Demonstrations and farm tours
Growing Smarter in the Mallee 2022 will host a wide range of practical demonstrations of the latest tech for horticulture, from autonomous vehicles to data integration.
Demonstrations
Growing Smarter in the Mallee provided an opportunity for delegates to see and understand how technology can be integrated into business.
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AME Group
See equipment available from AME Group (formerly FMR) – specialise in automating processes for horticulture. See a GOTrack Autonomous Tractor Operation System, Online Spray Control & Job Management System.
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SuniTAFE Smart Tech Tractor
Understand the tech at SuniTAFE, which includes a John Deere Smart Tech Tractor.
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Haeuslers Group
Demonstration of the latest John Deere precision farming equipment, showing both a Smart Tech Tractor and a Plant Density Sprayer by Haeuslers, local agents for John Deere precision farming equipment.
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Agg-Tech Machinery
Showing the fully autonomous GUSS (Global Unmanned Spray System) spraying units. A single employee can manage up to eight units from the comfort of a pick-up truck using a laptop control.
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RAMPS engineering R&D team
Demonstration of the latest tractor-mounted dried-fruit cordon cutting system by the RAMPS group at La Trobe.
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SuniTAFE Nursery
The SuniTAFE Nursery facility has recently seen a full refurbishment and maintains best management practices via accreditation through the Nursery Industry Accreditation Scheme Australia (NIASA). The refurbishment includes the recent addition of an automated climate control system, water disinfestation process, and a direct-inject fertigation system. The combination of these systems allows for precision monitoring and efficient management of inputs.
Farm tours
Agriculture Victoria Research’s (AVR) Mildura Smart Farm
Dr Michael Treeby & Dr Zelmari Coetzee
Agriculture Victoria Research’s (AVR) Mildura SmartFarm has been established to improve current management practices and develop future management systems, primarily for almonds. Six experimental plantings - each addressing specific industry-related questions that align with industry’s strategies - cover 16 hectare.
The Mildura Smart Farm tour will provide a brief overview of the experimental plantings and focus on the validation of an autonomous closed-loop irrigation system through the extensive soil moisture sensor network installed in the higher density almond planting.
AVR is also implementing new digital traceability technologies with a focus on unique tree, fruit and nut identification software and services which will be demonstrated during the tour. This research builds on AVR’s Smart Farm tree database and develops systems and services using Application Programming Interfaces (API’s) and is part of Agriculture Victoria’s Traceability & Food to Market programs.
SuniTAFE SMART Farm
Dr Nicole Byrnes
The SuniTAFE SMART Farm, a 30 hectare training and operational farm currently being transformed to face an innovated, automated and technology driven future. The farm is renowned for its high quality output across its eight different crops and is a hub that is transforming horticulture training to SMART farming as we invest in training people in SMART
equipment, technologies and best practice processes. SuniTAFE SMART Farm is host to trials and testing and provides access to cutting edge technologies, innovations and data.
The tour includes a stop at a trial in collaboration with multinational plant nursery, Agromillora of dwarf almond and olive plantings. The exciting innovation allows SuniTAFE to harvest the crop using a winegrape harvester, ensuring an environmental approach to harvesting, as no fruit hits the orchard floor as with traditional harvest methodologies.
The technologies installed have seen SuniTAFE make changes on how they operate and provide students and industry with access to support their adoption and knowledge to SMART farming.