Celebrating 25 Years of Regional NRM
The 9th National Natural Resource Management Knowledge Conference, held September 8–12 in Cairns, marked a significant milestone, 25 years since Australia adopted the regional natural&...
Following the success of a transformative irrigation automation toolkit in the Burdekin, a new trial site has been launched in Dimbulah, on the Atherton Tablelands. The innovative toolkit aims to improve water and energy efficiency in sugar cane production, reduce labour costs and create a more sustainable farming practice by combining irrigation automation hardware, crop growth modelling solutions, real-time energy usage tracking and a unified data platform, all designed to provide farmers with precise irrigation control.
The initial toolkit trial began in the Burdekin through collaborative research at James Cook University (JCU), which is home to the Tropical North Queensland Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub (TNQ Drought Hub). Hub Director Professor David Phelps, said the hub is building on the success of this previous trial through the Dimbulah site to highlight the importance of data-driven irrigation practices in the face of increasing climate variability.
“One of the things we are trying to achieve at the TNQ Drought Hub is to help producers adopt new practices to become more resilient through better profitability, better productivity, and more sustainable systems,” Professor Phelps said. “In 2025, we have seen a record-breaking wet season, and this technology can take into account moisture levels in the soil, to deliver the amount of water needed through more precise irrigation scheduling to maximise crop growth and conserve water for when the farms need it. This really shows how farms can become more resilient heading into a drought. As we know, it's not ‘if’ but ‘when’ the next drought arrives."
“In this situation, we’re trying to take technologies that have worked really well in the Burdekin sugarcane production area, up to the Atherton Tablelands, and iron out the local issues.” Steve Attard, Irrigation Agronomist and Managing Director at AgriTech Solutions, is supervising the technological implementation in Dimbulah. Steve said many farmers lack precise insights into their water usage, cost and whether it meets their crops’ specific needs.
“The results in the Burdekin have shown us that there has always been an opportunity to reduce their energy costs and their water costs. We understand very similar processes are used in the Tableland region, and so there was no reason why this technology, wouldn't translate to making benefits for farmers around energy costs and water costs in those regions.”
“The natural thing to do then was to set up a local demonstration site through the TNQ Drought Hub to showcase the technology and hopefully to inform other farmers and advisers about the possibilities that this technology can bring them.” Salvetti Farming farm manager Jason Salvetti said when the opportunity presented itself to trial the toolkit on his farm in Dimbulah, he was keen to get it up and running.
“I’ve always been interested in technology and computers, and we started off with some basic systems like weather stations and soil moisture probes, and then the next step was to try and start some automation processes on the farm,” Mr Salvetti said. “Our home farm is about a 20-minute drive from here, and on the previous irrigation systems, we would come out here anytime between two and three times a day.
“The advantage of this technology is that it will basically do those trips for us, in that it will change the irrigation valving required to move to the next irrigation set by itself, without anyone having to be around to do it.
Professor Phelps believes that with continued success, the toolkit could redefine water management practices across multiple crop types, contributing to long-term drought resilience and productivity growth for agricultural communities.
“As this technology continues to deliver results, we have a unique opportunity to reshape water management practices across various crops and regions,” he added. “It all comes back to our mission at the hub of supporting projects that build resilience within local communities.
“By investing in innovative technology like this, we’re equipping farmers and producers with the tools to adapt, thrive, and contribute to the sustainability of the agricultural industry well into the future.”
Issued April 2025