VARIABLE rate technology (VRT) is the next big step Australian farmers will adopt in the continuum called precision agriculture (PA).
Leading the charge are farmers in WA's northern and central Wheatbelt and South Coast and South Australian farmers in the Lower Eyre Peninsula.
That's according to an in-depth survey on PA adoption trends held by CSIRO researchers in conjunction with Esperance-based Precision Agronomics Australia (PAA).
Speaking at the 16th Precision Agriculture Research Symposium in Perth this week, PAA agronomist Frank D'Emden said 573 farmers were interviewed throughout Australia during September and October in 2012.
"It was part of a broader GRDC-supported study of practice change by grain growers," Mr D'Emden said. "The study placed particular emphasis on the role of advisers and the perceived benefits of future adoption, with the aim of identifying where potential lies to most effectively facilitate future profitable use of PA practices."
Interestingly the study revealed a surge in autosteer adoption over the last five years but a slower, steadier uptake of VRT.
According to Mr D'Emden, the use of varying fertiliser rates within paddocks is consistently higher than the use of VRT seeding equipment.
"The result shows a substantial number of growers have been varying fertiliser rates on identified paddock zones in a low-tech way," he said. "(But) the use of varying fertiliser rates (by VRT) is now increasing at about the same rate as uptake of seeders equipped with VRT."
The year 1995 was nominated as the start of a fledgling PA industry but at that time, about 15 per cent of farmers surveyed were varying fertiliser rates.
In 1995, the first yield monitor was released but surprisingly by 2011 adoption rates had reached less than 60pc, according to the survey.
"A high proportion of growers have yield monitoring equipment but only about half have collected yield map data," Mr D'Emden said.
"The difference does not appear to have narrowed over the last decade."
Where yield mapping has been adopted, the survey shows it is closely associated with adoption of VRT and varies greatly throughout grain-growing regions of Australia.
"Autosteer adoption shows higher and more consistent uptake across regions with the rate of increase in adoption slowing in some regions where adoption rates approach between 70 and 90 per cent," Mr D'Emden said.
The surprise in the survey is the relatively low adoption rates of PA equipment.
But this could be explained by the onset of the Global Financial Crisis and a lack of good seasons in the last decade.
It is evident many farmers are more focused on surviving than capital expenses to expand into the brave new world of PA.
It is equally evident, however, that given a good run of seasons, PA holds the key to a more sustainable and profitable future for grain growers.