National Horticulture Roadshow makes stop in Warragul

This week the National Horticulture Roadshow saw an event being delivered in Warragul, Victoria. Organized by Protected Cropping Australia (PCA) and supported by the NFF Horticulture Council. This event was funded by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. PCA's Project Manager Tony Bundock was the master of ceremonies for the event.

Jane's Weather:
Melbourne Channel 7 TV presenter and meteorologist Jane Bunn unveiled an AI forecasting program tailored for specific locations. The program can integrate with 'on farm' weather stations providing a highly detailed weather forecast for farmers and growers. Jane was able to demonstrate the 'live' system to the audience and show exactly how growers can interact with the program

Jane Bunn

X Drones
Russell Green showcased how drones can be utilized to apply shade paint to greenhouse structures, as well as being able to spray broad acre areas with herbicides and insecticides all to a high precision level of application. Russel comes from an aviation background and was formally a Jetstar Captain, and he is now using his aviation skills to develop his drone business.

Russell Green

Global Farms:
Brad Ward, shared insights on marketing fresh produce through a dedicated internet platform called Global Farms, designed to connect farmers to global opportunities. The platform allows an interaction between farmers and buyers and is helping smaller growers develop new markets for produce. The program is available for free and can be expanded to include a number of additional features on a very economical fee-for-service basis. Details can be found at https://globalfarms.com.

Brad Ward

Denso:
Alastair Delooze introduced a range of emerging technologies that are currently revolutionizing protected cropping. Alastair highlighted a number of initiatives that Denso is working on which include vertical farming and a wide range of robotic initiatives.

Alastair Deloozie

The formal part of the event wrapped up with an exciting live drone demonstration of the shade material application process using the X-Drone sprayer.

The X Drone in action