AN OPEN day will be held at the Loomberah dairy farm that’s part of a national effort to irrigate smarter.
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Rex Tout’s farm, Limestone Park, is the NSW Optimised Dairy Irrigation Farm for the nationwide Smarter Irrigation for Profit Project, which is in its second year.
People in the farming and agribusiness community are invited to check out the changes that have been made on the property, the data and how it was captured, and what gains have been made.
Visitors will also be able to see for themselves how Mr Tout’s stated goal - “making my farm more resilient and profitable primarily using what I already have is important” - has been achieved.
A spokesperson said “there are some great water and energy efficiency findings arising from the project and we would like to see as many producers/ growers there as possible from all industries”.
“The guest speaker from Tasmania, James Hills, is at the forefront of research into optimal water use efficiency, and the local community will learn so much from this coup in getting him to the region.”
The Smarter Irrigation for Profit Project is a partnership between the major irrigation industries of cotton, dairy, rice and sugar.
It aims to implement and evaluate technology that can make farms more profitable by increasing water, energy and labour efficiencies.
The open day will cover the technology put in place, how effective it has been and whether the gains make it worth the investment.
The speakers will include Davey Water Products innovation general manager Joel Gresham; and Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture Dairy Centre senior research fellow James Hills.
Mr Gresham will talk about the pump and remote control technologies installed on the farm, as well as the fertigation trials.
Dr Hills will talk about the use of autonomous irrigation technology with in-paddock variable rate capability using the VARIWise platform.
The project is funded by Dairy Australia and the federal government’s Department of Agriculture and Water Resources, through the Rural R&D for Profit program.
- The open day will be held on May 9 from 10am to 2pm;
- The farm is Limestone Park, 52 Kurrajong Place, Loomberah;
- Morning tea and lunch will be provided, but please bring a chair;
- RSVPs close on May 5 – email Marguerite White at mwhite@icdprojectservices.com.au or call/text on 0447 500 415.