A MAJOR North Queensland vegetable grower has shown off how it is embracing robot technology.
Vee Jay's Kalfresh, Bowen, showcased its on-farm adoption of the robotic farming platform, Robotti, to more than 40 attendees at an industry field day in October.
Guests saw firsthand how the technology is changing farming practices.
The Robotti team gave a live demonstration, a question and answer session, plus a hands-on experience.
It's the first time in Australia the autonomous farming system has been adapted for use in horticulture, in this case sweet corn and beans.
It has interchangeable attachments which can be used with tynes for tilling to prepare soil, as a planter to sow seed, and as an inter-row sprayer for weed control.
In one example, Vee Jay's Kalfresh used Robotti to plant a 1.7 hectare paddock of organic sweet corn autonomously.
The farming operation has been trialling Robotti with support from Braeden Hellmuth at Farm Concepts.
The event showed how Vee Jay's Kalfresh was utilising the autonomous vehicle throughout the winter production season, providing attendees with information on cost, benefits, challenges and future opportunities of the technology.
The project was developed through collaboration by government, industry and business receiving Queensland Government funding through the Queensland Reef Water Quality Program and through Hort Innovation, using the vegetable research and development levy and contributions from the Australian Government, in collaboration with the Bowen Gumlu Growers Association, Ausveg, Vee Jay's Kalfresh and Farm Concepts.
A statement from the Bowen Gumlu Growers Association said it was proud to have played a role in the project, continuing its advocacy toward the adoption of advanced agricultural technology.
"This technology holds great promise in enhancing productivity and sustainability within the industry," the BGGA statement said.
"We eagerly anticipate future collaborations that will continue to shape the future of farming in Australia."
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