Sub sections:

Precision Agriculture Research Group

Background

The Precision Agriculture Research Group (PARG) is a multi-disciplinary team of academic, research and technical staff engaged in the development and application of sensors and practices in precision agriculture. The group, initially formed in 2002, runs numerous externally-funded research projects involving organizations as diverse as Cooperative Research Centres for Spatial Information (CRCSI) and Irrigation Futures (CRC-IF), Grape & Wine Research & Development Corporation (GWRDC), Australian Coal Association Research Program (ACARP) and Beltana Highwall Mining. PARG is well equipped with some of the latest (including newly developed) sensors and global positioning systems (GPS) for conducting fieldwork.

People

Core Group Members

Prof David Lamb - Group Leader
Dr Mark Trotter - Research Fellow - Precision Agriculture (CRCSI)
Ms Emma Garraway - Research Fellow - Carbon Landscapes (CRCSI)
Mr Derek Schneider - Technical Officer - Precision Agriculture (CRCSI)

Mr Craig Birchall - Agronomy and Soil Science UNE
Mr Ron Bradbury - Physics and Electronics UNE
Ms Susanna Greig - Primary Industry Centre for Science Education UNE
Dr Chris Guppy - Agronomy and Soil Science UNE
Prof Geoff Hinch - Animal Science UNE
Dr Paul Kwan - Computing Science UNE
A/Prof Patrick Lenders - Computing Science UNE
Dr Peter Lockwood - Agronomy and Soil Science UNE

Honorary Academic Associates

Dr Paul Frazier (Eco Logical Australia)
Dr Bilal Hossain (UNE)

Contact: parg@une.edu.au

NEWS FLASH!! - UNE PARG Plays Key Role in CRC Bid Success

Land management includes both public and private lands, and PA has a major role to play in issues of soil health and land-use from the perspective of biomass and carbon. It is not surprising that our state land management agencies are taking more interest in what PA has to offer. A recent successful bid to extend the CRC for Spatial Information (CRCSI) for another 8 years ($32.2M, 2010-2018) was built, in part, on the Commonwealth and CRC partners recognising the value of PA in this context. This CRC will provide a much-needed boost to addressing major national issues like the need for networked CORS (continuously operating reference stations) and sustainable farmscapes. UNE-PARG, along with state government land agencies, SME’s and 4 of Australia’s top ten Corporate farmers will play a lead role in Biomass Business, a large demonstrator program within the CRC. Biomass Business aims to develop spatial-based tools to drive on-farm improvements in water, fertiliser and pasture utilisation; improvements necessary to maintain and improve the profitability and sustainability of agricultural businesses, while maximising the synergies between production and environmental accountability. Providers of PA tools and services will also benefit from this long-term investment in R&D.

NEWS FLASH!! - UNE PARG Hosts PA Symposium

The Precision Agriculture Research Group hosted the 13^th Symposium on Precision Agriculture in Australasia in September 2009. The event was conducted over two days at The University of New England, Armidale and consisted of a precision agriculture (PA) tools demonstration, an animal tracking workshop and the core symposium as two half day sessions.The symposium showcased local PA experts as well as some international experts, particularly the two keynote speakers; Professor Ke Wang (Zhejiang University) from China who spoke on precision nutrient management in China supported by remote sensing and Emeritus Professor Jim Schepers (University of Nebraska, USDA-ARS) from the USA who spoke on managing nitrogen with active sensors. There was strong participation from both industry and research with other speakers discussing a broad range of topics including; PA sensor development and deployment, advances in global positioning technologies, international applications of PA and farm level uptake and utilisation of PA. The level of participation at the PA tools demonstration, despite the unrelenting Armidale south easterly at the field site, was a highlight with attendees impressed by the variety of instruments which were on display, some for the first time ever, and how they were being utilised. The specialised group of animal tracking enthusiasts that attended the animal tracking workshop not only got a chance to hear about the work being performed by fellow researchers but also took the opportunity to discuss future collaboration in the area. Overall the organising committee has received very positive feedback from attendees. The annual symposium is an important event promoting PA development and adoption in Australasia and maintains a strong research, industry and grower network. Proceedings can be downloaded from the link at the bottom of this page.

Postgraduate Students

Phoebe Barnes - Agronomy and Soil Science UNE
Peter Clark - Physics and Electronics UNE
Paul Coop - CRC for Irrigation Futures
Brooke Sauer - Cotton Catchment and Communities CRC
Michael Schaefer - Physics and Electronics UNE
Lee Taylor - Animal Science UNE
Michael Whelan - CRC for Sheep Industry Innovation

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