THE third Drone versus Dog Trials, held at the Muresk Institute, Northam, last week, gave students 'paws' for thought on the way technology is used in agriculture.
A total of 228 students from 11 WA secondary schools attended the annual competition, using drones to race against highly-trained agility dogs to achieve the best time around an obstacle course.
The aim of the day was to expose secondary school students to the rapidly advancing agriculture industry and the career opportunities it provides.
Michael Morris, from St Mark's Anglican Community School, won a DJI Spark Drone for his school, beating the other student pilots with a time of 15.61 seconds.
The dog, a Border Collie cross Kelpie named Jay, came up short with a time of 25.97 seconds.
This was a first win for St Mark's Anglican Community School, travelling from Hillarys to take part in the competition.
Students also toured the Muresk farm, learning about the Smart Farm technology used to manage its farm operations.
Department of Training and Workforce Development director general Anne Driscoll said the competition challenged the perceptions of careers in agriculture.
"With more farmers using technology and with free trade agreements and emerging markets creating growth, it is an exciting time to be in agriculture," Ms Driscoll said.
Last year Australian farms generated $60 billion with projected growth expected to be $100b by 2030.
Agricultural Regions MLC Laurie Graham said the State government was committed to the agriculture sector and understood the importance of growing agricultural skills in WA.
"The industry offers an opportunity to diversify and strengthen the WA economy," Mr Graham said.
Muresk Institute works closely with training providers to provide students with the skills and knowledge required to excel in the modern agricultural sector through a wide range of nationally accredited courses.