Holbrook Landcare Network to host AgTech Expo

Producers will have the chance to get ‘hands on’ with the latest and most exciting technologies that are likely to enter the grazing industry when Holbrook Landcare Network (HLN) holds an AgTech Expo on February 13. The expo will be held at Little Billabong Hall and will include displays of current and future agricultural technologies such as water solutions, agricultural drones, agricultural data analytics and animal management. Because of the heat, the event will begin at 8am. This means that attendees will be able to see what’s new in agriculture, have a look at connectivity solutions, meet industry experts, and try to determine if these technologies can help improve the running of their farming operations. A number of companies will be present on the day to exhibit their products, including Agscent, Black Box Co., Cibo Labs, CSBP DecipherAg, Datamars, Delta Ag-Precision Ag Solutions, Farmbot, Gallagher, Habitat Drones & Environmental Services, Mobble, Murray Local Land Services and Zetifi. These different exhibitors will provide the attendees with a broad perspective of the AgTech sector and its implications for their farming activities. The AgTech Expo is a free event just off the Hume Highway with food and drink vendors available on site, making it an accessible and enjoyable day out for everyone. ”At Holbrook Landcare Network, we try to offer such opportunities so that members of the farming community and ourselves can stay current with the new information and technology that can assist in the management of our livestock, pastures, and natural resources,” HLN CEO Dr Alison Southwell said. ’Our upcoming Ag-Tech Expo is a chance to do this.’ Optiweigh is going to be one of the headliners of the expo to showcase its in-paddock weighing system. This technology allows farmers to weigh their cattle easily, doing away with the costly and time-consuming yard work. The Optiweigh system is very portable and can be installed in less than a minute. The cattle are then lured onto the platform with an attractant, and their weight is automatically taken and sent to the cloud. This information can be accessed in any device and help the farmer know the weight of his herd in real time. With its sophisticated design and ease of use, Optiweigh is changing the way farmers manage their livestock. Tom Hicks and his family own Hicks Beef at ‘Annandayle South’ Holbrook and use Optiweigh as part of their farming. They are beef Composite and Red Angus Seed Stock producers renowned for their common sense in the use of technology in their business to improve weight gain, genetics, and carcass quality. 41. ‘If we are giving supplementary feeding at this time of the year, I really want to make sure that we are ending up with an optimal weight gain, and not just the maximum weight gain,’ said HLN member Mr Hicks. It was the ADG (Average Daily Gains) mainly for me. “It (Optiweigh) does give a bit of a graph of average weight, to make sure we’re on target,” he said. “We do sell a lot of yearling bulls, so we really need to make sure they are 450-500 kilos in the spring.” Agscent, an Australian-owned company that has come up with a nanotechnology diagnostic product that uses animal breath to determine pregnancy, disease, and methane emissions will also be present at the expo. Optiweigh and Agscent have a strong partnership and they can now offer the combined Agscent X Optiweigh unit. This delivers a accurate, simple and effective way of determining not only the weight of the animal but also the amount of methane produced by each animal. If you want to know more about these great innovations, Darren Price (Agscent’s COO) will be a guest speaker at HLN’s Beef Dinner that will be held in Holbrook the night before the AgTech expo. Tickets for the dinner can be purchased here. The AgTech Expo is a live event which will allow you to meet the exhibitors and see the products and services offered first-hand, and get a idea of where the industry is heading. Get involved with industry leaders, researchers, and other experienced farmers to gain practical and useful knowledge about the application of AgTech in your daily farming activities. Learn about new solutions and technologies that can help you improve the effectiveness of your farming, increase your production, and decrease your costs. Share ideas and stories with other farmers in the area, and learn from their best practices and lessons learned. When you attend the AgTech Expo, you are helping to support HLN’s mission to advance sustainable agriculture and strengthen the rural economy. HLN takes a lot of pleasure in inviting all farmers, those who are already into technology, and those who are only starting to use it, to the expo to learn about the new innovations that can change the future of their farms. We really appreciate your registrations and we ask that you please register HERE. If you have any questions about this upcoming event, please feel free to contact Steph Cowley at 0467 025 777.