The PMA Fresh Connections Conference in Auckland recently brought together 1100 participants in the horticulture industry from New Zealand, Australia, and further afield. There was plenty of opportunity to listen to speakers such as Fonterra’s director, business transformation, Phil Turner and catch up on what was new and now potentially possible.
Robotics was to the fore with Australian research showcased which involved driverless vehicles collecting orchard information ranging from flower numbers and pollination percentages to final fruit size, and stage of ripeness. Graphed over a number of seasons, this could give growers all the information required to easily identify their best performing trees and gauge the effect of climate, spray programmes, or other management variables.
Dairying is no slouch when it comes to use of robotics, with research programmes and commercial operators providing a number of different solutions. But yet, most farmers and their staff are readying themselves for their most physically draining time of year, calving. As our special report, The Next Generation, on pages 50-69 details, there’s much value in keeping systems simple and repeatable in order that the human element is as consistent as possible.
But wouldn’t it be great if there was a way to reduce those long hours while still ensuring high survival rates and then well-grown calves entering the national herd year after year?
Learning never stops and taking advantage of examples all around you is the best way to make sure some lightbulb moment isn’t missed.
Glenys Christian
