurel, V., ... & Hall, A. (2022). On-Farm Experimentation to transform global agriculture. Nature Food, 3(1), 11-18. xi Simanis, E. & Duke, D. (2014). Profits at the Bottom of the Pyramid, Harvard Business Review. xii Wilkinson (2015). Australia's dismal, bottom-of-pack performance in university-business innovation, Financial Review. xiii Robertson, M.J., Hall, A., Walker, D., Keating, B.A., Bonnett, G. 2016. “Five Ways to Improve the Agricultural Innovation System in Australia.” Farm Policy Journal 13 (1). Prof Simon Cook is leader of the recently launched Centre for Digital Agriculture at Curtin University, which develops new technologies to help shape Western Australia’s future agricultural industry. Dr Elizabeth Jackson is a senior lecturer in Curtin University’s School of Management and Marketing, and a visiting scholar at the Royal Veterinary College (UK). Prof Derek Baker is director of the UNE Centre for Agribusiness, and Professor of Agribusiness and Value Chains at the University of New England.

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The future of ag-tech: reflections on four decades of innovation By Peter Schmidt

After nearly 40 years in the ag-tech industry, I’ve witnessed remarkable transformations in how technology shapes modern agriculture and lifts farming productivity and profitability. From the early days of basic record-keeping to today’s AI-driven insights, the evolution has been nothing short of revolutionary. But where will technology take us next?

The early days: from gut in- stinct to data-driven decisions When I began my career in the early 1990s, on-farm technology was primarily focused on record- ing financial, crop, and livestock data. The mantra was simple: “You can’t manage what you don’t measure.” For many farm- ers who relied on gut instinct, this shift to data-driven deci- sion-making was a revelation. As computing power advanced in the 1990s, farm management became increasingly granular. Livestock performance, for ex- ample, could be monitored at an

anywhere in Australia, unlocking new possibilities for real-time monitoring and automation. Smart sensors capable of de- tecting pests and diseases, using images, sound or hyperspectral analysis allow farmers to mon- itor crops more frequently and accurately in ways that 10 years ago would have seemed impos- sible. For example, Laser dop- pler vibrometers can accurately detect insect species from their unique beating wing signature. High-resolution satellite imagery, available daily, enables remote assessment of land and crop con-

individual animal level and crop inputs were tailored to ever- smaller areas—sometimes down to individual plants. Precision agriculture was born and farming entered a new era of efficiency of “doing more with less”. The next frontier: connectivity, AI, and smart sensors One of the biggest challenges in rural and remote areas has al- ways been online connectivity. But with providers of satellite internet constellations like Star- link, high-speed internet is now accessible to farmers almost

the australian farmer

growth trends and market prices help in optimal planting, irriga- tion and harvesting schedules. New state-of-the-art AI tools like Microsoft Copilot Researcher and Analyst are now able to rea- son over and identify patterns in complex and disparate data sets. Virtual fencing: A game- changer for extensive livestock management One of the most exciting innova- tions on the horizon is virtual fen- cing technology, which centres on livestock wearing collars that deliver a sound cue or electric pulse when approaching a virtual boundary defined by GPS. This approach, which originates from the 1970s but was only commer- cialised in the last decade or so, allows livestock to be managed sustainably by concentrating ani- mals in small areas for short per- iods, then moving them to allow the land to recover. AI could soon monitor animal movement patterns, detect when fresh grazing is needed, and automatically relocate herds— potentially integrating satellite DID YOU KNOW A recent study on sheep at University of Melbourne was able to produce AI models to assess heat stress based on biometrics, such as heart rate, skin temperature and respiration rate of animals from an integrated visible and infrared thermal camera automatically. ?

imagery to assess feed availabil- ity. In emergencies such as floods or fires, livestock could be moved to safety without the need for expensive helicopters or putting lives at risk. Likewise mustering costs can be reduced. For farm- ers who have lost infrastructure due to floods, virtual fencing may offer a cost-effective alternative to traditional fencing, revolutio- nising extensive grazing systems. Looking ahead The future of ag-tech is brimming with possibilities. From AI-driven farm management to regenera- tive practices and virtual fen- cing, technology is reshaping agriculture in ways we once only imagined. As we continue to in- novate, one thing remains clear: the key to success lies in harness- ing technology to work with na- ture, not against it.

ditions—detecting floods, fires, and crop health with unpreced- ented precision. The ability to react quickly to emerging threats to the farm can significantly re- duce remediation costs. Artificial intelligence (AI) is set to play a pivotal role in farm management in this country in the coming decade and be- yond, proactively analysing data from across the property and providing alerts when potential issues arise. This will save time, effort, and money, allowing farmers to focus on high value activities rather than reactive problem-solving. Farming in harmony with nature When I completed my agriculture degree in 1990, at Seale-Hayne College in southwest England, my then crop lecturer Professor David Iley shared a vision: “We need to farm in harmony with nature.” Today, that philosophy is gaining traction through re- generative agriculture. Our understanding of the soil microbiome, the gut microbiome in humans and animals, genetics and genomics, and the inter- connectedness of natural cycles is driving more sustainable farm- ing practices. Cloud computing’s virtually unlimited power for data storage and processing is help- ing solve complex agricultural challenges, enabling farmers to optimise their operations while preserving the environment For example, predictive analytics of weather, soil conditions, crop

Peter Schmidt , based in Perth WA, is Senior Consultant at multi- national IT services and consult- ing company DXC Technology.

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DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY

As the AgTech bubble runs out of hot air, what have we learnt?

By Professor Andrew Robson

Is communication, or more specifically asking industry what they actually want, the main reason for the poor translation of the billions of dollars spent on the BigData, Drones, AgTech booms into on farm adoption and broad scale industry change?

University of New England (UNE). I have an associate degree, a bachelor’s degree and a PhD all majoring in remote sensing and Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and am currently the Director of UNE’s Applied Agricultural Remote Sensing Centre (AARSC), where we work across 20 industries globally. I am also an oyster farmer based on Moreton Island (Mulgumpin), Queensland, and President of the Queensland Oyster Growers Association. Back to the LinkedIn article. It showed the following animation and the heading: Ag thought of the week: Is low adoption of cer- tain AgTech solutions due to anx- iety and fear? As mentioned, this stirred a reaction. Being around to see the Big Data, Drone, AgTech, Ma-

When asked to put together an AgTech thought leadership arti- cle for The Australian Farmer I was a “on the fence”, as I am definitely not the best person to over promote the Agtech “uni- corn”, and the words “disrupt”, “agile” and “game-changer” do not readily inhabit my vocabu- lary (nor that of any farmer I know). Then inspiration came from a posted article on social media’s LinkedIn that provided a perfect narrative for this story. Before I get into this moment of enlightenment, you may ask “who am I?” and “what would I know?”. In response, I have worked within agricultural re- search for 30 years including ex- tended stints with both the New South Wales and Queensland De- partments of Primary Industries and for the last ten years with the

chine Learning /Artificial Intelli- gence and now RegenerativeAg booms, it astounds me (and surely fatigues all) that the same pattern occurs time and time again. A small whisper of these technological incarnations be- comes a roar of frothing excite- ment where billions of dollars are spent on good salesmanship and invention which ultimately fails to translate to comparable advancement on the ground. The tech, the analytics, the accessibility are all there, so where does it go wrong? I simply believe this failure is predomin- antly due to a lack of communi- cation between tech developers and industry need. Going back to our bird scen- ario. The Agtech perspective on

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