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When it comes to Australian agriculture, ‘The North’ surely has to be one of the most exciting regions when it comes to developing new opportunities. From Northern WA and the NT to Northern Queensland, farming in Northern Australia, our ‘Last Frontier’ is not for the faint of heart. Witnessing the emergence of a cotton industry around Kunnunnurra, Katherine and Julia Creek shows the extent of the opportunities but, at the same time, also the unprecedented challenges that growers face in the North.
Having been intimately involved in the establishment of the cotton industry in the North through my work at Bayer I knew of the trials and tribulations. But, because I’m now working with this same group of growers through INCYT, I can also clearly see the technologies that are available to help mitigate some of these challenges. Extreme weather conditions, soil constraints and the general drawbacks of being remote are not easy to overcome but, by being able to measure in-field conditions accurately, it becomes easier to work around or with these constraints, and grow the best possible crops under those conditions.
INCYT equipment is already installed on a number of different stations across the North and the feedback we’ve gotten from our clients on giving them visibility at a level that they’ve never had before, has been very positive. From weather stations, rain gauges and soil moisture probes to asset trackers, diesel tank level monitors and cameras; they all have unique advantages that help growers optimise their operations every day.
What our clients in the North tell us is that, if you don’t have cellphone reception on 90% of your station, it becomes critical to work with equipment that doesn’t need cellphone signal to work. If you work across enormous distances, it becomes critical to know the exact weather conditions on the different parts of your station so you can accurately plan your work. If it’s a 600KM roundtrip to get to town to have something fixed, it becomes critical to work with equipment that is engineered for Australia’s harsh conditions.
The team recently visited the cotton-growing area of the Northern Territory to meet some of our clients and inspect INCYT equipment in the field after another wet season. Everything was still working 100% according to specs and it was easy to see the impact this equipment is having on the operations of our clients. Many growers told us about the historic lack of technology providers in their area due to the challenges presented by the area of operation, which over-time has caused a lag in technology adoption, but they also told us about how keen they are to close this gap and get their on-farm monitoring program on par with other cotton-growing regions down-south.
INCYT is committed to working with growers in the North and to help them conquer this ‘Last Frontier’ by providing the equipment and service that satisfies the needs of station owners and managers in this area. Curious to find out more about how our equipment works in some of the most remote and inhospitable regions of Australia? Have a chat with our team or we’d be happy to get you in touch with some of our clients in Northern Australia so they can relay their experience with on-farm monitoring systems first-hand.
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