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THE DIGITAL REVOLUTION
Getting ahead by farming SMART If you’re keeping an eye on emerging technology in agriculture, a good place to look would be Armidale, in the New South Wales Northern Tablelands. Here, the University of New England’s SMART Farm is applying cutting edge technology to agriculture.
WRITTEN BY: KEIRON COSTELLO
The SMART (Sustainable, Manageable, Accessible Rural Technologies) Farm is a commercial farm and a research station on a 2,900 hectare property just outside Armidale. Predominantly a grazing operation, the farm supports a flock of roughly 7,000 sheep and a small number of cattle. A farm manager and livestock manager are the only full-time employees, supported by two part-time technicians and an array of casuals and shearing and fencing contractors. The farm fulfils a double role, its research equally of interest to the agricultural industry and the university sector. Overseen by Professor David Lamb – the head of the UNE’s Precision Agriculture Research Group – the SMART Farm exists to introduce, de-
velop and test farm technology that will benefit the industry. At the same time, it is being used to educate farmers and agribusiness professionals of the future to use and develop cutting edge technology. Key to this is the $2 million SMART Farm Innovation Centre, which opened in March 2015 and operates as a technological and educational hub for UNE. Up to 200 students a year pass through the centre, and not just those studying agriculture: students from science, mathematics, business and education degrees are visiting the centre to learn about the technology being used. “First and foremost, the UNE SMART Farm is about research and education,” says David. “Research gives
