Episodes
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Today we’re speaking about technology helping producers monitor their livestock’s health and emissions - picture being able to breathalyse a cow to see if she's pregnant or finding out about methane emissions when the steers eat at the trough.
We speak to Food Agility CRC chief scientist David Lamb about how more extensive, large-scale farming, combined with a reduced workforce, has led to agtech often needing to fill the gap when it comes to livestock monitoring. AgScent founder Bronwyn Darlington tells us about working with NASA and explains how their non-invasive diagnostic technology could be a gamechanger for the livestock industry. We also talk to Simone Barakat from Number 8 Bio, a company developing feed additives to reduce methane emissions. They’ve been using AgScent Air to measure methane reduction during their trials.
www.agtechfinder.com
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In this episode we’re speaking about tools that help farmers assess and plan for changes in climate.
A lot of the agtech we speak about is used by farmers to help with everyday decision making. But the tools we’re hearing about in this episode are mostly focused on long-term management, how to prepare for a future that might be decades or even generations away.
We speak to Dr Tim Cowan a Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Applied Climate Sciences at the University of Southern Queensland about agtech’s role in preparing farmers to respond to more extreme climate scenarios.
We’re also joined by the Bureau of Meteorology’s Stephanie Dickson. She tells us about My Climate View, a digital tool which provides location and commodity specific climate predictions for the next 50 years.
And we chat to Western Australian beef producer Dale Park, who says information from My Climate View has influenced his on-farm decision-making, including what pastures they plan to grow.
www.agtechfinder.com
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In this week’s episode we’re talking about innovations and technology within the shearing industry.
The wool and shearing industry is probably not the first people think of when it comes to agtech, being one of the more traditional within agriculture.
But the shearer shortage and rise of large sheep within the industry has encouraged the sector to develop new technology that will offer wool growers more options and help attract and retain shearers.
In this episode we speak to Carolina Diaz from the Australian Wool Innovation about some of the new technology coming through the pipeline, in particular biological wool harvesting.
We also talk to brothers Glenn and Chris Haynes about shearing modules that eliminate the need for shearers to catch and drag the sheep, the part of the process that often leads to the most injuries.
Glenn is from the Shearer’s Contractors Association Australia (SCAA) Shearer Woolhandler Training Inc. and designed the modules in collaboration with AWI, woolgrowers and champion shearers.
While, Chris is from Haynes Engineering, one of several companies building the shearing modules and seeing them implemented by growers across the country.
And we catch up with wool grower Will Shippen, who started using the shearing modules out of necessity during a flood, but found they improved efficiency and so has continued to use them ever since.
www.agtechfinder.com
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In this episode we’re talking about technology helping growers improve water efficiency on-farm.
We’re joined by podcast regular, Food Agility CRC chief scientist, David Lamb, who tells us about the role agtech will play in reporting growers’ water efficiency credentials to consumers.
We speak to Goanna Ag’s John Pattinson about their smart irrigation management solution, GoField. GoField is used across 250,000 hectares of cotton and aims to deliver water, energy and workforce efficiencies.
We also chat to Queensland cotton grower Nigel Corish, who has been using the GoField solution to improve irrigation workflows, increase yield and reduce the amount of water needed to produce each bale of cotton.
www.agtechfinder.com
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In this episode we’re speaking about pasture management and the technology helping producers maximise profit and protect their environment.
We welcome back South Australian sheep and cattle farmer and agtech adoption specialist Penny Schulz, who tells us about how technology in this area has undergone a major step change in recent years.
We speak to Cibo Labs co-founder Phil Tickle about their pasture management tools which use a combination of satellite remote sensing imagery, machine learning and ground-truthing to offer objective pasture estimates, informing decision-making on stocking rates.
We’re also joined by Philip Hughes, who along with his family, runs a backgrounding and finishing cattle operation on the Western Downs in Queensland. The Hughes have been using Cibo Labs’ tools to help protect their ground cover, making sure their country remains “rain ready”.
Philip’s son Lachlan tragically died in 2018 in an on-farm accident. To honour Lachlan’s commitment to regenerative farming practices the family set up the Lachlan Hughes Foundation (www.lachlanhughesfoundation.org.au) to support regenerative agricultural, through scholarships, projects & mentoring programs.
www.agtechfinder.com
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In this episode we’re talking about communication. It’s a topic at the heart of agtech adoption and there are also now agtech tools and platforms available to help the industry disseminate knowledge and build communities.
We speak to Food Agility CRC chief scientist David Lamb about the correlations between the use of social media and agtech adoption.
We’re joined by Emma Ayliffe, an agronomist and farmer, who co-founded Yacker, a social media app for farmers and the ag industry to share ideas and connect with each other.
And we chat to Queensland cattle farmer and podcaster Sam Fryer, who has been using Yacker to gain insights from farmers and others in the ag industry, particularly those operating a long way away from his north Queensland home.
