Over 900 vegetable industry representatives have been introduced to the latest in precision agriculture technology, during a three-year Hort Innovation-funded project aimed at helping Australian growers improve farm management practices.

Led by Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (DAF QLD), the project demonstrated how precision agriculture technologies can help vegetable growers improve decision-making and on-farm management systems, as well as optimise productivity and profitability for a variety of crops.

Through on-farm trials across the country, they validated a range of technologies such as soil and crop sensing tools for identifying and quantifying underperforming crop areas and defining management zones.

The project connected with industry representatives through 23 face-to-face extension activities that demonstrated the potential of precision agriculture in vegetable systems, with the aim of increasing adoption for the benefit

of growers.

Over 90 per cent of growers involved in the project indicated they would continue to use the precision agriculture approaches demonstrated through the project with 72 per cent expanding to other precision technologies. All project co-operators indicated that involvement in the project accelerated adoption, some by more than two years.

For more information view DAF QLD’s new series of videos, factsheets and grower case studies.

Adoption of precision systems technologies in vegetable production (VG16009) was a collaborative project with the University of New England, Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture, Harvest Moon, Primary Industries and Regions South Australia, vegetablesWA and the Society of Precision Agriculture Australia (SPAA).