BRINGING AGTECH DOWN TO EARTH

Less hype and more real-life will be a focus of this month’s AGTECH24, being held in Emerald.

The event, on 20 and 21 November, is a showcase of the latest innovations and trends at the intersection of agriculture and technology.

Tickets can be purchased at chdc.com.au.

AGTECH24 is hosted by the Central Highlands Development Corporation (CHDC).

“One of the big aims is to cut through all the jargon and sci-fi buzz surrounding agtech to get to the meat and bones of the subject,” CHDC Agribusiness Development Coordinator Jess Davison says.

“We want producers to see how using new technology can be easy and straight-forward, and that it’s simply about saving time and costs, which boosts the bottom line.”

The event will feature a full day of trade displays and panel discussions, which will cover topics such as agtech in action, at Emerald Town Hall.

“Producers who’ve participated in a trial, run by CHDC and QLD’s Department of Agriculture, will be sharing their experiences with the audience,” Ms Davison says.

“It’s going to be a fascinating tell-all – the good, the bad and the ugly – about what it was like using new data management tools on their farms during 2024.”

Day one will end with the Farmers2Founders (F2F) Dinner and Drinks, an exciting first for the AGTECH event series.

“The evening will be like a supercharged networking event for primary producers!” Ms Davison says.

“F2F is bringing a cohort of start-ups and scale-ups from around Australia and the UK to AGTECH24 so the dinner will be a golden opportunity for attendees to link up with those innovators.”

The CQ Smart Cropping Centre, just outside of Emerald, will be the venue for the second day of AGTECH24, featuring live demonstrations of game-changing tech and plain-language explainers of how these solutions can be adopted on farms.

This is the fourth AGTECH event hosted by CHDC since 2017 and the series has arguably become one of the most significant regional innovation and technology events in the nation.

“Previous events have sold out and it’s probably because the program ticks all the boxes for the ag community – hands-on displays, ground-breaking tech in action, light-bulb insights from experts, and simply a fun social break from the farm.”