If you’re in AgTech, Queensland’s the place to be.
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Qld AgTech Month is celebrated every November
If you’re in AgTech, Queensland’s the place to be in November with AgTech events held across the state.
If you’re in AgTech, Queensland’s the place to be.
If you’re in AgTech, Queensland’s the place to be in November with AgTech events held across the state.
Qld AgTech Month is a celebration of the ever-growing AgTech community of big thinkers, forward planners and invested innovators who call Queensland home.
The awareness month is all about showcasing the resilience and agility of Queensland farming that will benefit local agriculture and encourage overseas investors to investigate the potential of the state’s AgTech sector
Qld AgTech events were held in every corner of the state throughout November, placing a spotlight on those leading the sector from rural and regional Queensland.
If you’re in agriculture, technology, innovation or entrepreneurship, Queensland’s the place to be.
Qld AgTech Month is the result of a powerful conversation between Queensland entrepreneurs and AgTech leaders.
We take the best of Queensland and share it with the world, and take the best of the world and share it with Queensland
Sign up to stay connected with Qld's growing AgTech community
In November 2020, Queensland’s ever-growing AgTech community of big thinkers, forward planners and invested innovators came together to celebrate Queensland AgTech Month (QAM).
The annual awareness month showcases the ingenuity, resilience and agility of the Sunshine State’s thriving AgTech sector.
Throughout November, despite the impacts of the pandemic, AgTech events were held online and around the state, placing a spotlight on those leading the sector in rural and regional Queensland.
Celebrations kicked off with a virtual gathering of key AgTech leaders, farmers and invested innovators for a webinar focused on digital solutions for agricultural enterprises and how Queenslanders can start or advance their own AgTech journey.
James Walker, fifth-generation farmer, founder of Agrihive, and host of the QAM launch webinar, said AgTech is fast becoming a crucial part of Queensland’s agricultural and economic landscape, and that QAM is about highlighting its growing impact.
“It was terrific that Queensland’s AgTech sector was able to celebrate Queensland AgTech Month again this November, despite some adjustments for coronavirus. It's important we continue to acknowledge and promote the strength and inventiveness of our home-grown AgTech community,” Mr Walker said.
“AgTech is tipped to become Australia’s next $100 billion industry, and Queensland is at the forefront of many of the sector’s cutting-edge developments.
“We've got unique issues, circumstances and conditions, and agribusinesses across the state are innovating and finding solutions that have the potential to add substantial value, locally, nationally, and internationally,” he said.
Sonya Comiskey from the AgFrontier Regional AgTech Catalyst Program, an initiative of the Central Highlands Development Corporation, said their organisation especially planned events to celebrate Queensland AgTech Month.
“When we set our AgFrontier Regional Agtech Catalyst program, we made sure we had some flagship events in November to coincide with QAM so we could celebrate the people and places that make Queensland such a powerhouse for ag and food tech innovation,” said Ms Comiskey.
“In early November we had a group of twenty-five AgTech innovators from our AgFrontier Regional Agtech Incubator program, and our local AgTech start-up community, travel to Brisbane for a mission led by Startup Catalyst.
“This mission provided entrepreneurs with access to some of the same components of the innovation ecosystem as their urban counterparts, networking with investors, mentors, tech know how and fellow founders.
“The mission was a roaring success with very positive feedback from both our participants and those we engaged with. So much so that Queensland’s Chief Entrepreneur, Leanne Kemp, has already arranged field visits to follow up one on one with the mission cohort in the Central Highlands, Isaac and Woorabinda local government areas.
“We also hosted our inaugural BeefTech event in the Woolshed at AG-Grow, Emerald, in late November, with close to 90 producers, agribusiness and industry stakeholders taking part.
“BeefTech brought together some of the smartest minds at the intersection of livestock agriculture and technology to explore the future of agribusiness and showcase the latest innovations to improve beef production operations and business outcomes.
“Put on in collaboration with our program partner, Local Buying Foundation, and event partner, Meat & Livestock Australia, BeefTech featured expert speakers, live demonstrations and trade displays, combined with a tasty breakfast and was a very popular industry networking opportunity.
“It was a wonderful way to round out Queensland AgTech Month for 2020 and confirmed that if you’re in agriculture, technology, innovation or entrepreneurship, Queensland is definitely the place to be.” Ms Comiskey said.
Queensland AgTech Month is the result of a powerful conversation between Queensland entrepreneurs and AgTech leaders with a desire to collaborate to put Queensland at the forefront of AgTech innovation in Australia.
If you're interested in learning more about QAM or want to take part in 2021, sign up to our mailing list or get in touch.
