Crop forecasting technology company, CropLogic, has secured space in Mildura, Australia, as part of the Mildura Regional Development Smart Farm project.
The expansion is a collaboration with SproutX, Mildura Regional Development and the Victorian government.
CropLogic’s future growth strategy highlights a specified region in South-East Australia that includes Mildura, which confirms the area has a high percentage of horticulture acres.
Based on market data, it shows that this area represents about 74 per cent of Australia’s horticulture acres, with a gross product at the farm gate of $3.5 billion per annum.
The Victorian government has classified agri-business as a prime strategic industry for Mildura, with the region’s horticulture being key to this.
Viticulture and wineries have also been identified by the government as vital tourism assets for the area.
Mildura Regional Development CEO Daryl Buckingham said the core focus of the strategic development plan was to support and grow the Mildura’s economy by capitalising on assets it already had.
“This partnership with CropLogic fits perfectly within this framework and I am excited by all the possibilities it opens up for the region,” he said.
CropLogic CEO James Cooper-Jones said the response and uptake of CropLogic realtime in the Columbia Basin, USA, could not have been better this season.
“CropLogic values these partnerships in its global growth strategy and it’s why we were eager to take this opportunity when approached by SproutX and Mildura Regional Development,” he saud.
“A lot of the tree and viticulture crops that are seeing a resurgence and boom in the Mallee/Riverina, are crops CropLogic has been servicing in the USA. We’re getting great feedback from these growers and we’re eager to bring this technology to Mildura and contribute to grower’s optimum yield rates there too,” said Cooper-Jones.
SproutX director Andrew Lai said the Mallee region was a leading horticulture area.
“We’re thrilled to have the support of CropLogic in the Mallee and to parent with a company that shares our view that regional engagement is critical to agtech development and investment,” said Lai.
The Smart Farm Project goal is to develop, test and commercialise Internet of Things solutions and to combine them with robotics to increase productivity and sustainability on farms.