College Agtech edge
Longerenong College is primed to take another profound leap forward, this time through cuttingedge technological development and innovation.
The agricultural training institution, which has already undergone considerable growth in the past five years, has the financial go-ahead to develop a $3.6-million agricultural-technology demonstration farm.
The State Government will provide $2.5-million for the Demonstration of Agricultural Technology Applications – DATA – farm project at the college.
Agriculture industry backers will provide the balance for the project, which will establish the college’s 1000-hectare farm, in concentrating on grain production, as the only one of its type in Australia.
An ecstatic college general manager John Goldsmith said the college farm would become fully digitalised, providing a physical training ground for students and a space where farmers could gain insight into the use of latest agricultural technology.
“This is enormous – one of the major steps forward for the college in our history,” he said.
“It means we will have new stateof-the-art equipment across the farm.
“Everything will have sensors, there will be drones, the latest gadgets – you name it. We will have products that won’t even be available commercially.
“It will be cutting edge. Importantly, students and farmers will be able to touch and feel it all, to see it in action and see how it all works. We can’t underestimate what it means. There is nowhere else in Australia that has a data farm that focuses purely on grain production.”
The project has developed as part of a partnership involving Wimmera Development Association, Longerenong College, Skillinvest, which operates the college, Birchip Cropping Group and Gwmwater.
Developing ‘Agtech’ in the region was a key priority identified by a Wimmera Southern Mallee Regional Partnership.
Mr Goldsmith said partnership leaders David Jochinke and Emma Vogel had been key advocates in helping win government funding.
“This is guaranteed money and David and Emma did an enormous amount of lobbying work,” he said. “For this to come up as a concept in regional partnerships discussions and to now have it happening shows the process was more than a talkfest. We have a real outcome.
“We will need additional specialist staff and after we have contracts in place we will start farm development early next year.”
Mr Goldsmith said a major benefit in developing a DATA farm would be strengthening the college’s ability to attract more international students to study in the region.
“It ties in beautifully. We’re going to be offering something that is unique in Australia,” he said.
The funding comes on top of $578,000 of State Government money for stage one of a new Agriculture Technology Innovation Development – AGTIDE – program for the college earlier this year.
Agriculture Minister Jaala Pulford confirmed latest details as part of a broad agricultural announcement during a visit to the college yesterday.
Ms Pulford announced $20-million in funding for the government’s new Victorian Agriculture Skills Statement: Smarter, Safer Farms.
Smarter, Safer Farms involves a $10-million investment into farm safety and wellbeing projects and also features a $10-million skills program, targeted at training to build capability in financial literacy, risk management, farm planning and adaptation to climate change.