Agribusiness Digital Solutions Grants Scheme

Title: Accelerating the adoption of real time localised microclimate monitoring in Macadamia orchards and digital data for decision making.

Overview: This project, in partnership with David Instruments and Wildeye, allows the installation of weather stations, in-canopy sensors and soil moisture probes across growing regions in Queensland. These Regions include the Glasshouse Mountains, Gympie, Bundaberg and Rockhampton. The project supports Queensland’s macadamia industry to increase the use of digital tools across member businesses. It includes education and up-skilling and access to digital dashboards. This will support growers to accelerate the adoption of AgTech, use real-time data on localised microclimate growing conditions to increase efficiency and quality of production and improve operational decision making.

Funding received: $58,620 ex GST
Total project value: $118,960

Title: Accelerating the adoption of digital technology on Queensland prawn farms.

Overview: This project will build digital capacity within the Queensland prawn farming industry and attract new workforce participants. It will accelerate the adoption of new technologies and digital systems across the supply chain. The project will evolve over three phases: Construction of a Prawn Skills Digital Training Hub to provide the prawn farming industry access to education and training in digital skills and knowledge required to accelerate the adoption of current and emerging technologies. Develop training materials to support building the digital literacy of the Queensland prawn farming industry. Face-to-face and online delivery of the training materials, with industry-wide learning to build digital capabilities across the supply chain.

Funding received: $200,000 ex GST
Total project value: $405,292

Title: Digital activity monitoring to provide better animal health management systems for dairy.

Overview: Engaging at least 10 Queensland dairy businesses to implement and trial digital herd management systems.

The project sites will also be used as producer demonstration sites to share the knowledge, outcomes, experiences and learnings with the wider industry and community.

The project:

• encourages producers to invest in cow monitoring equipment supporting regional jobs
• enhances the adoption and trialling of activity meters across the dairy industry through conducting trials of the technology
• improves animal health and welfare by 24-hour monitoring capability
• drives on-farm efficiencies
• enhances the digital skills and capabilities through providing regional digital training workshops and field day events
• raises awareness about digital technologies removing stereotypes/barriers caused by poor reception, unreliable data and signal strengths and improve demand for regional digital technology services and regional employment in digital servicing.

Funding received: $200,000 ex GST
Total project value: $646,880

Title: Environmental Network Sensor Project

Overview: This project develops and adopts an Internet of Things network of sensors and integrates it with the industry’s standard platform. Training on data analytics and decision-making will also be provided for at least 45 oyster growers.

This will provide valuable data to the Queensland oyster industry resulting in more informed husbandry decision-making, improvements in the timing of harvesting and valuable information for food-safety, quality-assurance programs. Additionally, it will provide publicly available datasets for researchers, other fisheries in Queensland, and recreational fishers to build and maintain the seafood and tourism industries.

The project:

• installs a network of sensors to collect environmental data
• integrates datasets with the existing industry platform
• delivers training sessions for the oyster industry in the access, interpretation and business applications of data analytics and digital decision-making tools
• produces awareness campaigns to affiliated industries and researchers in the access and use of publicly available datasets.

Funding received: $44,416 ex GST
Total project value: $156,472

Title: From big data to big decisions - creating an Internet of Things (IoT) platform for all with an accessible data dashboard for grower-led digital solutions.

Overview: This project encourages growers across the Wide Bay Region to explore data and how it can support day-to-day business operations.

It provides growers with a a dashboard platform. IoT is a system of interrelated devices, computing, and digital means to transfer data independently over networks. For example, applications that record data and provide you with reports about what has been achieved.

This initiative supports Queensland’s horticulture industry to explore digital solutions to benefit their business, accelerate the adoption of AgTech and drive efficiencies.

It aims to increase crop productivity, reduce production costs, reduce environmental impacts and increase the financial sustainability of commercial horticultural producers.

This project:

• delivers a grower-focused dashboard platform accessible by agribusinesses in the Wide Bay Region
• demonstrates an integrated blockchain paddock to plate system to support product traceability
• trials on-farm traceability technology
• provides extension services through the delivery of workshops, case study material and supported videos.

Funding received: $158,672 ex GST
Total project value: $330,998

Title: The digital future of direct to customer food supply chains - led by industry for industry.

Overview: The development of a tailored digital solution for a food industry, direct-to-consumer model within the Scenic Rim region.

The digital automation of the current food distribution centre system will improve supply chain efficiencies and enable growth in new and existing markets for the recipient’s community of more than fifty food suppliers. This growth will increase supplier resilience and responsiveness to events such as COVID-19 that have disrupted traditional supply chains.

The project:

• provides a fully automated sustainable food distribution centre system
• enhances digital skills for suppliers and transitioning them to an always on ordering system
• digitises paper-based processes
• improves data management between distribution centres and suppliers
• allows industry-led knowledge sharing for agribusiness.

Funding received: $102,000 ex GST
Total project value: $207,000

Title: Digital solution to workplace health and safety in agriculture.

Overview: This project enhances the existing Safe Station™ work health and safety (WHS) technology established in 2017 by developing an app-based platform.

The app helps agricultural property owners and operators meet WHS responsibilities and make workplaces safer.

Safe Station can be customised for each business and provides a detailed understanding of what employer and business owner obligations are under the Workplace Health & Safety Act 2011 and other legislation.

Funding received: $38,500 ex GST
Total project value: $78,000

Title: Persimmon Weekly Market Report - a digital solution for market intelligence.

Overview: A sustainable and a cost-effective dashboard for data collection, analysis and reporting for the persimmon industry. This project supports growers in north Queensland, Sunshine Coast, South Burnett and Great Dividing Range, Lockyer Valley and the Granit Belt.

This initiative uses digital solutions to enhance the final development, trialling and adoption of a digital, online market intelligence and supply data collation and exchange system.

Developed by producers, this system will inform and direct activities around supply-to-market, packaging and price negotiations. This will allow growth to existing market opportunities, increase responsiveness to market disruptions and improve resilience.

Funding received: $42,800 ex GST
Total project value: $85,600

Title: Smart Agriculture.

Overview: Queensland Farmers Federation (QFF) has teamed up with Enzen Australia (Enzen) and National Narrowband Network Company (NNNCo) to create a Centre of Excellence for Internet of Things (IoT) digital farming.

The project uses two farms in South East Queensland as demonstration sites.

The project will deliver a LoRaWAN network, rolling out relevant applications (using smart meters and a range of IoT sensors).

The technology is associated with environment sensing, energy and water management, asset tracking and stock and feed lot monitoring. LoRaWAN provide long range and bi-directional communications using low power consumption. The technology wirelessly connects devices to the internet and manages communication between end-node devices and network gateways.

Data as a service will be provided to farmers and in-depth data analytics used to identify end-to-end business improvement opportunities.

Funding received: $200,000 ex GST
Total project value: $400,000