Agriculture experts from the Territory recently attended GrowAg, a national summit that brought together 100 of Australian agriculture’s young innovators and leaders.
The aim of the summit held in Albury NSW was to cultivate excellence in agriculture for the future of farming.
GrowAg is supported by the Australian Government Department of Agriculture and Water Resources and the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation.
“It was a real honour to spend three days with such an innovative group,” said Callen Thompson, Senior Extension Agronomist with the NT Department of Primary Industry and Resources (DPIR).
“I was particularly impressed with the innovative ways young leaders have managed to stay in agriculture given the many factors that draw people out of our industry.”
Mr Thompson was joined at the summit by DPIR Technical Officer Teagan Alexander. Both work in the area of agricultural diversification and are based at Katherine Research Station. Shenal Basnayake, CEO of NT Farmers, also represented the Territory at the summit.
Delegates heard from speakers on three themes: entrepreneurship and global agricultural opportunities; technology, innovation and education; and leadership. Delegates also attended breakout sessions to discuss the summit’s themes with their peers and speakers.
One of the key messages was that demand for Australian products will increase as the world’s growing middle class looks for high quality products with a clean and green image. To capitalise on this, Australia needs to ensure that agricultural productivity increases while ensuring traceable products meet specifications.
Participants heard that timeliness, financial management and good agronomy will always be the characteristics of a successful farm business. That said, the summit emphasised the uptake of innovative technology as an important factor in achieving sustainable growth. Artificial intelligence, robots and drones, gene editing, sensors and connectivity of existing and future tools and equipment will play an important role in the future of agriculture.
For more information about the summit go to http://www.rirdc.gov.au/research-programs/rural-people-issues/investing-in-people/growag
Media contact: Darrel Trueman, darrel.trueman@nt.gov.au, 08 8999 2044
Photo attached:
NT participants at the GrowAg Summit
Callen Thompson, Senior Extension Agronomist, NT Department
of Primary Industry and Resources (DPIR)
Teagan Alexander, Technical Officer, DPIR
Shenal Basnayake, CEO, NT Farmers
