The future of agriculture is data-driven, and ANU researchers are developing the tools to help producers make better on-farm decisions to improve the profitability and sustainability of the sector.

In the most recent round of AFII’s Strategic Investment Program (SIP), we awarded funding to two project teams who are conducting research and development in collaboration with the grain, dairy and beef industries.

A team of researchers from the Biological Data Science Institute (BDSI) and the School of Computing, were awarded $18,500 towards their project which aims to develop tools to improve the sustainability of dairy and beef production systems.

The end goal of the project is to be able to monitor and predict individual animal weight gain and combine that with genetic data to make better breeding decisions, optimise feed use efficiency, and reduce emissions. It may also provide the capability to non-invasively predict sub-clinical disease in animals allowing for early intervention, increasing animal health and welfare outcomes as well as value chain efficiency.

The second team awarded funding includes researchers from BDSI and the College of Business and Economics, who are contributing to a larger Grains Research and Development Council project – Analytics for the Australian Grains Industry. This team will receive $45,000 funding over three years to support ANU involvement in the project which aims to harness analytics to drive the sector’s profitability and global competitiveness.

The AFII SIP is designed to support ANU researchers to work collaboratively with agrifood industries to conduct research and development which supports to the sector to become more profitable, sustainable and equitable.

Applications for the SIP are currently closed. To find out when applications open, you can subscribe to our newsletter and keep an eye on our website.