FOLLOWING its success in its inaugural year in 2015, the highly-anticipated TECHSPO will be returning to WA on August 7 and 8.
Southern Dirt's TECHSPO aims to be WA's premier technology and innovation event for the agricultural community and associated industries.
The event will be held over two days at Wagin and Katanning respectively.
TECHSPO will bring technology developers, farmers, advisors, expert researchers and officials together for two packed days of advanced agriculture technology, information sharing and collaboration with an optional study tour for those who want to experience more.
Topics that will be unpacked include virtual sales yards, augmented reality in farming, robotics in agriculture and provenance and traceability trends.
Increased investment and rapid advancements in these technologies have not only improved their affordability, but also allowed for the industry to mature in recent years and demonstrate real returns on investment to farmers.
Southern Dirt chief executive officer Tracey Hodgkins believes TECHSPO is this year's must-see event on the WA agricultural calendar.
"TECHSPO is the only event in WA to showcase agricultural technology and its connection to profit for farmers,'' Ms Hodgkins said.
"It is one event that farmers and the industry cannot miss.
"If you go to just one event this year - make it TECHSPO".
The event format is based on a mixture of conference and in field demonstrations.
On day one, experts in agricultural innovation from Australia and abroad will share their knowledge and provide inspirational forums that address technological advancements in agriculture, while exhibitors will be showcasing innovative products and services set to revolutionise the face of Australian farming in the future.
On day two, TECHSPO will offer working demonstration areas that allow participants to learn first-hand which has long been acknowledged in agriculture as a primary extension tool: farmers can touch feel and see the technologies first hand.
This will be held at the Katanning Research Station, commencing with workshops which explore ways to integrate technology into farming and then moving into field demonstrations which showcase the viability of these technologies on a property.
The event will demonstrate areas that are critical for farming in this State, including livestock technologies for sheep, cattle and other animals, broadacre cropping technologies, big data and new apps, machinery and Greentech.
The SwarmBot robot, created by future-focused agtech company SwarmFarm Robotics, will be a must-see at this year's conference.
SwarmFarm's vision is to empower farmers with new farming systems and it has built an "open developer" system, whereby any developer, anywhere in the world can release new agtech, tools and attachments on board the SwarmBot robot.
The SwarmBot's initial applications include spraying, spreading and mowing and Techspo delegates will have an exclusive chance to see the SwarmBot in action.
SwarmFarm Robotics co-founder and chief executive officer Andrew Bate will also be among the world-class line-up of speakers, helping explore the ideas that will shape the future of farming.
Mr Bate, who trained as an agronomist and spent the past 19 years farming in Emerald, in Central Queensland, will be discussing the role of robotics in agriculture and how this drives efficiency for farmers.