The Farms of the Future program aims to facilitate tech-enabled production and monitoring through improved connectivity and installation of sensor equipment which support increased productivity, competitiveness, job creation and sustainable use of resources in the selected agricultural sectors: Cotton, Livestock (Sheep & Beef), Grains and Horticultural (tree crops and vines).
The Farms of the Future program has two core streams of investment:
- Extension and Capacity Building: the development and roll-out of a multifaceted education and capacity building campaign aimed at building farmer and supplier knowledge of the benefits and use of technology in agriculture.
- Grants: the provision of grants for farmers in target Local Government Areas (LGAS) to establish connectivity and incentivise Agtech device uptake and de-risk investment.
The program has 11 target local government areas (LGAs) in rural and regional NSW.
They include;
- Carrathool, Griffith and Leeton
- Armidale
- Moree Plains and Narrabri
- Orange and Cabonne
- Ballina, Byron and Lismore
Training Program
The Farms of the Future team is running a full program of "Monitoring your farm with Agtech" training sessions across the targeted LGAs. Please follow the link below to view the key dates and locations.
Training Dates and Locations: https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/dpi/climate/digital-agriculture/farms-of-the-future/agtech-training-program
Our team has developed a one-day training workshop with Tocal College, one of Australia’s leading providers in specialised training for agriculture and rural industries. The FoTF training is essential for producers to see first-hand the benefits of Agtech before considering how it can be best implemented on-farm.
Farmers will learn about different Agtech devices and connectivity options and how Agtech can assist them to make informed business decisions, enhance on farm safety, save time and labour costs and improve productivity.
In addition, the training session will:
- Help farmers define the specific needs for their farm operation.
- Explain the steps required to select appropriate Agtech devices and connectivity solutions for their farm.
- Assist farmers in developing a plan to purchase, install and use Agtech on their farm.
Farmers will walk away from the training with new skills and knowledge so they can prepare a digital installation plan for their farm. Importantly, this one-day training program is a prerequisite course for the Farms of the Future grants program which will be released in 2023.
Grants Program
Grants will be open for to eligible primary producers in the 11 local government area from January 2023. The grant eligibility guidelines are in final approval, with full details to be announced soon.
Government Support
The NSW Government has committed $48 million to the expanded Farms of the Future program, which is part of the Regional Digital Connectivity program, and funded by the $4.2 billion Snowy Hydro Legacy Fund.
The program is being delivered by the NSW Department of Primary Industries.
The FoTF program is part of the NSW Government’s Future Ready Regions strategy, that lays out the government’s plans to support and work with regional communities, farmers and industries, enabling them to become more self-reliant and better prepared for the impacts of future drought events and other economic and environmental events.
Keeping up to date
If you are interested in the program we strongly encourage you to register your details by clicking here, so that you will receive updates on future events and project activities.