Digital ag team manager Brooke Sauer and assistant Alice Clark have been announced as finalists in the Prime Super Agricultural Innovation Award as part of the 2017 NSW/ACT Regional Achievement and Community Awards.

The awards are designed to encourage, acknowledge and reward the valuable contributions individuals, communities and businesses are making throughout regional and rural NSW and the ACT.

The Agricultural Innovation Award recognises those who demonstrate a spirit of innovation through their application of technology or process improvement to enhance production and increase efficiency, maximising returns along the value chain, particularly where that value flows back to the primary producer.

McGregor Gourlay’s digital ag team in Moree was developed in response to a recognition that their customers were overwhelmed and under-prepared for the digital revolution.

The team helps customers embrace the technology and deliver customised digital solutions in their own enterprises and the wider agricultural community.

Ms Sauer said it’s not so much the technology they’re using, such as drones, that’s innovative but the way they’re utilising the technology available to address current issues farmers are facing.

She said they’re using drones to capture data which is turned into a decision-making tool.

“If growers have got an issue on-farm then we’re utlising drones to see if we can capture the relevant information to address the issue,” Ms Sauer said.

“We interpret the data and it can be acted on straight away.

“We go that extra step – we say, ‘here’s the information, this is what it means, this is how we use it and now you have the information to make a better, more informed decision’.

“Our approach is to sit down with the farmer and see where an opportunity may exist to improve efficiency and profitability.”

Ms Sauer said both her and Alice were “chuffed” to have been nominated for this award.

“It’s really nice recognition of all our hard work we’re doing with our clients,” she said.

“It’s recognition for the long hours and out-of-hours work that we do; sitting on a header helping people, uploading data until 2am, flying drones on the weekend because that’s when wind is more favourable.

“It just shows we’ve got the right approach – recognising there’s a huge amount of technology and innovation going on in agriculture but very few people are making use of it because they don’t know how or what to do with it.”

The winners of the Regional Achievement and Community Awards will be announced at a gala presentation dinner at Newcastle on Friday, November 10.

Category winners will be presented a trophy and $2,500.