Ag Tech Sunday - Innovation in the Australian bush

By: "Farm Tender" News
Ag Company News
Mar 23, 2019
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By Matilda Stump - AgThentic.

Droughts are part of the fabric of life for Australian agriculture. The drought in last year’s press coverage, and frenzy, painted Australian farmers as underprepared for the extreme dry most are still facing. Life on the land can be relentless and tough, with the personal and professional so tightly entwined. Farmers are strong and resilient, but they are not invincible. After seeing a promising forecast a few days ago, I messaged dad to ask if there has been any rain on our starved property in Northern NSW. He said no, and there were still blue skies to the West. Before I could begin to mull over the disappointment, he quickly shot back: “it’s ok, I still have hope.” Despite struggling to manage their businesses in the face of weather systems entirely out of their control, farmers remain optimistic. Alongside this hope, Australian producers have an enormous capacity for innovation, creativity and resilience. It is this image that should have also been promoted in the 2018 drought coverage.

Australian producers have an enormous capacity for innovation, creativity and resilience.

To help showcase the strength of our producers, below are three examples of — very different -innovative producers who have created on-farm efficiencies and improvements in their businesses. These three approaches weren’t necessarily born out of the drought, but they happened during it, and are examples (like many others) of how producers are innovative and proactive — not victims of the weather.

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1. Novastock

In 2018 the MLA Donor Company Limited, a subsidiary of MLA, launched the pilot Producer Innovation Fast-Track program. The program aimed to provide expertise, co-funding and support to producers with an innovative idea. The program helped producers trying to bring an idea to fruition with a consultation process, supported design of business solutions, a network of similar ambitious and creative producers, co-investment funding, and more. Cattle farmers Mark and Davina, from the Lockyer Valley in QLD, used the program to develop Novastock. They saw a need for a more efficient way of keeping livestock records on their place and, with a background in software development, decided to build their own tool to fill the void.

Fusing their practical experience on the farm with their strategic goals for the business they built their own resourceful and efficient livestock recording system. They now have more time to manage the parts of the business that matter and proactively record, analyse and plan for any challenges and changes that may be coming their way.

2. Mycelia Organics

Organic mushroom farmer and founder of Mycelia Organics, Chris is passionate about fungi, soil nutrients, fresh produce and the food distribution system. Mycelia Organics is the largest organic mushroom farming company in Australia, supplying 90% of the market and selling to more than 600 retailers and major supermarkets. Chris has interrogated the supply chain looking at ways to match supply and demand in advance, rather than accepting the current state of the food distribution system. Chris has recently co-founded, escaVox, teaming up with experts in retail and hardware to build a system to track how produce is looked after from the paddock to the shopping cart to ensure consistency and freshness.

Chris understands produce supply chains inside and out, and believes this intimate understanding is crucial to the creation of new systems and technologies in ag that are practical and effective. This understanding coupled with Chris’ determination to improve the Australian food system will create benefits along the supply chain.

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3. Farm Service Manager

David Ricardo, a broad acre cropping farmer from near Walgett in North-West NSW, knows firsthand the importance of looking for new ways to keep improving farming businesses. With a keen interest in innovation and a desire to improve on-farm efficiencies, David saw the potential for a paperless record keeper as a way of avoiding risks and mistakes with paper records, and as a transparent tool for communication among staff. In 2018 he released an app that records the service and maintenance history for all farm machinery (from headers to cars, trucks to small motors) and provides an overview and detailed record for owners, managers and workers to see.

In creating Farm Service Manager, David used his practical day-to-day experience to creatively implement a transparent and efficient management system for the vehicles in their farming business. Moreover, David recognised the value of such a tool and developed it in to an app that other farmers can purchase and use to help their businesses. The fusing of David’s practical experience with a strategic goal for his business helped create an innovative and efficient tool.

Continuing to Innovate

Producers are forever solving problems and innovating, continuing to rise to the challenges they face. The three farmers above are impressive examples of the proactive approach to innovation and technology that many farmers across the country employ. Farming businesses are built to be sustainable; they must cope with droughts, floods, hail storms, insect plagues, chemical inversion and anything and everything in between. Farmers are creative, tenacious and optimistic — they are CEOs of hugely successful businesses. It will rain again. But, until it does, it’s important to remember the test of resilience that Australian producers are faced with. A challenge they continue to meet with strength, creativity and — above all — hope.

http://agthentic.com/