Farm size is only getting bigger, and in fact it has doubled in the past 30 years in Australia. The pressures on farmers and agronomists today also means that getting across the vast amount of country to check for issues such as weeds, pests, and diseases is becoming increasingly difficult – made even worse by the lack of people. Some corporates have field sizes in excess of 2000ha – how on earth can we manage that area effectively? Coupled with this is the fact that yield varies by around 300% in every paddock, meaning we can produce a lot more grain and more profit, but we are limiting the potential. We keep treating all parts of the paddock the same. Rates of seed, fertiliser and chemical are applied at the same rate irrespective of this huge variation.

Technology is the only logical answer to help solve these challenges! In what he calls Digital Agronomy, Tim Neale’s DataFarming operation uses sensors and technology to keep track of what’s going on. Machinery data, satellite imagery, yield monitors, variable rate, moisture and temperature sensors, protein loggers, and automated drones are some of the technologies making managing crops easier and more effective.