WA grain growers urged to complete autonomous farm machinery survey

Grain Producers Australia has made a last-minute appeal for growers to complete a short survey designed to help guide the adoption of autonomous farm machinery. The five-minute questionnaire — which closes on November 8 — aims to gather data on the types of self-running hardware Australian farmers are using and their understanding of the burgeoning industry. GPA southern region director Andrew Weidemann said it would help inform growers’ needs and concerns, as well as provide opportunities for education, as industry groups collaborate on the safe and effective roll-out of the technology in Australia. “The first stage of this work was developing the code of practice, which outlines roles and responsibilities for everyone along the network, from designers to owners and operators,” he said. “Now we’re working to understand how our industry can move towards using the technology on their own terms and with their needs in mind.” GPA, the Tractor and Machinery Association of Australia, and the Society of Precision Agriculture Australia have been collaborating on a national code of practice since 2019. In June, they announced a renewed three-year partnership which aims to ensure the code’s ongoing implementation is “owned and driven by industry to achieve common goals”. Automated farm equipment such as driverless tractors are growing in popularity across the agricultural sector. They use camera technology and robotics to help farmers with tasks including automatic slashing, weed sensing and spot spraying. The global autonomous farm equipment market was valued at $102.86 billion in 2023 and is anticipated to grow to $183.76b by 2033. Visit the GPA website to complete the survey.