Finding and keeping workers on Australian grain farms is becoming harder and more costly. Labour shortages remain an ongoing concern, exacerbated by post-COVID trends, challenges in attracting staff to regional communities, and strong competition from other industries. Farms are getting bigger, operations becoming increasingly mechanised and the average costs of machinery, labour, contracting, repairs and maintenance increasing. Compounding this issue is the lagged broadscale adoption of automated technologies in Australian agriculture. What if automation, artificial intelligence and human labour could work together to increase productivity, save time, improve safety, reduce fatigue, drive greater precision and bolster employment in regional communities?
I think we need to rethink on farm labor. We need to make jobs enjoyable, rewarding & attractive to people. We need more labor not less. This could include value adding grain, incorporation of livestock, production of on farm fertilizer, all jobs that could increase grower return & improve labor efficiency. This has massive flow on effect to local communities. The unintended consequences of automation will be massive to rural communities when you no longer have a local school, footy team etc.
Developing pathways for producers to fast track automation. Identifying which jobs are the best to automate first from a time-saving or cost-saving perspective
This content is created by the open source Your Priorities citizen engagement platform designed by the non profit Citizens Foundation