68 | Technology offers strong support Agritech farmer checks pasture with device. Virginia Wright RURAL SERVICES » Agritech NZ As CEO of AgriTechNZ Brendan O’Connell works in the space where technology meets agriculture and he’s thoroughly convinced of the potential for the one to add considerable value to the other. Whether it’s through labour saving technology, such as automated cup removers and drafting systems, or automated data collection through the milking shed or on the cows themselves, he believes technology offers strong and easily accessible support for the informed decision-making that is central to successful farming. “People talk about the idea that ‘you can’t manage what you don’t measure’ so using technology for data collection is a really valuable tool for helping to manage individuals and groups of cows in that sense.” AgriTechNZ isn’t just about dairy farming, its role is to connect and promote agritech as a sector, supporting companies that enable dairy and other farmers or growers in New Zealand to improve their productivity and sustainability practices. AgriTechNZ is also focussed on promoting export opportunities for New Zealand agritech technologies to create new value for New Zealand. An upcoming trip to Ireland meets that brief head-on. AgriTechNZ is a membership driven Non-Government Organisation (NGO) with over 160 members including technology companies, early start-ups, established businesses, research groups, investor groups and government groups. Like New Zealand, Ireland and the UK are grappling with the interface between regulatory mechanisms and the need for agritech solutions for the sustainable advancement of agriculture and the environment. AgriTechNZ are hosting a small group of individuals representing a cross-section of public and private interests who are interested in collaborating with their Irish and UK counterparts to find solutions to increasingly pressing concerns. United by the specific goal of looking at what technologies and solutions are being applied to livestock emissions, as well as soil health and management, the entities already signed up include groups like Overseer, AgriZeroNZ, (a joint venture with the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment and various large Agribusinesses looking to invest in methane reduction), Agrisea, CH4 Global and Lincoln Agritech to name a few. The group includes a mix of publicly and privately funded researchers; investors, some private and some joint ventures between private and public, as well as companies who are private. “For me it’s more about what they do though,” says Brendan. “Researching, investment and innovation. We know as farmers and growers you are passionate about the land! Give us a call about any help you need on the farm! Here at Landpro, we are passionate about helping farmers and growers to make the most of their land, with Planning, Environmental, Survey, GIS, Aerial Survey and Farm Environmental expertise to suit your needs. Landpro are proud to walk alongside Agritech NZ. I’m delighted and think it’s really important that we have that type of ecosystem mix. In the Agritech Industry Transformation Plan (ITP) we say that because we’re a small country with limited resources we have to work really well together so bringing those different types of groups together becomes really important.” As Brendan explains, having the tools and options for emissions reduction is a key challenge facing the industry and farmers, and currently they don’t have them. “That’s the same problem in Ireland and the UK where they’ve got livestock systems and where they’ve also got emissions reduction pathways, and they’re looking at getting the right tools and technologies into farmers hands at the right price. So we’re getting together to make the most of the really good existing connections and collaborations between New Zealand and Ireland and England and we’re going to expand on those relationships and work to find solutions across that research, investment and innovation space.” For example good science based research into bio-stimulants such as seaweeds and what they can bring to soil health is being done in both New Zealand and Ireland. This trip offers the opportunity for collaboration on the research as well as with the commercial interests who might take the eventual product out to the market. “Things on farm need to be proven over seasons of change in a way that’s scientifically valid across a large number of farms, and that requires investment. One way to accelerate that is through counter-seasonal collaborations such as can be done between New Zealand and Ireland, where
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