Exclusive trials of international mechanised technology are being planned to help Australian vegetable growers reduce input costs and labour challenges
With the horticultural industry facing high input costs and labour challenges that are affecting growers’ profitability, a new $4.1 million initiative has been announced to increase the adoption of mechanisation technology.
Funded by vegetable growers through their research and development levy and delivered by Hort Innovation, the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries [DAF] and the Global Organisation for Agricultural Robotics (GOFAR), the program seeks to improve the efficiency of production systems by holding exclusive trials of new technology in the near future.
Looking to bolster its presence in emerging technology, Hort Innovation’s research and development manager Tom McCue says the program will scout to find technologies that will provide solutions to some of the biggest production challenges.
“We’re looking at everything to do with mechanisation and if automation is one of those mechanisms, we’ll certainly explore it,” he says.
“As part of this initiative, we are already identifying gaps and opportunities in the farm production system so we can target specific technology.”
Gap analysis
Currently, the program is in the midst of a gap analysis – identifying opportunities and gaps in the market – then subsequently targeting technology based on an informed analysis.
“Throughout the project, we’re looking to firstly discover new technologies, but then also look at how we can ensure they are tested in Australia,” McCue says.
Part of the program’s intent is to work with GOFAR in France – which has a large network of international agricultural machinery companies and leads the International Forum of Agricultural Robotics [FIRA].
The program is also looking to conduct a study tour in the USA, in October, being organised by DAF, with the aim of shortlisting some technologies – and then look to bring them Down Under.
Trials
With the gap analysis still taking place and international tours still yet to occur, the program is aiming to run trials in Australia for next year.
“There’s been lots of interest from growers to conduct these trials on their farms,” McCue says.
In November last year, Hort Innovation and QDAF partnered to hold the Gatton Smart Farm AgTech Showcase – a field day that demonstrated some of the new technologies in the market.
Approximately 1,000 growers and industry representatives attended the event, getting to see first-hand some of the new innovations, including in-field robotics, sensors, drones, protected cropping, postharvest, cover cropping and strip tillage – to name a few.
With a mixture of both static and interactive displays, McCue says that was the first time many vegetable producers had been exposed to these types of technologies.
It was also the first time that some of these technologies had ever been demonstrated in the field, DAF senior development horticulturist Julie O’Halloran adds.
“The Stout AI mechanical cultivator and FarmDroid, a solar-powered weeder and seeder, were first shown in Australia at the showcase,” O’Halloran says.
“Robotti, an autonomous implement carrier, was also shown in the Lockyer Valley for the first time, allowing people to see it working in the field.”
Most of the technology showcased focused on autonomous robotics, with Swarm Farm and Global Unmanned Spray System [GUSS] also making an appearance to show their autonomous sprayers.
McCue says attendees were excited by the technologies shown, as they could help make farming systems easier, and also look at ways in which sustainability could be improved.
“This showcase was really pivotal in the determination of the suitability of the technology, because we got to see how it performed on-farm,” he says.
“We saw positive responses from the growers to the point where some purchased the equipment and are using it on an ongoing basis.”
Building upon the success of this event, McCue says he expects that new technologies will be shortlisted, and hopefully validated in Australia.
With the ultimate goal of the program to assist growers in adopting technologies that can make a difference to input costs, O’Halloran says she is keen to see some new solutions trialled next year.
“The grower demonstration sites we establish will provide qualitative and quantitative data to highlight the potential efficiency benefits from mechanised machinery solutions,” she says.
“We hope this will help growers make bolder decisions about the technology they invest in.”