How do we better get new research to farmers, to start-ups for commercialisation, or to Ag industry bodies to build on, distribute and use? Should we be incorporating a diversity of skills and building teams from the beginning of research? How can universities and industry better share knowledge and skills? How do we focus on the trial and error of innovation in science or tech, without IP getting in the way? Hosted by: Kirsten Diprose, Innovation Ag podcast host an...

So, you’ve implemented change, well done! How do you know it was all worth it? This episode is the final from our current series on 'how to innovate' - and it's time to take stock. But really, that all comes down how you measure your success. In the first episode, "What is innovation?", we looked at three key motivators: 1) for growth and profit 2) for climate resilience or consumer future-proofing 3) for community building. And it turns out these key motivator...

Can you heat a hospital with wheat stubble? Or use chipped almond trees to improve your soil? These are some examples of circular economic trials that are underway in Australia at the moment. Arguably, never before has there been such an incentive to develop circular economies, with the costs of fertiliser, fuel and electricity all rising significantly over the past few years. But one of the big challenges in agriculture, is that we operate in linear economies, rathe...

Wayne Schild's journey from paramedic to commercial farmer has taken guts, vision and plenty of curiosity. In this bonus episode, we're playing the extended interview with Wayne, who we spoke to in Episode 6 - 'Staying Operational While Innovating'. Wayne grows garlic in Victoria's Western districts where farmers mainly produce sheep and wool. It's been a huge journey for his business called Grange Garlic, from the lows of suffering major crop losses, to the highs of fin...

Rainfall levels for many parts of Australia haven’t recovered since the devastating millennium drought. Many rural communities are having to face a reality of landscapes and climate that have already changed, and are likely to continue to do so. So, what makes an effective climate adaptation initiative? Following on from the previous episode about creating innovation systems on a national or regional scale, this episode looks at how innovation systems can function on a much smalle...

What kind of “innovation systems” do we currently have for Australian agriculture? Well, according to a recent report commissioned by the Federal Government, it could be a lot better. The report found that while Australia’s agriculture research is internationally renowned and individual farmers are good at adopting new practices, knowledge is often siloed. Essentially, agricultural innovation in Australia was not designed to operate as a cohesive system, rather it’s m...

Dr Robert Faggian doesn't want research gathering dust, or government talk fests with no action. So, in his keynote address at a recent event we hosted in Bendigo, Victoria, Rob looks at local government responses to climate adaptation. He also outlines some of his own research - which uses climate modelling - to empower action in agriculture. This is a short bonus episode from the Vic Drought and Innovation Hub's 2023 Think Tank event, 'Are we drought ready?'. GUESTS ...

So far we’ve heard a lot about innovation in ag – about what it is, about considerations to factor into the decision-making process and we’ve also heard stories about how others have gone about funding a new tool, practice, trial or project. So, now we're ready to innovate, right? Well hang on a minute, because first we need to talk about one of the biggest barriers to changing systems or practices. And that is... you generally have to keep your operations going while yo...

There are so many digital platforms out there, promising to count your cows, measure your soil carbon and do your finances. So how do know which data collecting applications are going to be most useful? From GPS-driven tractors, online auctions, weather and climate tracking apps to soil sensors, there is an increasing amount of data available to farmers and agribusiness. But are we actually using this data to the best effect? Data can unlock new opportunities, from greater market access to be...

In this bonus episode, we bring you the extended interview from Christine Pitt, the Founder and Managing Director of Farmers to Founders. Christine was in Episode 03: Finding Funding & Building Networks. Christine Pitt, Farmers 2 Founders Christine is a globally recognised thought leader, investor and entrepreneur in the ag+food tech ecosystem. She has a particular interest in building globally networked agrifood ecosystems and creating new business models for raising funds to inve...

So far, we’ve learnt from the stories of others on why and how they navigated the innovation process. Now it’s time to talk about types of innovation. Australia is known for its high-quality produce, but when you factor in the costs of water and inputs – are farmers really getting enough value for what they grow? Using milk as an example, research shows that value-add products such as cheese and yoghurt generate more profit per litre than just milk itself. So, if you have b...

Does big change have to cost big money? It doesn’t have to. In this episode we look at funding on-farm innovation and building a network which will lead you to new opportunities. We look at all types of financing from debt-financing (ie. asking the bank manager!), to vendor financing, government grants, crowd sourcing, investors and even venture capital. How do you know which option is best for you? And how do you explore potential opportunities with government or Universi...

JACOB BIRCH is an academic, entrepreneur and Churchill Fellow passionate about re-awakening, and bringing into a modern context, the native grain foodways that sustained his Gamilaraay ancestors for thousands of generations. In this episode, Jacob speaks about understanding the agronomy and nutrition of native grasses as well as the potential for cultural and community benefit. Jacob’s received First Class Honours for a multidisciplinary research project that investigated...

Making the right decision at the right time is critical to good business and innovation, especially when you add drought or other volatile factors into the mix. So when a new opportunity arises, how do you know you’ll make the ‘right’ choice? This episode looks at the latest research about on-farm decision-making, as well as stories from farmers, farm consultants and agricultural entrepreneurs about how they made the decision to adopt a new technology or practice. Farm consultan...

Sometimes we can confuse ‘innovation’ for high tech machines, sensors and drones. But there’s a lot more to innovation and adoption than fancy technology. So, what actually IS innovation? Bringing about change on farms or within agricultural industries and communities is complex. Firstly, understanding your motivation for change is critical to success. So, in this episode, we look at three key motivators for innovation: 1) for growth and profit, 2) climate or consumer future-proofing and 3) ...

Join host, Kirsten Diprose for a journey into innovation and beyond. In this free, fortnightly podcast, we discover the secrets to: unlocking your innovation potential; avoiding the pitfalls of change and; staying ahead of climate in the context of agriculture. This podcast has been created by the Victoria Drought Resilience Innovation and Adoption Hub and is funded through the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund.