Farmers flock to Melbourne to uncover what’s next in agrifood tech
Have you got your evokeAG. tickets yet? evokeAG. 2020 is set to be another sell-out event and we’ve spoken to some primary producers who are attending. This is what they said ...
How can you increase your outputs with less inputs? Will our farmers of the future need a degree in robotics? How can we uncover the value in by-products?
Farmers from across Australia are landing in Melbourne next month for evokeAG., the Asia Pacific’s premier agrifood tech event.
Andrew Taylor, a macadamia farmer from Clunes in the northern rivers region of NSW, said along with the networking, he is most looking forward to learning the latest in regenerative farming.
“We were originally aiming to be an organic certified farm but that didn’t work out commercially so farming in a regenerative manner is a step closer to these goals. I want to learn from the experts on how to farm in dryer conditions and I also want to uncover what’s new in soil carbon improvement practices.”
Andrew will join more than 100 other farmers from Australia and New Zealand at the Royal Exhibition Building in Melbourne for two days of discovery and revelation. More than 70 national and international speakers will take to the stage, sharing their knowledge and stories; from remote sensing technology, consumer-driven markets, biofuels, regenerative farming and more.
On Day 1 of the Program, primary producers will learn from the trailblazers of international markets. Dhruv Deepak Saxena, Founder of Riverina Oils and a major supplier of canola oil to Asia, the United States and New Zealand will join Monica Chetty from Pardoo Beef and Jane Bennett from TasFoods for a revealing insight in how to produce premium products for a global market.
It’s a session Anne Mansell, a Mildura citrus grower and CEO of Dried Fruits Australia is eager to attend.
“Dried Fruits Australia represent 300 growers of dried grapes and our aim is to increase our production by 10,000 tons in the next 5-10 years. Learning how to increase our outputs with less inputs as well as move into new markets will be essential for us.
“evokeAG. provides our community with a future-focussed high level of thinking. It’s what we need to be exposed to so that we can reach our goals.”
Other farm-focussed program highlights include the Elders Platinum Partner Masterclass where Bruce Creek and Michael Wilkes will share their insights on how livestock farmers can adopt precision technologies to optimise their production efficiencies. On Day 2 of the program, farmers Mark Mortimer, Brad Jones and Sue Middleton will share how the tech they are using on-farm has become a vital part of their business.
Deniliquin producers Leanne, Geoff and Joshua Small are eager to learn from other farmers in the room on the technology they are adopting on farm, and innovative farming methods.
“Farmers are very practical and hand’s on and we like to see and hear for ourselves what others are doing and how it’s working for them,” Leanne Small said.
“There’s a lack of water where we are so understanding better crops to grow and how to use less water is also key for us,” said Geoff Small.
For its second year, evokeAG. is projecting to be a sell-out event. Discounted tickets are available for primary producers. For more information about the program, speakers and how to buy a two-day delegate pass, visit www.evokeag.com