How Agricultural Technology is Seeding Success for Australian Growers

Agricultural technology is almost an 87 billion-dollar-a-year industry and Australia is on a mission to lift it to 100 billion dollars a year by 2030. With such big numbers at play and so many farmers and growers implanting agricultural technology into their operations, now is the time to consider how technology and high-tech farming practices could benefit you.

What does high-tech farming look like?

There are many ways that agricultural technology can be used in growing operations. It could involve precisely monitoring and managing fields using GPS, satellite and drone footage or more complex technologies like utilising biotechnology to facilitate the development of crops with enhanced nutritional value or tolerance to harsh environmental conditions.

With more than 2500 agritech and food tech enterprises, Australia is fast emerging as a hub for the next generation of technologies set to revolutionise the agrifood sector.

How can fruit growers benefit from agricultural technologies?

You don’t need to look back very far to see that we need to make farming and growing more resilient to climate shocks and unpredictable weather patterns. Considerations such as more efficient use of water, fertilisers and chemicals also have an impact on keeping food affordable and operations profitable. We need agricultural innovation more than ever.

Luckily trailblazers, like GP Graders are responding.

gpVision technology allows fruit to be accurately graded and sorted (allowing growers to obtain premium export prices for even more fruit) and to save on labour. Exit Manager technology increases accuracy and provides the flexibility to pack and change carton sizes as required. It’s technology that saves time, and money and makes sense to growers who face increasing pressure to remain profitable and deliver fruit to a demanding market.

So, what’s holding us back?

Lack of skills was the most reported impediment to implementing technology in a survey conducted by the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources. Cost and availability of useful new technologies were also considerations.

As fruit growers, remote tech support, on-the-ground support and easy access to parts are an advantage to those implementing grading solutions with GP Graders. Additionally, the graders are easily upgraded, with additional lanes and gpVision able to be implemented to existing machinery as operations expand or cash flow allows.

It’s not a case of being all in, but finding sensible, practical solutions that improve your growing operation where you are today and where you see yourself in the future.

Clean, green and clever

With the Australian Food and Grocery Council reporting that we export around 70% of the food we produce, Australia’s reputation for clean, green, and safe produce makes us a sought-after market for exports. With the implementation of the right technology and strategy, we can add cleverness to the mix too.

Want to learn more about agricultural technology and fruit growing? We’d love to talk tech with you.