Archive for category: Frontpage Article

The 22^nd Symposium for Precision Agriculture, a collaboration between SPAA and the University of Sydney’s PA Laboratory was held at the Tramsheds Function Centre on the 9^th and 10^th of September. Executive Officer Nicole Dimos said, ‘we were thrilled with the attendance of 129 delegates, given this was the first time we have held the event in Tasmania it was really positive to see so many new delegates.’

The program began with the AGM, which saw Western Australian Frank D’Emden step into role of President, replacing farmer and consultant Jessica Koch from SA. Phillip Honey, consultant from Esperance filled the role of Vice President. Ian Layden, DAF stepped down from the committee, with Julie O’Halloran providing a strong replacement as she has a strong horticultural background.

Brett Whelan, from the PA Lab once again did a terrific job at collating a program covering many facets of precision agriculture. Michael Nichols, local grower from Sisters Creek presented on how he uses NDVI for prescription fertiliser inputs, and how his attention to detail resulted in him achieving Australia’s wheat growing record of 13t/ha off 16.6ha. SAGIT sponsored speaker Joe Cook, Keith SA spoke about his experience using moisture probes and EM38 soil layers to strategically manage irrigation in his Lucerne Seed enterprise.

There were some excellent scientific presentations from many of Australia’s university and research institutions. A strong theme in crop sensor and satellite imagery technology emerged, with excellent presentations from Dr Rob Bramley (CSIRO) about the Future Farm Project,  Yield forecasting of root crops with a multispectral satellite sensor in Australia by Angelica Suarez (UNE PARG), and the use of satellite imagery for mapping pasture biomass in real-time by Iffat Ara (TIA).

Once again, the event was backed by a record number of sponsors, many of whom had trade exhibits. Landmark Echelon this year sponsored the famous ‘PA Connections’ which dove tailed nicely into the conference dinner on Monday night. At the completion of the conference, 35 delegates headed off on a bus tour to Cressy, organised by AgLogic’s Rueben Wells, visiting two impressive mixed enterprises employing land levelling and drainage PA techniques.

A tour group, comprising of leading vegetable growers from Qld, Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia will undertake a four-day tour visiting precision vegetable destinations of interest. Organised and facilitated by Celia van Sprang and Julie O’Halloran from the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, the tour is an initiative of a strategic levy investment under the Hort Innovation Vegetable Fund. Designed to encourage the adoption of precision agriculture, the tour will increase networks in the industry by exposing some of the leading growers in the field to technology demonstrations and other innovative growers.

The tour begins on Thursday 5^th, heading to Thorndon Park Produce and P’Petual Tomatoes north of Adelaide. This will include a presentation by Dr Rohan Kimber of PRISA/SARDI on iMaps PESTS Sentinel for monitoring pest incursions. On Friday the group will head to Melbourne where they will visit Boomaroo Nursery and Fresh Select. Saturday will see a visit to tech enthusiast’s Will Bignell before departing for Launceston. Sunday will include a visit to Greenvale Pastoral and Armidale Stud, both of which have implemented different aspects of precision agriculture into their vegetable and cropping systems. The group will squeeze in one last farm visit to Harvest Moon – one of Tasmania’s largest vegetable growing, packing, marketing and exporting businesses, on the Monday morning prior to commencement of the SPAA symposium.

On Monday and Tuesday afternoon, the vegetable tour cohort will join with other PA delegates to attend the SPAA Symposium – a fitting finish with this year’s event headlining some key vegetable topics and growers. Andrew Johanson (Mulgowie Farming Company), and Troy Cairns-Walker (Phantom Produce) tour delegates and leading growers, will speak on their experiences will PA in their respective businesses, covering reduced tillage practices and variable-rate fertiliser application and their experiences in PA implementation.

President Jessica Koch says ‘we are thrilled the tour and the symposium could intertwine, horticulture is a key development area for SPAA, and the fit for the Symposium being in Tasmania has been a purposeful decision. We hope the tour attendees, and all delegates come away with new networks from the collaboration’.

SPAA was thrilled to once again be part of the Growing the Future #GTF event organised by the Adelaide University Ag Students Association on the 15^th August with 240 attendees. Robin Schaefer, SPAA committee member, and Bill Burgess attended the event held in the Ian McLaughlin Room, Adelaide Oval and manned our trade exhibit.

The event has fast become a popular ‘must attend’ for industry reps to mix with graduates and enthusiastic young people looking to launch a career in agriculture. The format began with two workshops, this year with topics covering ‘identifying five issues in agriculture and overcoming them’ and ‘starting your own business in agriculture – what skills are needed?’.

Over the evening meal, two panels with industry representatives covered two different questions – ‘do we need to improve the education about how food and fibre are produced, and how can we achieve this?’, and ‘what does the use of new technologies mean for the entire industry and how competitive Australian agriculture is moving forward in to the future?’. Robin Schaefer was part of the second panel and discussed some of the trends seen through SPAA, in particular rapidly moving progression in horticulture technology and livestock technology.

SPAA had the job of ‘wrapping up’ the evening, and Bill encouraged the graduate to challenge their thinking about agriculture and what opportunities may be presented to them in the next ten years, and of course to consider Precision Agriculture as an exciting field to work in.

The results of the 2018 SPAA AGM held on Monday 10th September welcome some new faces to the committee. We are thrilled to announce Rohan Rainbow who was our organisations 1st Executive Officer elected to serve a role on the management committee. “A reason for wanting to come back and support SPAA has been to assist the committee through the many challenges that government will present to industry with around issues such as data rights and automation regulation and social licence. I thought i could also bring my experience in development of national strategy to assist the committee with planning. I really feel it is time for me to give something back to growers” said Rohan. Also returning to serve another term is Robin Schaefer, Denis Pozzebon, Mark Branson, and treasurer Chad Glover

Sadly, it was time for long-term member Sam Trengove to hang up his boots after an incredible nine years. Sam was instrumental in a number of our research programs and grower groups activities, and although no longer on the committee, will no doubt will stay well connected with SPAA.