A partnership signed with CSIRO will see the latest digital technology, including drones and long-range sensing, applied to Australian agriculture.

Through a series of projects to be rolled out in coming months, the two organisations will develop data-driven solutions for more efficient and sustainable farming.

The partnership will draw on CSIRO’s expertise in data science research and engineering, and proven track record of agricultural innovation. Combined with Ruralco's on-ground network, the partnership offers potential to deliver new digital solutions to farmers throughout the country.

The joint areas of focus for CSIRO and Ruralco will include:

• Exploring the potential of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), or drones in long-range livestock detection to improve muster effectiveness
• Nutrient and fertiliser management in areas of high conservation value, such as the Great Barrier Reef
• The development of long-range sensing to automate and streamline operations, including water management, livestock safety and security
• Adaptation of geospatial tools to provide an interface between Ruralco customers and their advisers, making use of real time data for improved decision making and planning.

Travis Dillon, CEO and Managing Director of Ruralco said he was delighted to be working with CSIRO to improve farm practices and better manage the environment.

"Drone technology is facilitating data-driven decision making in agriculture. Farmers can better analyse issues which affect productivity and sustainability such as: effective nutrient delivery; plant growth; and combat bio-security issues such as invasive species and pest infestation.

"Ruralco is well positioned to deliver innovative technology through our 600 national outlets," Mr Dillon said.

Adrian Turner, CEO of CSIRO's data innovation group Data61, said that his team has deep, globally recognised capability in robotics, remote sensing and data analytics.

"This partnership is an example of us teaming up with Australian industry to help them capitalise on the next computing cycle, at the intersection of data and domains like agriculture."

"Our work in cyber physical systems, machine learning and analytics, software and computational systems and decision sciences will all play a role. Our technologies are capable of storing and distributing data efficiently and reliably over long distances. More importantly, we are helping to make remote sensing accurate, robust, secure and trusted.

Digital Agriculture lead with CSIRO, Dave Henry said he was looking forward to working with Ruralco on furthering digital agriculture to support the continued growth of Australian agribusiness through becoming more productive, profitable and sustainable into the future.

"It's early days with the use of drones in agriculture and this partnership with Ruralco will allow us to explore and quantify those situations where the use of drones will aid farmer decision-making in livestock and cropping," said Dr Henry.

Meanwhile, Ruralco has also announced an innovation partnership with Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) that will see the organisations refine new approaches to monitoring and maintaining pasture and herds through aerial drones. 

Announcing the partnership at the MLA BeefUp event in Nebo, Queensland, the new project, delivered by MLA Donor Company will engage directly with producers to develop an aerial drone strategy for the benefit of the red meat and livestock industry. 

The project will also map the current use of aerial drones and identify the future development needs around how aerial drones can be used more effectively on-farm.

MLA and Ruralco Queensland are reaching out locally to engage producers in the discussion around research and development to drive beneficial outcomes for producers and their businesses.  The collaboration will focus on developing Australian-specific insights and unique algorithms for livestock producers with Ruralco’s partner PrecisionHawk, the leading drone, data collection and analytics company in the United States. 

Initially running for 12 months, the project will engage with producers and rural communities through a series of hands-on demonstrations showing the current capabilities of aerial drone technologies.