Farmers across Western Australia will have the opportunity to harness their natural curiosity and lead their own on-farm experiments as part of a new big data approach to agriculture research by Â鶹ֱ²¥ and Murdoch University.<\/p>\n
Premier\u2019s Fellow in Agriculture and Food,\u00a0Professor Simon Cook<\/a>, from Curtin and Murdoch Universities, said growers were being recruited to take part in the On-Farm Experimentation (OFE) project, which enables them to carry out and analyse their own farm-scale experiments using yield data collected annually by their harvesters.<\/p>\n \u201cIn a digital world, we need to find a different approach to agriculture research, as the current scientist-dependent approach has limitations as well as benefits,\u201d Professor Cook said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe want growers to take part in our On Farm Experimentation project and alter a single aspect of their farming system \u2013 such as their fertiliser, chemical, crop variety or cultivation practice \u2013 and measure the yield response.\u201d<\/p>\n Professor Cook said the OFE project, now in its second year, recently finalised results from its first trial in 2018, which altered the rate of fertiliser application at farms.<\/p>\n \u201cThe trial results showed great variation in soil nutrition in the paddock and allowed farmers to better understand their land and how treatment can improve their soils,\u201d Professor Cook said.<\/p>\n \u201cThe project will form networks for on-farm experimenters to share results with fellow farmers, thereby building bigger data sets for use in tackling problems faced by growers.\u201d<\/p>\n The OFE project is part of an international effort to change the way agriculture research is done, with partners in 11 countries already taking part.<\/p>\n There are 14 trials planned in WA this year so far and farmers interested in being involved in their own trial can contact Professor Cook via simon.cook@curtin.edu.au<\/a>.<\/p>\n Food Agility CRC<\/a>\u00a0is\u00a0funding the project with the aim of accelerating digitization within the grains industry, while\u00a0CSBP<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0NGIS<\/a>\u00a0are industry partners.<\/p>\n