Tractor, harvester IT comes of age
Over the last halfdecade, digital technology has appeared to be the “must-have” for tractor and machinery companies, who believe that bringing IT to tractors and farming will offer its customers huge benefits.
TOO MANY information technology students are overlooking the technological needs and opportunities of the primary sector, even though career prospects are high and the potential for new discoveries with scientific and commercial value considerable.
While I don’t dismiss the value of IT in fields such as gaming or design, I worry about the possibility of an unfavourable distribution of students choosing educational programmes in these areas at the expense of advancing IT in the primary sector, especially considering the commercial relevance and importance of the land-based industries to New Zealand.
Although there is much scope for technological advances in farming, it’s also important to realise that the primary sector is much broader than this. It also involves areas such as supply chain management, environmental management, geographic information systems (GIS) and even accounting. It’s a multifaceted, multibillion dollar industry. As such, it’s an exciting time for primary industry IT.
As well as setting up the new department to put greater emphasis on IT for the land-based industries, recent qualifications reforms have seen Lincoln introduce an agritech major to its bachelor of science degree, a GIS and environmental informatics major to its bachelor of environment and society, and an information technology major to its bachelor of commerce.
Technological advances include the increasing use of mobile phone apps in precision agriculture, such as through the optimisation of irrigation systems.
There are many interrelated science and business considerations on the average farm, which means many commercial decisions of consequence have to be made regularly. This translates into opportunities in IT for optimising farm operations and the wider primary sector. More grads are needed to capitalise on the growing potential.
• Stuart Charters is head of department at Lincoln University’s newly established department of informatics and enabling technologies.
South Waikato farm manager Ben Purua’s amazing transformation from gang life to milking cows was rewarded with the Ahuwhenua Young Maori Farmer award last night.
Bankers have been making record profits in the last few years, but those aren’t the only records they’ve been breaking, says Federated Farmers vice president Richard McIntyre.
The 2023-24 season has been a roller coaster ride for Waikato dairy farmers, according to Federated Farmers dairy section chair, Mathew Zonderop.
Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) director general Ray Smith says job cuts announced this morning will not impact the way the Ministry is organised or merge business units.
Scales Corporation is acquiring a number of orchard assets from Bostock Group.
Family and solidarity shone through at the 75 years of Ferdon sale in Otorohanga last month.