A recent field event at Mt Barker Strawberries in the Adelaide Hills brought together South Australia's commercial strawberry producers. They witnessed firsthand how drones and autonomous vehicles could enhance sustainable farm management practices.
Drone spraying biodegradable dye over unplanted strawberry rows to demonstrate spray coverage when under UV torchlight.
The event was part of the Elders and Hort Frontiers-funded Innovation at Work project, led by Thomas Elder Sustainable Agriculture (TESA). It was hosted by Sam Freeman, Senior Agronomist at DJ's Growers, and Tom Jefferies, Extension Agronomist at Thomas Elder Sustainable Agriculture.
Sam presented findings from a trial conducted under the Innovation at Work project. The trial focused on the most effective method between hand, drone and land vehicle spreading of beneficial insects to strawberry crops, as part of an integrated pest management strategy.
George Piliouras of Mt Barker Strawberries generously hosted the event. He sees real benefit in having the advice of a horticultural agronomist in his pest management.
“The role Sam plays in our business helps us determine pest levels and correct timing for predatory mite releases. He helps schedule drone release of these beneficials,” George said.
Attendees also observed a demonstration by Cam Clifford from Agri Automation, showcasing Burro, an autonomous vehicle designed to reduce labour costs on farms. While Burro can be used across various farm types, it’s particularly suited to horticulture. Using computer vision, high-precision GPS, and AI, Burro can follow a person while performing tasks or navigate a programmed route independently. The growers saw a range of potential applications for Burro, including transporting harvested strawberries from the field to the packing shed, autonomous pest monitoring, and doing tasks like mowing and spraying thanks to its towing capacity.
Drones Sales Adelaide also demonstrated a large drone that flew over unplanted beds. It sprayed the beds with water mixed with a biodegradable dye, then vermiculite used to help the spread of beneficial insects. After dark, growers used UV torchlight to assess the effectiveness of the drone's application. The spray and vermiculite distribution could be seen glowing in the dark.
The spray pattern, visible under UV light thanks to biodegradable dye.
Tom Jefferies explained that a key focus for the Innovation at Work project is to expose horticultural producers to alternative ways of managing their farms, whether using agtech to work smarter or using beneficial bugs to manage pests.
“This project gives us the opportunity to demonstrate what might be possible and see these practices in action,” Tom said.
This event was proudly supported by the Innovation at Work Project, managed by Thomas Elder Sustainable Agriculture and funded by Elders Rural Services and Hort Frontiers.