California Looks Down Under for Agtech Inspiration
California's agriculture industry is looking to Australia for inspiration on how to leverage agtech innovation. In a recent blog post, California Department of Food and Agriculture Secretary Karen Ross shared her observations from a trade mission to Queensland, Australia's largest agricultural state.
Ross noted that Queensland is investing heavily in agtech, with the Sowing the Seeds of Farming Innovation Fund providing a 30-million Australian dollar investment for commercially focused agricultural innovation. This approach caught her attention and could potentially be applied to California.
The mission also gave Ross a firsthand look at various technologies being used on farms, including electric weeders and automated farm transport systems. However, she acknowledged that implementing automation can be challenging due to different soils and climates.
Ross highlighted the potential for continued collaboration between California and Australia in agricultural innovation, seeing mutual benefits from sharing knowledge and expertise.