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In this episode we’re talking about agtech integration, whether that’s bringing together technologies and services from different providers to leverage more value – or fully-integrated systems that not only provide information but take action.
We speak to Matt Anderson from Farmers2Founders about how agtech partnerships are able to offer more comprehensive and streamlined decision-making data to farmers.
We’re joined by OPS Australia’s Andrew Barton who tells about their integrated solutions that are combining monitoring technology with automation systems, improving productivity on farm. OPS Australia is based in Longreach Queensland and built to work in outback conditions.
We also chat to Elgyn Knight from a cattle station at Rolleston in central Queensland. He’s adopted an integrated OPS system for their water tank management, and he says it saves him time, water and power.
www.agtechfinder.com
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In this episode, we’re talking about drought resilience, particularly feeding through droughts.
Feeding stock can be one of the most time consuming, expensive and mentally challenging aspects of a drought.
We speak to independent sheep consultant Anthony Shepherd from Sheepmatters about how technology is helping producers decide which stock to sell and which to feed through a drought.
We also talk to Justin Dunn from The Shepherd Ag who has developed a whole automated feedlot solution, allowing farmers to improve precision when feeding and significantly cutting back on the workload required to feed stock during a drought.
And we’re joined by Central West NSW farmer Murray Balcomb who has been using the Shepherd Ag technology for the last couple of years and says with it he now feels ready to take on the next drought.
www.agtechfinder.com
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In this episode we’re talking about building trust when it comes to sharing farm data.
Data is now one of the world’s most valuable commodities and needs to be protected, but we know that sharing data can improve profit and production on-farm. So how can farmers confidently share data with third parties like agtech providers?
This is a question the National Farmers' Federation sought to address when it developed the Australian Farm Data Code, a voluntary code of conduct and certification program that aims to improve adoption of agtech by ensuring farmers have comfort in how their data is used.
We speak to NFF Data Policy Manager Gabriela Ceregra about why the code was introduced and how agtech companies have responded.
We also talk to Pairetree Intelligence co-founder Hamish Munro, who explains how his product was the first to be certified by the Farm Data Code. Pairtree aims to stop farmers drowning in data, offering technology that translates data into a consistent format, puts it in context and sends it where it needs to go.
And we’re joined by Commonwealth Bank General Manager Agribusiness Natasha Greenwood. She talks about how Commbank has been collaborating with Pairtree to come up with ideas for streamlining the sharing of data between the bank and their farming customers.
www.agtechfinder.com
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In this episode we’re talking about Smart Farms and the role they’re playing in driving and de-risking agtech adoption.
We speak to Food Agility CRC chief scientist professor David Lamb about how artificial intelligence will be used to collate data and inform decision-making.
We also hear from Ian Layden from the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries’ Gatton Smart Farm. Gatton Smart Farm is based in the sub-tropical Lockyear Valley and focuses on agtech adoption within the horticulture industry, focusing on automation, protected cropping and post-harvest solutions.
And we’ll chat to Kalfresh CEO Richard Gorman. Kalfresh grows, processes and markets vegetables and has collaborated with Gatton Smart Farm to showcase in-field robotics to Australian growers.
www.agtechfinder.com
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In this episode we’re talking about drones. Many farmers have gone out and bought a drone with big plans, only for it soon to be sitting on the shelf collecting dust. But in this episode, we hear about some of the ways that farmers are using the technology effectively on-farm.
We speak to agricultural drone trainer Fiona Lake about improving adoption by busting the myths that surround drones.
We also hear from Ben Single of Single Agriculture whose drone technology is used to identify weeds, allowing farmers to target the use of herbicides.
And we chat to Darling Downs grower Wade Bidstrup who says using the Single Shot drone has helped him get on top of chemical-resistant weeds.
www.agtechfinder.com
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In this episode, the last of season one, we’re talking about traceability and the technology being utilised to prove a product’s provenance.
We speak once again to Food Agility CRC chief scientist David Lamb about consumers’ growing demand for knowledge about the products they’re purchasing and traceability’s role in preventing food fraud.
We talk to Source Certain’s Katherine Campbell about their technology which can scientifically determine source of origin, even down to an individual block.
And we’re joined by Sean Engelbrecht from fresh fruit supplier WA Farm Direct. He tells us about why they’ve engaged Source Certain to protect the Bravo apple variety IP, making sure it’s only licenced growers that are supplying the market.
www.agtechfinder.com
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This episode we’re talking about livestock management technology found in the paddock, the yards or the shearing shed.
We’re joined once again by South Australian sheep and cattle farmer and agtech adoption specialist Penny Schulz, who tells us about how technology is improving safety and efficiency and reducing labour requirements.
We speak to Optiweigh’s Max Laurie about their in-paddock weighing system that aims to drive profit and reduce animal handling.
