Making the most of digital technology in farming is the focus of an upcoming Grower Group Forum, hosted by the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development.
The one-day, interactive conference, ‘Getting value from farm data networks’, will be held on Tuesday 12 December at Bentley Technology Park in Perth.
Department eConnected Grainbelt project manager Darren Gibbon said the forum would highlight the next phase for the use of farm data in decision making.
“It will also look at the functionality and practicality of data storage, sharing and ownership,” he said.
The morning session will consist of four high calibre industry speakers discussing pertinent topics including farm data cooperatives and the role for grower groups, along with data ownership and sharing.
Speakers include: Chris Sounness, Chief Executive Officer, Birchip Cropping Group; Brad Plunkett, Senior Economist, DPIRD; Associate Professor Leanne Wiseman, Griffith University, QLD; and Mike Ridout, Leader, Food Agility Cooperative Research Centre (CRC), Curtin University, Bentley.
A full panel question and answer consultation session will complete the morning’s activities.
The afternoon will include a closed session specifically designed for grower group program participants of the project.
The eConnected Grainbelt project’s Open Information Ecosystem team leader Tim Maling said the project provided an introduction for WA’s grain growers to the use of data in decision making through digital decision tools and data networks.
“This information sharing gives farmers increased opportunities to make better informed decisions, and can lead to improved farm profitability and sustainability,” Mr Maling said.