Five new agricultural research, development and extension projects will receive a share of $1.92 million funding.
Primary Industries and Water Minister Jo Palmer said the Rockliff Liberal Government was investing in innovation in the agriculture sector through the second round of its Agricultural Innovation Fund and Agricultural Development Fund.
“The Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture will carry out the projects, which will deliver productivity benefits to key agricultural industries in Tasmania including the dairy, wine, pyrethrum and poppy industries,” Minister Palmer said.
“Each of these projects have a strong and active partnership with industry, with a co-investment of $3.45 million backing this research.”
The successful projects will:
- Provide poppy growers with tools to reduce the impact of weed poppies on crop yields;
- Develop a pathogen test to monitor when disease control is required in pyrethrum crops;.
- Help improve business decisions about botrytis management in vineyards;
- Evaluate the effectiveness of virtual fencing technology in commercial dairy systems for improving productivity and animal health and welfare; and
- Allow farmers to monitor the microbial communities in soils to assist with better soil management.
In line with the Government’s Growing Tasmanian Agriculture – Research, Development and Extension for 2050 White Paper, investment in these types of industry-backed projects is central to our target to grow the value of Tasmanian agriculture to $10 billion by 2050.
