Driverless spray rigs, retrofitted autonomous tractors and self-propelled picking platforms are set to be just some of the in-field attractions at the Australian Citrus Congress in The Riverina, NSW, from March 18 to 20.
With an industry field day in Leeton sponsored by G2 Netting and an all-encompassing exhibition hall in Griffith, the annual Australian Citrus Congress will be something growers across Australia should be making plans to get to, said Citrus Australia's CEO Nathan Hancock.
"Our field day, especially, is going to provide a practical environment for growers, farm managers, and other industry stakeholders to see what the very latest in technology and innovation can offer.
"We've designed this year's Congress to be grower-focused - because that's what our growers, members, and industry have asked for."
Mr Hancock said Citrus Australia's members were looking for several things, including practical solutions for their citrus businesses to offset rising costs, and new technologies that can be implemented now that save costs and provide answers to labor productivity.
"We will also have a small number of guest speakers who will address topics such as economic trends, the future of tech on farms, labor efficiency, and crop protection," he said.
The Riverina in NSW is Australia's largest citrus growing region by planted area, which will provide an ideal backdrop to explore several of these issues through exploration, Mr Hancock said.
"We have created more networking opportunities in the exhibition hall and some equipment displays outside the exhibition hall in Griffith, too," he said.
"There'll be less on theory this year and more on practical applications, with resource efficiency being at the core of all our presentations, displays, and demonstrations."
Citrus Australia's event team said the sponsorship support for its annual event had been fantastic to date - and that all the exhibitor booths and field day spots had been sold.
"It's set to be one of our best events so far, so we're really encouraging our growers to come along," Mr Hancock said.
"Also - it's good to note that no trip to The Riverina is complete without good food and wine, all of which will be showcased across our program of social events including our friendly golf competition, welcome drinks, and the awards dinner."
Field day information:
The Australian Citrus Congress field day will be held at Moricom Orchard near Leeton and will include some of the following:
- Advances in crop netting and protective cropping
- In-field tech solutions to improve pre-harvest forecasting
- Autonomous tractors, including options to retrofit to older tractors
- Autonomous, self-propelled spray carts
- A spray rig with sensors that applies spray when foliage is detected
- Picking platforms to improve picking productivity, worker health, and safety outcomes
- Irrigation equipment, including field probes, data processing,g and irrigation scheduling
- Rootstock trials and pest identification
For more information:
Sarah C Porter
Citrus Australia
Tel: +61 (0) 438 358 787
Email: [email protected]
www.citrusaustralia.com.au