Driverless tractors, vegebots and machines that evaluate meat quality. It’s all part of the brave new world of agtech. As the global population grows and the cost of food production soars, agtech is set to change the face of farming. But what is it and how can you benefit?

Agricultural technology, or agtech, is predicted to become Australia’s next $100 billion industry by 20301. That’s according to the NSW government, which says a rising middle class, especially in the Asia Pacific, is seeing diets shift towards the kind of agriculturally-intensive foods that Australia specialises in. 

Add in global warming, rising costs of energy, labour, fertiliser, seeds and herbicides, and the stars have aligned for agtech to shine. 

What exactly is agtech?

Agtech refers to innovations that improve efficiency, profitability and/or sustainability. This covers hardware and software, new technologies and new applications – all of which help farmers meet emerging consumer demands and/or enter new markets.

Harnessing the digital agricultural revolution is regarded as the next big opportunity for Australian farmers. However, the key to unlocking much of this digital agriculture revolution is on-farm connectivity – not just at the homestead but out in the paddock. 

In support of this goal, the NBN and the National Farmers’ Federation have announced a 3-year partnership, designed to lift adoption of digital agriculture. 

According to Paul Fletcher, Minister for Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts, “Capabilities such as remote monitoring and automation can drive efficiency and productivity for our agricultural sector – lifting its value from $60 billion to $100 billion by 2030.”2 

What’s available right now?

Already, we’re seeing the use of big data for predictive weather modelling, while in the UK, robotics known as vegebots are being developed that can select and pick harvestable fruit and vegetables. 

In January 2022, John Deere rolled out its first driverless tractor3. The idea is that the tractor can be transported to a field and configured for autonomous operation, allowing farmers to leave the paddock to focus on other tasks, while monitoring its status from their mobile device.

It sounds simple enough but the tractor relies on six pairs of stereo cameras that enable 360-degree obstacle detection and calculate distance to determine if the machine continues to move or stop.

John Deere Australia/New Zealand Production Systems Manager, Ben Kelly, explains, "Australian farmers have always led in the adoption of agtech, and as they continue to be faced with limited availability of skilled labour, access to autonomous machinery for large-scale production has never been so important.”

"Agtech holds plenty of promise, but how do you know if technology is right for your farming business?"

We offer a 5-point checklist of what to consider. 

1. Know the problem you are trying to solve

Agtech can come at a significant cost though this is likely to fall over time. Understand your motive for purchasing – be it automating a task or reducing costs.

2. Understand the agtech’s capabilities

Evaluate what the technology is designed to do and consider how well this fits your agribusiness. 

Discuss Further?

If you would like to discuss, please get in touch.