Presented in collaboration with the Royal Agricultural Society (RAS) and industry partners, the Farm of the Future exhibition will feature advanced agricultural technologies alongside exhibitions showcasing the resilience of rural communities, and ecological and agricultural systems.
Farm of the Future co-creator Sarah Burrows says this year’s pavilion highlights applied technologies at the forefront to improve productivity and maintain healthy farming ecosystems.
“We need to feed a growing population while compensating for diminishing land and water resources. How we negotiate this critical challenge, through better knowledge and connections, is the theme of the 2019 Farm of the Future,” Ms Burrows said.
“Drones, remote sensors, precision technology, genetics and clever connections are changing the lives of farmers and producers across Australia. UNE has long been a pioneer and innovator in this field and we continue to help them lead the way into the future.
“Farm of the Future, like research and learning at UNE, is about the integration of emerging technologies with core agronomic principles to address the needs of industry.”
Visitors will be able to interact extensively with UNE Discovery’s science and research engagement activities, which is embedded throughout the pavilion. Showgoers can also get their hands muddy learning about the science of soils, the use of sensors to measure plant biomass, understanding how water moves through catchments and river systems, and discovering the benefits of bats, beetles, bees and trees to the modern farmer. In addition, visitors can watch worms and plant roots at work underground to assist polluted soils regain productivity.
“The 2019 Farm of the Future is about touching and interacting. We want to give our urban visitors the opportunity to use microscopes to examine soil, to look inside bat boxes, watch dung beetles at work and identify birds that help farmers with pest control, to name just a few things,” Ms Burrows said.
Last year, Farm of the Future won three international awards for its remarkable pavilion, including first place for newly established or evolving program/exhibit which promoted agriculture to the fair-going public, from the International Associations of Fairs and Expositions. It also received the RAS GOLD award for Best Commercial Exhibitor in agriculture and was visited by over 340,000 visitors.
This year’s showcase offers another not-to-be-missed opportunity for visitors to learn about the University of New England’s role as a leading provider of world-standard education and research in agriculture, environment and sustainability.
Visitors can engage UNE researchers on a wide range of copies including:
- Aquatic ecology
- Poultry through the ages - genetics not hormones
- Precision agriculture - drones and satellites, autodrafting and remote sensing
- Q Fever research
- Birds, bats and beneficials – including dung beetles and pollinators
- Natural fibres, wool and cotton
- Native revegetation
- Soils and soil pollution
- Animal behaviour