And we also speak to northern Queensland cattle farmer Noeline Dore who has been using Optiweigh units in their breeding and fattening operation. She says the units have helped her to closely monitor the condition of their mobs, book in cattle for consignment and reduce livestock handling.
www.agtechfinder.com
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In this episode we’re talking about technology that advises growers on when and how to spray in order to improve spray efficacy and reduce the risk of spray drift.
We speak to Food Agility CRC chief scientist David Lamb, who explains why hazardous inversions can cause spray particles to travel tens of kilometres.
We’re also joined by INCYT founder Simon Blyth who talks about their latest spray advisory technology, Maverick. He tells us how the technology is helping growers plan more effective spraying programs, while reducing risk, taking inspiration from its Top Gun namesake.
And we speak to Stop Off-Target Spraying (SOS NSW) coordinator Annette McCaffery, who tells us about the importance of using tools that offer real-time local weather data to help inform spraying decisions.
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In this episode we’re talking about the technology involved in animal health and nutrition, which includes everything probiotics to on-farm diagnostic lab kits.
We speak to professor Jane Quinn from Charles Sturt University about the challenge of proving the value proposition of animal health and nutrition technology on-farm and the importance of data integration.
We’re also joined by ProAgni co-founder Fiona Soulsby who tells us about their new probiotic which will help rapidly transition sheep and cattle to a grain-based diet, improving animal health and production.
And we talk to Victorian sheep farmer Dean Harrington who has been using ProAgni products in his family-run feedlot operation. He says he hopes using an antibiotic-free supplement will put them on the front foot when it comes to consumer demands, with antimicrobial resistance a growing global concern.
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In this episode we’re talking about irrigation and in particular plant sensors that are able to tell growers when their crops need water.
We speak to our regular podcast expert, Food Agility CRC chief scientist professor David Lamb about how the rising cost of water is driving adoption of plant sensors in high-value broadacre crops.
We’re joined by Athena IR-Tech CEO Jay Holata, who tells us about their Transp-IR technology which measures plant and environment temperature, humidity and solar radiation to calculate when a crop needs water.
And we speak to South Australian viticulturist and Nuffield scholar Hans Loder, who has been using the Transp-IR technology in conjunction with soil moisture probes to better understand the water needs of their vines, particularly during extreme weather events.
www.agtechfinder.com
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In this episode we’re talking about the agtech that is helping producers improve their farm safety and compliance.
We speak to FarmSafe Australia chair Felicity Richards about how agtech is supporting behavioural changes on farm.
We’re also joined by Safe Ag Systems CEO and co-founder Katy Landt. Katy started Safe Ag Systems with her mother, Caroline Graham. She tells us that to encourage adoption they built their software to improve both safety procedures and operational efficiencies.
And we’ll chat to independent safety consultant Joanne Hamilton-Vale who has used SafeAg Systems with dozens of clients, from family farms with one employee to large corporates.
www.agtechfinder.com
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In this episode we’re talking about pest, weed and disease management, particularly focusing on technology that allows for better management of fungal diseases in crops.
We speak to podcast regular Food Agility CRC chief scientist professor David Lamb about the potential for agtech to replace or minimise chemical use in the future.
We’re also joined by BioScout CEO Lewis Collins, who tells about how their technology is helping to reduce the impact of fungal diseases in crops and better target fungicide sprays.
And we’ll speak to Jane Parker from herb and spices supplier McCormick about how they’ve been using BioScout to tackle a fungal disease that can decimate basil crops.
www.agtechfinder.com
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In this episode we’re talking about geospatial mapping, technology that is being used in everything from variable rate application of fertiliser to proving provenance.
We speak to podcast regular Food Agility CRC chief scientist professor David Lamb about how much faster geospatial maps can now be processed and how this has changed decision-making for farmers.
We’re also joined by Matt Stewart from NGIS, a geospatial mapping company that has been working in Australia for more than 30 years in a number of industries, including agriculture. He’ll tell us how the technology is starting to be used to assess the impact of climate.
And we’ll speak to Doug Hamilton from WA’s CSBP Fertilisers. CSBP engaged NGIS to help build DecipherAg, a tool which allows farmers to compare and track performance across their farms using geospatial technology.
www.agtechfinder.com
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In this episode we’re talking about data sharing - the importance of standardising data and creating data sharing ecosystems.
Data sharing and collaboration has been a popular topic on the podcast, with many of our guests talking about data sharing as the ‘next big thing’ when it comes to agtech.
Therefore, in this episode we speak to TerraCipher founder Dave Swain about their product Trakka, a data sharing infrastructure they’re trialling that allows farmers to control their data flow and aims to generate more value for the red meat industry.
We’re also joined by seedstock and commercial cattle farmer Julian Carroll, who speaks about how data standardisation can improve decision-making on farm.
And we also have on podcast regular, South Australian cattle and sheep farm and agtech adoption specialist Dr Penny Schulz, to discuss the importance of trust when it comes to data sharing.
www.agtechfinder.com
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