A Roy Morgan survey of Australian farmers with a special focus on AgTech (Agricultural Technology) reveals that 89 per cent of Australian farmers have used, or would consider using, AgTech.
Farm management software, which ranges from paddock mapping to animal genetics, feed inventory, water monitoring, and even biosecurity planning, is the leading form of AgTech for Australian farmers, followed by eID tags (electronic ID tags), which enable individual animal identification via a microchip, usually in the animal’s ear, that can be read using scanning devices.
In third place is satellite technology which provides farmers with detailed information on crop performance and soil variability among other data, followed by precision farming which builds on the information provided by satellite technology to guide precision ploughing, seeding, and fertilising for optimal productivity.
Drones are the fifth most used AgTech, which is being used in monitoring, followed by remote sensors, which gather a myriad of farm data and can be simply controlled from a smartphone.
The survey also noted the top benefits of AgTech as shared by the farmers. These include less wastage, the ability to diagnose issues remotely, reduced labour, better understanding of new opportunities and solutions, more accurate and better record keeping, the ability to closely monitor large areas, better livestock management, increased profitability, and reduced input costs.
Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine said that AgTech is transforming the farming experience like never before with the proliferation of new technologies driving time and cost savings for Australian farmers all around the country:
“[The] Roy Morgan Farmer Agricultural Technology Survey this year shows that Australian farmers are amongst the world’s most ‘tech savvy’,” Levine shared. “In fact, over seven in ten farmers (72 per cent) are currently using AgTech to drive time and cost savings in their businesses and reaping the benefits offered by the array of new technologies that are increasingly coming onto the market.”
In spite of the benefits of AgTech though, 66 per cent of farmers have shared that the high cost involved in acquiring AgTech has been a major barrier. Lack of knowledge about AgTech and its capabilities are cited by 37 per cent, while 36 per cent of farmers mentioned ‘poor connectivity’ to the Internet and telephone networks as a barrier to adoption. Meanwhile, 23 per cent said that they have “no need for it” an19 per cent believe there is only a “low benefit” to adopting AgTech.
Other barriers to the use of AgTech mentioned by farmers include “too much regulation” (13 per cent), “I don’t trust technology” (seven per cent), “there have not been any barriers” (five per cent) and just being “time poor” (three per cent).
“There are still barriers to adoption for many farmers that should be understood when considering how to drive greater uptake of these varying technologies, including among those farmers who have yet to take the step and adopt AgTech,” Levine commented. “What is interesting to consider is that although ‘high cost’ is considered a barrier to adoption, cost savings are considered one of the main benefits for farmers who have taken the step and adopted AgTech.
“There is surely a way to ‘thread the needle’ here and find a way to reduce the entry costs to be able to reap the benefits of the technology post-adoption,” Levine added. “Businesses at the leading edge of AgTech may require a more targeted approach to reaching out to these farmers to find out what challenges they face and how the latest technologies could assist the growth of their business.”
