To address the shortage in agricultural graduates the School of Environmental and Rural Science (ERS) at the University of New England (UNE), Armidale, New South Wales Australia undertakes an extensive outreach program across the country designed to encourage high school students to consider tertiary study in the agricultural industry. This program consists of visits to high schools and events which bring students to the UNE campus. A very important aspect is to introduce precision agriculture (PA) to these students and highlight how technology is used to increase food and fibre production.
 

A selective student conference Generation2050: Project Feed the World was held at UNE in December 2013. From all Australian States and the Australian Capital Territory, 101 students were chosen to attend from over 180 applications based on a short written essay and the subjects they were studying at school. Over the four day event students were exposed to numerous agriculturally based activities in science laboratories and in the field. One of the student nominated highlights was the precision agriculture sessions.
 

All students participated in three 30 minutes sessions on precision agriculture at Kirby one of UNE’s rural properties. Topics covered were the national broadband network (NBN) farming, biomass sensing and the spatial monitoring of livestock.  When asked to score each session based on how informative and enjoyable it was out of 10, PA sessions ranked very highly. The NBN session which focused on connecting farms to new technologies was scored 8.1 out of 10. The session on biomass sensing which consisted of information regarding active optical sensors and how these relate to pasture biomass was rated 8.6 out of 10. The spatial monitoring and tracking of livestock was ranked as the most enjoyable and informative session by students with a score of 9.0 out of 10. This activity introduced students to the concepts of using GPS collars to track cattle and sheep to determine the pasture utilisation as well as the potential use of virtual fences. The average score for all activities at Generation2050 was 8.0 out of 10.

 

These programs are often the first time students come into contact with the term ‘precision agriculture’ and the associated concepts.  It is clear from the evaluation of PA activities that students appreciate the opportunity to learn about new technologies and how they apply to agricultural enterprises. The aim to grow enrolments in agricultural based courses at UNE through these programs has been successful with an increase in enrolments of between 10-15% per annum for the past three years.