Wimmera farmers can view the latest broadacre farming technologies on their doorstep from 2021.
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Skillinvest chief executive Darren Webster and GWMWater managing director Mark Williams signed the agreement for the AgTech Innovation, Development and Extension Demonstration of Agricultural Technology Applications Farm project in Horsham on Tuesday.
The project will see a 1000-hectare demonstration farm, which will test and analyse new technologies, developed at Longerenong College.
The state government committed $2.5 million to the project in October 2018. Mr Webster said the project could now commence.
"There is about $1 million of in-kind funding in there from project partners that will push the total investment up to around $3.5 million," he said.
"We will start purchasing the equipment over the next 18 months. From 2021, there will be a technology farm out at Longerenong including machinery, sensors and weather stations where students will be able to learn about technology as part of their course.
"But also, as importantly, farmers and corporates can actually come in and have a look and feel to see what technology can do to help them.
"Research and development in agricultural technologies has increased substantially in recent years, but the uptake of that is certainly not going up at the same rate. The data farm will be trying to encourage that uptake."
Mark Williams said GWMWater would auspice the arrangement.
"We're providing project governance and technology support, so our ICT people, particularly Brendan Nitschke, will be heavily involved," he said.
"We want to give (farmers) a leg up in precision agriculture. Technology allows you to be more precise in the way you farm, so you're effectively getting better alignments of your soil profiles and the like, so you can get greater value for your input costs effectively."
The data farm was a key priority of the Wimmera Southern Mallee Regional Partnership, while the Wimmera Development Association and Birchip Cropping Group helped develop the project.
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Alexander Darling
Alexander has been a member of the Wimmera Mail-Times' editorial team since December 2018, covering politics, business and property among other rounds. He is a passionate St.Kilda and rock and roll fan, and has previously worked as a radio reporter in Port Macquarie and Gosford, NSW.
Alexander has been a member of the Wimmera Mail-Times' editorial team since December 2018, covering politics, business and property among other rounds. He is a passionate St.Kilda and rock and roll fan, and has previously worked as a radio reporter in Port Macquarie and Gosford, NSW.
