V.DIG.0017 - Carwoola Digital Pilot - Post 12-month device installation review - from the Hype to the Happening

Summary

In October and November 2018, Meat & Livestock Australia Ltd partnered with Carwoola Pastoral Company Pty Ltd to provide a four property ovine and bovine (with fodder crops) location for global solution providers to demonstrate their digital livestock solutions.

Twelve months on, some devices are providing value to CPC, others are still under evaluation, and some have been removed.

Of the 150 global solution providers invited to participate, fewer than 20 took up the challenge. This highlights the disparity between what Australian producers are seeing in the media compared with what they can actually purchase. This report focuses on the evaluation of the devices which have been installed.

Objectives

The appointment of an experienced hands-on professional business farm manager to:

(1) Drive MLA’s precision/digital agriculture program.
(2) Co-develop and co-deliver MLA’s pending graduate program.
(3) Provide a long history of successful Australian farm management knowledge into other MLA program areas and pending strategy developments.

Key findings

This project has achieved its three main objectives and CPC has agreed to continue to work with MLA in this area under a Carwoola Stage 2 pilot.

Benefits to industry

Deploying a ... from the Hype to the Happening pilot has demonstrated that what producers are seeing in the media is far from what is a commercial reality.

Some digital livestock business devices are commercially ready now and can provide a return on investment to a producer depending on both their business and their life values.

Having commercially operated locations for solution providers to install, demonstrate and evaluate their offerings is an important part of the innovation chain, for them and future end users (aka producers).

MLA action

MLA has continued the Smart Farm program of work through a second Carwoola pilot and and another demonstration partnership at Romani Pastoral Co. Rural Price Management hac continued to be a valuable resource and consultant at both Smart Farms.

Future research

Preferred model for MLA to demonstrate ag-tech will be considered in collaboration with other providers (such as unis) who are also exploring research based Smart Farms. The trigger from 'bringing to life' and ground truthing various ag-tech and data solutions will depend on the market's capacity to accelerate digital agricultural as a means to drive productivity.