GRDC grower relations manager – north, Rebecca Raymond, Agribusiness Connect Agtech and Logistics Hub manager Owen Williams and GRDC business development manager Tim Spencer.
A CROWD of more than 150 gathered at the GRDC GroundUp Showcase in Toowoomba’s Agtech and Logistics Hub last Thursday to explore cutting-edge technologies aimed at tackling challenges in the grains industry.
Taking part in the event were 16 exhibitors, including nine who recently completed the GroundUp accelerator program, a 12-week course focused on helping start-ups fast-track the development of their businesses.
Participants included: Bio10; Birdsol; FarmSimple; InFarm, MADE; Metagen; Seed 2 Diesel; SKAN Farming Logistics, and Walco Seed Cleaning.
The program was delivered by AgriBusiness Connect’s Agtech and Logistics Hub, in conjunction with the Grains Research and Development Corporation.
Agtech Logistics Hub manager Owen Williams said the technologies aimed to help growers achieve key goals, such as to grow crops in a more efficient and environmentally friendly way, and with the ability to trace the produce from farm to retail.
He said technologies featuring elements of artificial intelligence and biotechnology played a key role in many of the participants of the GroundUp program.
“Farmers are looking to grow crops more efficiently but also more environmentally and then once they do that, they need to be able to show traceability to the consumer,” Mr Williams said.
“Consumers are more aware today than what they have ever been…and they want to know that their produce has some from a good place and a safe place.
“A lot of the technology we are seeing…feeds into those platforms.”
Program participant Kurt Walter, from Walco Seed Cleaning at Halbury in South Australia’s Mid North, showcased a technology which uses AI to increase the efficiency and accuracy of grain assessments.
The device, named the Grain Detective, combines Mr Walter’s over 20 years of experience with seed-cleaning and assessing with AI technology developed by Adelaide-based business GoMicro.
Mr Walter said the device drastically cuts the time needed to assess grain, and provides a more accurate average by assessing larger quantities of the load.
Walco Seed Cleaning’s chief executive officer Kurt Walter and Sean Reynolds Massey-Reed from University of Queensland.
“It is essentially doing high-speed video assessing on a visual level and having the ability to sample the majority of a truckload or a bunker,” Mr Walter said.
“What we do in seconds could take a human 40 minutes to do properly.”
He said the company was calling for potential investors and fellow agribusinesses keen to trial the device.
Mr Walter said while he was experienced in running an established business, he was new to developing a start-up company.
He said the GroundUp accelerator program gave him insights into new topics tailored to a start-up operation, such as legal requirements, marketing and investment.
“We had a different topic every week…some weeks were mind-blowing.
“It was enough to keep everything moving and I could absorb every bit of information and had time to process it.”
In its second year, the program focused on accelerating technologies which benefited growers producing grains, pulses and oilseeds.
GRDC grower relations manager north Rebecca Raymond said enabling growers to have access to new technologies would help the industry adapt and grow.
“We know farming is changing; there are and will continue to be different opportunities and challenges that our growers face when it comes to managing warming soils, different and sporadic rainfall, changing consumer preferences, pressure to reduce emissions, changes to acceptable chemical use, social license, and the list goes on,” Ms Raymond said.
“We need to predict what future farmers need to be able to manage and plan for these challenges and use evidence-based research to begin that work now.”
Biotech, skills academy ambitions
Alongside the showcase, Mr Williams updated the audience on AgriBusiness Connect’s work to progress plans for a biotechnology factory and R&D facility, as well as a national future-skills academy.
He said the biotechnology factory and R&D facility would develop and manufacture crop inputs that would replace the currently available synthetic products.
“Biotechnology is the fundamental science based around algae, microbes and botany and the combination of the three,” Mr Williams said.
“We take molecules and extracts from those and formulate chemistry that solves challenges, whether that be insects, fungus, bionutrients.”
With Queensland Government support, AgriBusiness Connect has commissioned a third party to complete a business plan on the proposal.
Mr Williams said the company was engaging with agribusinesses from agricultural chemical suppliers and retailers to growers and researchers.
“Europe and America are way ahead of where we are, so we can use some of that as learnings so we can minimise the mistakes and build a world-class facility.”
He said the initial plans were to start with a crop and plant-protection solutions for broadacre, horticulture and pasture crops.
It is currently anticipated that the facility would be based at Wellcamp, west of Toowoomba.
Mr Williams said work was further progressed on the proposed national future skills academy with BDO recently finishing a business case.
He said the report had “come back really favourable” and had highlighted where the gaps were in the current system.
“We had universities, TAFE, schools and private educators give feedback into it, and importantly, we had industry and agribusinesses give feedback.
“It’s highlighted where the core academia is being supplied and where this massive gap is that’s starting to have an effect on lack of adoption of technology and lack of…opportunity to take their businesses to the next level.”
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Seed 2 Diesel’s Johnny Wapstra with Jason Huggins from the Queensland Government’s Department of Agriculture and Fisheries.
Airborn Insight director Loren Otto and Cherrp CEO John Kapeleris.
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Liam Scanlan from Hindsite and Border Grain Fumigation’s Simon Gillece.
Australian Mungbean Association executive officer David Pietsch and Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation director of institute operations Michael O’Shea.
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