Grain growers in Western Australia will be able to produce more profitable crops and have access to more timely, accurate and relevant information thanks to the new high-tech project supported by the State Government.
According to the media release by Agriculture and Food Minister Ken Baston, the e-Connected Grainbelt project is sure to help identify market opportunities and meet future demand.
As part of the Seizing the Opportunity in Agriculture initiative, $10 million from the State Government’s Royalties for Regions program has been directed to the e-Connected Grainbelt project.
“Smart phones and tablets have become an integral tool for grain growers who rely on them to access valuable weather, scientific and market information to optimise the seasonal conditions, and manage threats to their crops, like pests and diseases,” said Mr Baston.
“The project seeks to establish the e-Connected Grainbelt Network, an open data exchange system to harness and combine a range of information, like paddock records, weather observations, weather forecasts, financial updates and research outcomes. This will help identify future opportunities to adopt new technology to improve and stabilise production and profitability.”
Regional Development Minister Terry Redman believes the Seizing the Opportunity in Agriculture initiative is geared towards helping the agricultural sector meet growing demands and strengthen regional communities where agriculture is a major economic activity.
“I am pleased to see Royalties for Regions funding used to support technological improvements to create sustainable agriculture in regional WA,” Regional Development Minister Terry Redman said.
“Central to the success of these developments is improving mobile telephone coverage in regional WA and improving the capacity of growers so they can access, apply and optimise online information.”
