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Sustainable, but profitable agriculture is the future of farming in Australia, with some of the world’s most-innovative thinkers coming to a conference and free expo in Melbourne next year.
Nick Seymour, a farmer from western Victoria. Credit: Adam Johnstone Photography
FutureAg, powered by AGRITECHNICA, Australia’s International Agricultural Exhibition and Conference.
Long before it was a priority for many farmers, Nick Seymour was focused on the sustainability of his property.
Just 19 years old, he was working on a cattle farm with his mum in western Victoria, when salinity started impacting their property. Years after the land had been cleared for use for agriculture, the water table was rising. It impacted his family’s property to such an extreme extent that 30 per cent of it became unusable.
Mr Seymour and his mother knew action needed to be taken, so embarked on a mass tree planting effort, aiming to grow 100,000 new trees on their land to keep it sustainable for decades to come.
“It just completely transformed the landscape,” he said. “I mean, it was the 1990s and people were saying it was a stupid idea, but back then you didn’t talk about climate things so much.”
He explained that while the project has provided long-term biodiversity in the region, back then they were focused on a solution for the rising water table that was threatening to impact more of their property.
“Whenever I go back now there are all these mature trees and there’s virtually no salinity,” Mr Seymour said. “It’s amazing.”
HOW AG TECH CAN IMPROVE LAND AND PROFITS
He said it was early experiences like this that pushed him to develop agtech solutions that will have the double benefit of improving the sustainability of a property, but also save farmers money.
“The second decent thing I’ve done in my life (after planting the trees) is invent this thing called the Water Rat, which is put in a trough (for cattle),” Mr Seymour said.
He explained the product remotely detects the water level of a trough, and sends a farmer a message if it got too low.
Mr Seymour said the reality in modern farming is that a product like the Water Rat is vital, as it often isn’t possible to hire enough staff to be physically present at the property full time.
“We had someone tell us that they were hoping to go away for the weekend, but they got an alert on their phone saying there was no water in the trough,” he said.
“When they checked it, they realised the windmill had broken and there were 200 cows standing around a trough.”
By looking at the bigger picture, farmers can use ag tech to look at carrying fewer, but higher-quality animals.
Without the technology, the impact could have been disastrous for the cattle.
He said the product helped establish his company Farmo, an ag tech organisation he hopes can enable farmers to work in more sustainable ways, without cutting their profits.
“If you look at farming holistically, we have to change our management practices,” Mr Seymour said, giving the example of rotational grazing.
“We know rotational grazing is best for the soil, but it can be risky. But if we can monitor water supply 24/7, we can support this practice which is better for the environment.”
He said by looking at the bigger picture, farmers can use ag tech to look at carrying fewer, but higher-quality animals.
“We’ve got to be open to all solutions,” Mr Seymour said.
“One of the simplest solutions right now is if we can increase the price of beef by 20 per cent, we can reduce emissions by 20 per cent by reducing that percentage of cattle.
“At the end of the day, farmers have to make an income that is relative to the amount of work they are doing. If they can make that income off 80 cows rather than 100 because the price is 20 per cent higher, they are happy.”
Nick Seymour holding his invention, Water Rat. Credit: Adam Johnstone Photography
LEARN FROM INNOVATIVE AGRICULTURAL THINKERS
It’s a way of thinking that more farmers are starting to adopt, explained Natalie Green, the event program manager of FutureAg powered by AgriTechnica 2024.
The largest metro based international agricultural trade event in Australia, FutureAg will bring together farmers and agribusiness decision makers from across the world, with cutting-edge technology, machinery and ideas designed to push forward the future of farming.
Ms Green explained the underlying theme for the conference is “the innovation needed to achieve both environmental and business sustainability,” adding topics discussed will include energy, supply chains, biosecurity, smart farms, innovative machinery, and the humans connecting the industry.
Innovative organisations such as Farmo will be exhibiting at the event, with those attending able to learn directly from leading thinkers, and get access to the latest technologies.
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The event includes a free trade show at the Melbourne Showgrounds, with attendees able to watch expert presentations. On top of this is a two-day conference “with the industry’s most cutting-edge minds,” Ms Green said.
“FutureAg will address the here and now of agriculture,” she added.
“While it’s going to be highlighting the latest and greatest, at its core are the opportunities and challenges that producers in this country face right now.”
She said sustainability is key to almost every aspect of this, pointing out that farmers don’t need to compromise on their profits to improve environmental practices.
“Every innovative technology and practice (in agriculture) has a link to environmental sustainability, because farmers have both a responsibility and an incentive to make their practices more sustainable,” Ms Green said.
Register today at futureagexpo.com.au, April 17-19, 2024 at Melbourne Showgrounds.
