A newly launched NSW Government online farm planning tool has been named a finalist in the prestigious Planning Institute of Australia NSW (PIA NSW) annual industry awards.
Developed by the NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (NSW DPIRD), myFarmPlanner is a finalist in the Awards for Planning Excellence in the category of Technology and Digital Innovation.
myFarmPlanner is a digital pre-lodgement tool for dairy, horticulture, poultry, and agritourism development in NSW.
The tool is part of the NSW Government's plan to strengthen the state's $20 billion agriculture sector and to boost productivity by helping farmers use the latest technology to make practical, cost-effective decisions.
NSW DPIRD Agricultural Landuse Planning Officer Wendy Goodburn, and Manager Digital Transformation Adrian Barr, led the project to develop the platform.
"We're proud to see that myFarmPlanner has been named as a finalist in this year's PIA NSW awards," Ms Goodburn said.
"myFarmPlanner shows what is possible when we design digital services around real farmer needs. We've made it simple for farmers to understand what is possible on their land, saving
them months of confusion and thousands in consultant fees," Mr Barr said.
NSW DPIRD Director Intensive Livestock Industries Alex Russell congratulated the team behind myFarmPlanner on their efforts and the award nomination.
"The news that myFarmPlanner is a finalist in the PIA NSW awards is recognition of how teamwork, innovation and a clear focus of customer needs can deliver effective digital services to benefit the end user, in this case the primary producers of NSW," Mr Russell said.
The tool is designed for dairy, horticultural and poultry farmers who want to invest in new infrastructure to reduce the risks associated with extreme weather events, expand, change, or upgrade existing farm operations, or explore agritourism.
It streamlines the pre-lodgement process by providing farmers with all the information they need to know to lodge a development application, in as little as 15 minutes, using a tailored questionnaire and interactive map.
Under normal circumstances it can take up to 12 months for a farmer to gather the information required to submit a DA, with uncertainty about what information is required being a major source of delay, particularly after a flood, bushfire, or a storm.
By entering farm data individually, producers using the tool can also save money, with the self-service capabilities estimated to eliminate up to $2,000 in consultant fees per application.
The development of the myFarmPlanner platform was jointly funded by the Australian and NSW governments through the Storm and Flood Industry Recovery Program (SFIRP).
The PIA NSW will announce the award winners at a ceremony in Sydney on 19 November 2025.
