Real world tech testing invaluable for farmers, developers
Cutting-edge primary sector technology from around the globe has a gateway to practical on-farm trials on New Zealand farms, thanks to Agnition’s Farm Innovation Network (FIN).
FIN is part of Ravensdown’s innovation arm, Agnition.
It scouts the world for the latest and greatest innovations, matching them with progressive, forward-thinking farmers who are keen to try out new technology on their farms.
Agnition’s purpose is all about igniting agtech innovation, finding, building and investing in high potential opportunities to solve real world challenges in the agriculture sector.
FIN is a vital piece of the puzzle.
Testing innovations in real world farming environments provides valuable feedback for innovators, as they bring products to market that have the power to transform the way we farm into the future, Agnition CEO Jasper van Halder explains.
“Overseas innovators tell us that this is an amazing ‘red carpet’ to work on a new country market entry.”
What began as the Pilot Farm Network (now FIN), a single webinar testing the concept, quickly struck a chord.
Farmers appreciated the chance to explore new technologies without pressure, while agtech companies gained invaluable insights and access to potential customers.
The first session showed them they were onto something.
Farmers wanted more, industry partners were interested, and it grew from there.
FIN continues to connect global innovators with the right on-farm opportunities, forging partnerships not just across NZ but around the world.
A recent collaboration with Farmers 2 Founders in Australia is enabling startups to launch into NZ with support, while UK partnerships leverage the advantage of counter-seasonal farming for year-round testing.
To date, 17 global agtech innovators have participated in FIN, which has successfully established more than 90 pilot connections.
These innovators represent five of the world’s seven continents, and pilots have spanned a range of NZ’s primary industries, including sheep and beef, dairy, horticulture, forestry and arable.
FIN continues to raise the bar when it comes to bridging the gap between new technology and the real-world challenges farmers face every day.
The latest round of innovations includes Cooling Crops, with patented sprayable powder that cools plants and soils by up to 5.5 degrees Celsius, boosts water retention and restores soil health, helping growers build true climate resilience; and Water to Grow, a tracking system that ensures every drop of water is utilised on-farm.
Previous pilots included Drone-Hand, drone technology that can accurately count and monitor stock, water, pasture and fences; CarbonCrop software that helps people get paid for restoring forests; and Aimer Vision, measuring pasture cover with a smartphone.
Drone-Hand founder and CEO Edward Barraclough says the ability to pilot his technology in NZ through FIN was a fantastic opportunity.
It enabled him to test the waters for potential market adoption in NZ, and see whether it would provide value to NZ farmers in their current methods of farming.
“Farmers were really supportive, keen to be involved and understanding of the fact it was not yet a complete product, but that they were on the journey to help develop and refine with us. That was reassuring and rewarding, and hopefully provided a benefit for both parties.”
Barraclough says the pilot resulted in refinement to the machine learning aspects of the product to improve accuracy, and also user interface.
It provided valuable information about how they could approach training farmers, and the logistics of importing drones and batteries into a foreign country.
He believes cross border collaborations are important, sharing innovations and technology to deliver better outcomes for farmers.
“Food security in the future will mean a lot of innovating in a short space of time. It’s something that’s spoken about a lot here in the Australian agtech community. It’s about collaborative technology and being open to integrate, to provide holistic, total solutions.”