Farmers take up technology to aid operation

Farming across the country has become more reliant on precision technology in a bid to streamline their operations.

According to a News Limited report, an example of this new way of doing business is dairy farming, where the owners and operators use data to feed each of their cattle to their own specific requirements. This is based on the cow's individual body weight and lactation period so that they get the best out of their dairy operation.

This is one way that farmers are utilising specific data that is collected and then the farmer can make decisions based on intuition and experimentation to maximise their productivity.

Another way that modern technologies can be used is through varying irrigation and fertiliser, as well as nutrients to improve the quality of growth in any specific section of land.

At the Australasian Dairy Science Symposium, the Weekly Daily Times Now reported that a senior scientist with DairyNZ, Jenny Jago, said just under a fifth of Australian farmers had taken on electronic identification compared with just five per cent of New Zealanders.

Dr Jago researched the take-up rate, along with the benefits and risks of adopting this new technology. She found that the reason behind more Aussie farmers embracing this is because of the different feeding systems - New Zealanders feed a lot less grain.

Rotary dairy farmers took up precision dairy technology more than any other farmers, according to Dr Jago's survey of over 300 agricultural professionals in 2008-09.

Her research found that dairy farmers were taking up technology that simply made the process easier, like automatic drafts and cup removers.

She said the instigator for this trend was because farmers are undertaking larger operations with bigger herds and more land than ever before.

Dr Jago found hesitancy among some farmers regarding the implementation of technology, citing a lack of trust as a reason.

If utilising this technology has made your operation run more smoothly and you're prepared to expand further, talk to Charlie Maher with Ray White Livestock New South Wales about how he can assist with any aspect of rural real estate. His experience and knowledge will make sure that your foray into the market will be a successful one.