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On-Farm Experimentation Community Info No. 52
Oct 5, 2026
Co-editor of the Month Liz Jackson
Thank you my co-editor of the month: Dr. Liz Jackson, Associate Professor of Supply Chain Management & Logistics, Curtin University, Australia.
Can OFE go beyond agronomy and be about grain market access?
The Society of Precision Agriculture Australia (SPAA) held two very successful events in 2026. In March, the Association held its SPAA Precision Ag Expo 2026 at University of Southern Queensland but, more recently, SPAA held its 2026 Australian Precision Ag Symposium at the University of Sydney’s Camperdown Campus on 31 August – 1 September. Many speakers (their presentations are available here) discussed OFE in their research. Of particular interest may be Professor David Lamb’s presentation that discussed OFE principles to investigate a Digital Grain Passport. Farmers participated in at-scale research to investigate how their grain data can be securely shared with supply chain partners to improve trade transparency and product credentials. Professor Lamb concluded by saying “The technology now exists. The challenge is industry adoption, governance and trust”.
From Shellfish to Grains: A Decade of On-Farm Digital Innovation at Food Agility CRC
The Food Agility CRC has been a leader in Australian innovation and digital agricultural research for the past 10 years. Now at the end of its term as a co-operative research centre (CRC), the CRC will host its final annual Congress on 7 October in Canberra. The CRC’s success of 60 research projects with over 120 partners features numerous OFE projects including production of shellfish, pork, grains and beef whereby digital systems are tested at-scale in Australian farming systems to improve aspects such as environmental sustainability, production and supply chain efficiencies.
Machinery Dealerships as OFE Partners: A Podcast on Getting More from Your Digital Systems
Mechanisation is an unsung hero in digital farm systems; without it, we have no grain production in much of the developed world. This recent podcast from Australia’s Grains Research and Development Corporation provides insights on how producers can collaborate with machinery dealerships to make the most of their OFE and digital systems. Listen to the podcast here.
Data-Driven Husbandry: A Farmer Leading the Way
Lynley Anderson, stud principal at Anderson Poll Merinos in south-west Western Australia, is a compelling example of a farmer who has made continuous improvement through data a core part of how she operates. Using RFID technology (known as “eID” in Australia, or electronic identification) to track individual animal performance, she generates her own on-farm evidence to drive decisions on genetics, husbandry, and reproductive performance. The approach mirrors what farmer-centric OFE is about: a farmer setting the questions, collecting the data, and using the results to improve their own system. Read the full article and watch the video here.
Special Issue on Farmer-Centric OFE
We invite you to submit your work to special issue "Farmer-centric On-farm Experimentation Enhanced by Digital Agronomy" in Frontiers in Agronomy. The special issue was created specifically for this community. The deadline for submitting a manuscript summary (optional) is now October. 15th 2026 and the final deadline for manuscript submission is March 1st 2027. Learn more here.
This letter was prepared by Louis Longchamps, co-chair of the ISPA OFE Community
Should you have something to share with the Community or the Community leaders, let us know here.