The award winning Farm of the Future Pavilion is back, bigger and better than ever at the 2019 Sydney Royal Show.
Presented by the University of New England (UNE), the Royal Agricultural Society (RAS) and industry partners, Farm of the Future will build on the success of 2018 in showcasing cutting edge technology, alongside the resilience of people, ecological and agricultural systems.
Farm of the Future co-creator Sarah Burrows said modern farmers need a blend of new and old - and UNE will showcase cutting edge technologies.
"We need to feed a growing population and compensate for diminishing land and water resources," Ms Burrows said.
"How we negotiate this critical challenge through better knowledge and connections will be the theme of the 2019 Farm of the Future.
"Drones, remote sensors, precision technology, genetics and clever connections are changing the lives of farmers and producers across Australia.
"Farm of the Future, like research and learning at UNE, is about the integration of emerging technologies with core agronomic principles to address the needs of industry.
UNE Discovery will encourage visitors to interact with research and concepts again this year, helping younger showgoers get their hands muddy as they learn about the science of soils, use sensors to measure plant biomass, understand how water moves through catchments and river systems, and discover the benefits of bats, beetles, bees and trees to the modern farmer.
Visitors can watch worms and plant roots at work underground, where they assist polluted soils regain productivity.
"The 2019 Farm of the Future will be very hands on and interactive to give our urban visitors the opportunity to use microscopes to examine soil, look inside bat boxes, watch dung beetles at work and identify birds that help farmers, just to name a few things," Ms Burrows said.
Visitors to the site can talk to UNE's researchers and experts across a wide range of topics including:
- aquatic ecology;
- poultry through the ages - genetics not hormones;
- precision agriculture, drones and satellites, auto-drafting and remote sensing;
- Q Fever research;
- birds, bats and beneficials - including dung beetles and pollinators;
- natural fibres, wool and cotton;
- native re-vegetation
- soils and soil pollution; and
- animal behaviour.
In 2018 the activation was visited by over 340,000 people and received the Gold Award for best Commercial Exhibitor in Agriculture.
