Precision agriculture is a subject offered to horticulture students at SuniTAFE’s Mildura campus in north-west Victoria. The campus has embraced the Sustainable, Manageable, Accessible, Rural Technologies (SMART) approach to farming, and provides a practical, hands-on experience for students and teachers alike.

Australian horticulture’s future leaders are honing their precision agriculture skills using a fleet of John Deere equipment at SuniTAFE Mildura.

The agricultural campus has 150 students and is situated in Victoria’s Mallee district, where it grows 10 crops across 30 hectares in accordance with a Sustainable, Manageable, Accessible, Rural Technologies (SMART) approach to farming.

Given the way the agricultural landscape has and continues to evolve – and the growing importance of data-driven farming – SuniTAFE SMART Farm Manager Warren Lloyd said it was essential the training facility matched the needs of the industry.

“We are embracing technology and want to make sure we’re at the forefront of any advancements in horticulture,” Warren said.

“We are trialing the latest technologies here and then teaching it to our students, so they are the forerunners when they head into careers in the industry.”

SuniTAFE SMART Farm Project Manager Warren Lloyd said John Deere technology has helped the training facility embark on its precision agriculture journey.

A pathway to precision

Working with its local John Deere dealership, Haeusler’s Mildura, SuniTAFE took the first step of its precision agriculture journey through enhancing a John Deere 5085GF Tractor with JDLink™ and Generation 4 CommandCenter™ technology.

John Deere Operations Center™, a system that automatically records and collates real-time field data, was also adopted to ensure information across the farm’s grapes, citrus, avocados, almonds, olives, dates, vegetables, and hemp crops, is collected.

As a fourth-generation dried grape grower himself, Warren knows first-hand the collation of up-to-date farm records is vital, but at the same time can prove challenging for farmers without the right technology.

“Keeping records can be a real bugbear,” Warren said.

“If you leave it even a day and try and remember yourself, it can quickly become a nightmare. The fact our John Deere tractor does that autonomously and immediately is incredible.”

The on-board weather station, fitted to the top of the 5085GF, has also been hugely effective.

“I had been relying on weather data from the internet, but it needs to be much more localised,” Warren said.

“In that respect, I don’t think you can be more localised than having a weather station that’s attached to the roof of your tractor.”

Now the SuniTAFE property has been fully mapped, spraying has also been simplified. The tractor’s attached herbicide unit operates automatically – saving time, money and providing better environmental outcomes.

“You just drive into the row. It turns on when you enter, and it turns off when you leave,” Warren said.

“Real-time data is also helping set some parameters. You can see the wind is blowing 19 kilometres per hour from the north-west and the temperature is above 30 degrees, so you know it’s no good for spraying.

“When there’s a breach of the parameters, you are alerted while in the cabin and you can make the decision to stop spraying.”

Next generation

Warren said the most rewarding aspect of his work was watching students go on to have thriving agricultural careers.

“In horticulture, there is a need to find people who have specialised skills. Because of that, as an industry, we have to try to retain some of the best and brightest kids in our sector,” he said.

“Nowadays, you do not have to be born on a farm to become a farmer – you just have to have enthusiasm and a love of growing things.”

Find out more

Please visit JohnDeere.com.au and sunitafe.edu.au.