Look no hands! Autonomous farming technology is here but adoption is being held back by a lack of internet coverage in regional areas.
Imagine being able to spray a paddock with the touch of a button, or being on holiday and knowing exactly how your cattle are performing.But connectivity is a barrier, with parts of regional Australia not having the internet coverage requiredAutomation on farm is bringing with it the promise of hands-free farming and it could help ease agriculture's dire workforce shortages.
"I think the most important benefit here is about improving, not only the business … but the lifestyle of farming as well."Professor Lamb said hands-free farming also involved remote data collection and monitoring, which could allow farmers to make more informed decisions on farm. "Our current state of telecommunications in the country … remains a head-wind that we have to push through to drive innovation on farms," Professor Lamb said.Southern NSW regional manager Nick Ennis said they used autonomous tractors with weed-seeker booms, as well as drones to capture images for weed identification.