More than 200 farmers, students and business owners attended the third TAPG Precision Agriculture Expo at Deloraine yesterday and saw how data could be used to improve farm management practices.

TAPG executive officer Terry Brient said the opportunities discussed at the expo showed the future of agriculture in Tasmania was bright.

“Young people can see it’s an exciting industry. What we’re trying to say to young people is that this is a vibrant industry covering more than just farming. There is also opportunities for IT and research and our vision is to get bigger,” Mr Brient said.

This sentiment was seconded by Primary Industries and Water minister Jeremy Rockliff, who spoke about the how critical agriculture was for the future of Tasmania.

“How could you not be excited by what’s here?” he asked.

“This is an opportunity to engage our kids in the future of agriculture. Precision agriculture is becoming very important and the adoption of technology in agriculture is critical,” Mr Rockliff said.

Technology was definitely a key theme for the expo, with demonstartions of an agricultural robot in a trial paddock and precision drones, to discussions about GPS mapping, off-site servicing and research projects using precision tools.

One exhibitor, Luke Young from TopCon, demonstrated how machinery could be serviced remotely via an iPad, while Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture’s Dr Jason Scott spoke about how he and his team have been able to reduce systematic Downy Mildew in poppies.