Where else would you launch a farming revolution but Macarthur.
That’s exactly what our innovation Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull did on Saturday when he visited the Elizabeth Macarthur Agricultural Institute in Menangle.
Mr Turnbull, accompanied by the federal member for Macarthur, Russell Matheson and defence minister Marise Payne, chose the birth of Australian farming to announce three new digital initiatives in conjunction with the National Farmers’ Federation that will revolutionise the agriculture sector.
The three key elements of the initiative are: Sprout—a mechanism to identify, foster and promote the best new ideas in the food and agribusiness arena; an online platform providing a single source for farmers’ most valued information; and a Digital Agriculture Service that will turn vast amounts of data into high performance farm management.
“Macarthur is the birthplace of Australian agriculture, and the innovative and pioneering spirit that made our region famous is epitomised by this bold new plan,” said Russell Matheson after the Prime Minister’s announcement.
“The National Farmers’ Federation anticipates that agriculture in Australia can grow to be our next $100 billion industry by 2030, and thanks to the NBN, our farmers will soon be better connected than ever and will be able to seize the benefits of connectivity,” Mr Matheson said.
“Demand for high quality Australian produce is surging in key export markets, particularly on our doorstep in Asia. The opportunities have never been greater, but farmers must continue to innovate and adopt new technologies to remain globally competitive.
[social_quote duplicate=”no” align=”default”]“The Turnbull Government understands that the agenda of innovation is absolutely critical to every industry. These three new digital initiatives will enable Australian farmers to flourish in a culture of enterprise and innovation as the industry enters a new growth phase.”[/social_quote]