W: www.qldagtechmonth.com.au E: info@qldagtechmonth.com.au.
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In 2019, I had the privilege to be a part of an informal cluster group (a gang of 12 likeminded agri-food people) across regional, rural and remote Queensland, all working together to promote AgTech throughout November.
It all started in early 2019 when Liz Alexander (Emerald), Bruce McConnel (Toowoomba) and Jess Fealy (Tablelands) attended a food industry leadership forum in Boulder Colorado, supported by Advanced Queensland. While on tour they released they were all hosting AgTech events in Queensland in November 2019.
Faced with two options, to compete or collaborate, the three visionary AgTech leaders chose the latter and joined forces. And they didn't just stop there. They reached out and invited their networks in industry, academia and government across Queensland to be a part of a cooperative campaign to promote AgTech in November.
Representing the greater Sunshine Coast and as former Chair of the Food and Agribusiness Network (FAN), I quickly jumped on board. As to did with Ben Lyons (Toowoomba), Julia Telford (Goondiwindi), James Walker (Longreach), Fleur Anderson (Theodore), Baden Uren (Gold Coast), Garnet Radford (Balonne), Jason Huggins (DAF) and Kirsty Hodgen (TIQ).
Our informal group had shared values and goals, and a real desire to work together to celebrate AgTech in Qld. We also engaged House of Communications as the communications agency to support the group.
The output of our collaboration was the creation and launch of Queensland AgTech Month (QAM) in November 2019, a celebration of the ever-growing AgTech community of big thinkers, forward planners and invested innovators who call Queensland home. During QAM, more than 10 AgTech events were held in every corner of the state, placing a spotlight on those leading the sector from rural and regional Queensland.
I think QAM is an excellent example of how by working together, you can achieve so much more than going it alone. Why compete when collaboration is the alternate strategic choice?
If you're interested in learning more about QAM or want to take part in 2020, sign up to our mailing list or get in touch.
W: www.qldagtechmonth.com.au E: info@qldagtechmonth.com.au.
Jacqui Wilson-Smith
Founder & Director – Sustainable Innovation Co
Non-Executive Director – Food Agility
Co-founder & former Chair – Food Agribusiness Network (FAN)
If you’re in agriculture, technology, innovation or entrepreneurship, Queensland’s the place to be in November – that’s the message from organisers of the inaugural Qld AgTech Month, officially starting on Friday 1st November 2019.
The ever-growing AgTech community of big thinkers, forward planners and invested innovators who call Queensland home will be celebrated – and encouraged to collaborate – during Qld AgTech Month which is proudly promoting the many AgTech events held in every corner of the state throughout November.
The inaugural awareness month is placing a spotlight on those leading the sector from rural and regional Queensland and is the result of a powerful conversation between Queensland entrepreneurs and AgTech leaders.
Qld AgTech Month group member James Walker from AgriHive, Longreach said the working group cluster wants to shine a light on the leadership and complex problem solving being undertaken throughout the state in the AgTech sector.
“This really is all about showcasing the resilience and agility of Queensland farming that will benefit local agriculture and encourage overseas investors to investigate the potential of the state’s AgTech sector,” Mr Walker said.
“Our group is driven by the motto, ‘We take the best of Queensland and share it with the world - and take the best of the world and share it with Queensland’,” he said.
Fellow group member Jess Fealy from Startup Tablelands, Mareeba said the group is committed to ensuring that the local AgTech sector continues to grow through building a solid culture of collaboration.
“There are more than 10 AgTech events being held throughout November – from pitch competitions to research conferences to hands-on workshops to field days and forums,” Mrs Fealy said.
“Instead of being in competition with each other, we hope that connecting the events being held from the far north to the south west will provide a ‘power in numbers’ mentality that will benefit farmers and AgTech companies alike,” she said.
“We recognise too that while there’s a lot of new AgTech in the marketplace now, not all of it has direct or easy use for the agriculture sector, so we see a very important part to play in keeping the ‘Ag’ in ‘AgTech’ and ensuring we can actively support new ideas that will solve on-farm problems.”
Jacqui Wilson-Smith from the Food Agribusiness Network (FAN), Sunshine Coast is also part of the group and said working cooperatively would achieve faster, more significant results for the sector.
“A lot of AgTech startups work in isolation and as a result, can find it quite difficult to get the cut through and the opportunity to trial with farmers on the ground,” Ms Wilson-Smith said.
“Collaboration is the best way to support Queensland in becoming a world leader in delivering smart, highly productive, efficient agri-food systems and technologies,” she said.
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Megan Woodward
House of Communications info@qldagtechmonth.com.au