#Agriculture innovation

Harriet Mellish’s daughters are too young to understand the concept of an event – instead she tells them she’s off to a show. And she’s not wrong; building a successful event requires a production element, it needs to engage the audience and spotlight a talented cast.
Here, the General Manager, Global Innovation Networks, AgriFutures Australia, shares what she’s learned from attending several agrifood tech and innovation events in four continents over the past year – and why there are aspirations for the AgriFutures evoke^AG. 2025 program to be the greatest ‘show’ of all.

It tastes questionable and comes in a smaller can than Coke, even though it’s double the price. Yet last year Red Bull made close to USD$11 billion. Why? Because its founder didn’t ask the question, “What is the market for this product today?” Rather, it was created for an imagined future in an entirely new market category. Dan Schultz, agribusiness psychotherapist, shares why in agribusiness today, we need to ensure that we are asking ourselves and our customers the right questions.

Circus vet. Pecan farmer. Research manager. Inaugural CEO of the CRC for Irrigation Futures. And now, Co-Founder of a vertically integrated beef business, co-owner of a macadamia orchard developer, and director of a grain supply business.

Diverse as these occupations might seem – one thread runs through Matthew Durack’s varied career: the quest for transformation. Here, the Queensland allrounder shares learnings from his 30+ year journey. Including why past experience is no predictor of future success.

As a teenager at boarding school in Perth, Matt Haggerty clearly remembers having ‘lots of arguments’ about why his family’s system of farming in Western Australia’s (WA) Central Wheatbelt was a viable alternative to conventional methods. Today, he’s devoting his time to learning about, and practicing, Natural Intelligence Farming, and educating customers about the system’s benefits.

Dan Schultz, agribusiness psychotherapist, shares why he believes much of what we have in agriculture today can be compared to the open-concept office – boring and ineffective. Is it just a market filled with a lot of “something” that no-one thought to ask whether it was worth making in the first place? And how do we ensure we stand out, rather than fading into obscurity?

So, you’ve identified that you have a smart new idea in the agritech space, and you want legal protection to stop others ‘trespassing on your territory’. Chris Bird, Principal, FPA Patent Attorneys breaks down the patent application process and how to protect your agritech innovation through a patent.

This week we bring you our evoke^AG. 2024 series with Dr Terri Janke and Darryl Lyons joining our contributor Jayne Cuddihy in conversation to explore Cultural IP.

Nearly one in ten Australian workers switched jobs in the past 12 months – the highest rate in a decade. And nearly two-thirds swapped their industry over their occupation, according to Australian Bureau of Statistics data. Someone who’s made the switch is Olympic swimmer and gold medallist, Giaan Rooney. TV presenter, media identity – and now a macadamia farmer.
The self-confessed ‘outsider coming into the ag world’ shares how she’s put down roots on a macadamia farm in Northern New South Wales.

Sam Lambert went from starting a new graduate job in global consulting in March 2020, excitedly unwrapping a new work phone and laptop, (like Christmas for adults, he recalls) to completely changing his career direction when lockdown sparked endless hours of curious contemplation.

It started over a crackly phone call with poor reception, but a partnership between two Australian farm-founded startups, Optiweigh and Agscent, is on a mission to deliver clear results for cattle producers, helping them measure their methane emissions in a pasture environment.

Guy Coleman, 29, is the youngest of three, equipping him with the innate ability to share everything perfectly evenly. A self-confessed geek, obsessed with agriculture who grew up dreaming of getting a Clauss Lexion harvester for his birthday (spoiler: it never happened). He’s also an advocate for building on the foundations to get agtech back to the fundamentals of farmer and community driven innovation.

Recipe: take a generous serving of a thriving and open local ecosystem. Add a hefty dash of a community hungry for innovation and solutions. Mix with passionate, open-minded people. What have you got? Queensland – the ideal place to host AgriFutures evoke^AG. 2025 – and the perfect platform for Queensland organisations and innovators to now consider how they would like to be involved.