FARMERS had the chance to learn about the new technologies in agriculture at the SMART Farm Field Day at the Muresk Institute last week.
The Koorda Community Resource Centre was instrumental in bringing together a group of leading farmers who were curious to learn more about on-farm connectivity and how it might improve their business.
These farmers are contemplating installing Internet of Things (IoT) devices on their farms ultimately resulting in increases in production, lowering input costs and having more time.
Koorda CRC manager Kim Storer said they were impressed by what was happening in the ag tech world and were keen to become part of it.
"Mythbusting the IoT and what IoT actually is, was key to the early part of the field day," Ms Storer said.
She said the aim of the day was to connect farmers with entrepreneurs and innovators so that they were able to provide valuable information flows to make improvements.
Muresk Institute general manager Prue Jenkins shared information about the various education and training opportunities that were being offered, as well as additional research projects that will be showcased at the Muresk Institute Open Day on Wednesday, June 19.
Muresk Institute farm manager Steve Wainwright provided insights into the applications of weather monitoring, soil moisture probes, water level in troughs, fuel levels in storage tanks and gate sensors for improved security for livestock, as well as managing the herd.
CRISP Wireless's Jeremy Devenish spoke about the differences between Wi-Fi, GPS and Satellite, 3G and 4G systems, plus fixed wireless internet and LoraWan systems.
AgWorld's Simon Foley said that after 10 years, his platform was reaching agriculturalists and agronomists across Australia and the globe, providing secure access for producers to their own data that could be applied in real time.
One farmer at the field day, who uses AgWorld, shared how easy the system is to apply and used across thousands of hectares and how their decision-making has improved with access to information.
Leigh Ballard from Regional Communication Solutions (RCS) spoke about the benefits of access to connectivity and real-time information and the importance of understanding what you need and what will provide the best return on investment for your business.
This included using soil moisture probes at different depths to measure the temperature of the soil and monitor and manage soil biology.
Jonathon Swift, from Stratus Imaging, provided insights into how his company had been using drones to capture data then applying sophisticated imaging techniques.
He showed how analysing data could make a significant difference to increasing agronomic production systems by up to 400 kilograms per hectare.
Mr Swift also shared information about operating different kinds of drones and the importance of adhering to CASA regulations.
