The Andrews Labor Government is helping Victorian farmers adopt new digital technologies to become more innovative and sustainable on their farms.
Parliamentary Secretary for Regional Victoria Danielle Green was in Denison today to visit a Gippsland dairy farm and see first-hand the innovative technology being used as part of Victoria's On-Farm Internet of Things (IoT) Trial run by Agriculture Victoria.
The trial began in 2020 and has provided two rounds of grants, which aim to support the uptake of IoT on Victorian farms and test the benefits of the technologies across horticulture, sheep, dairy and broadacre cropping.
Anderlea Pastoral Company is a multi-generational dairy farm and was awarded $29,520 under Round One of the trial. The funding has supported the company to invest in irrigation automation technology to help manage the farm's irrigation schedule and use water resources more efficiently.
Victoria's On-Farm IoT Trial is an important step in driving the uptake of digital technology in the agriculture sector, giving farmers the opportunity to experience different types of technology available in the market to make their businesses more efficient, productive and resilient.
Farmers involved in the trial have invested in a range of technologies including soil moisture probes, weather stations, collars for tracking and monitoring livestock health, automated irrigation devices and technology to monitor levels in silos, fuel or water tanks.
More than 300 horticulture, sheep, dairy and cropping farms have been awarded grants across regional Victoria including in Wellington, Buloke, Loddon, Moira and the City of Greater Shepparton.
The On-Farm IoT Trial is part of the Labor Government's Connecting Victoria initiative, which ensures regional communities are staying digitally connected. National Narrowband Network Co. (NNNCo) is partnering with Agriculture Victoria to deliver IoT network connectivity for the trial.
For further information about Victoria's On-Farm IoT Trial visit agriculture.vic.gov.au/digitalag
As stated by Parliamentary Secretary for Regional Victoria Danielle Green
"Digital technology has huge potential to make farming more productive and sustainable and it's great to see so many Victorian farmers adopting new technologies to improve farm performance."
As stated by Member for Eastern Victoria Jane Garrett
"The IoT trial is addressing a key barrier to the uptake of digital technology on Victorian farmers - this will be a game changer for our regional communities to have access to reliable connectivity."
