Widespread adoption of autonomous farm machinery ‘won’t happen overnight’: Rabobank

Autonomous machinery is a “potential game changer” that could ease the burden of farm labour shortages and boost productivity — but it “won’t replace the tractor anytime soon”. That’s the finding of a new Rabobank report looking at why the grains industry is only slowly embracing robot technology and why its widespread adoption “will not occur overnight”. Doriana Milenkova, the report’s co-author and a farm inputs analyst at RaboResearch, said while many farmers now used autosteering system support to cultivate large crops, this was only the first step. She said several stages of technological developments must be completed before full autonomy was achieved, if ever, and farmers would demand measurable evidence of the advantages. “These machines must be capable of stand-alone diagnosis, decision-making, or task performance in changing environments, without a human operator or on-site supervisor,” Ms Milenkova said. “Autonomous machines must outperform their conventional counterparts in tasks such as tilling, sowing, plant treatment and crop harvesting to justify the investment.” Incremental advancements of autonomous features for each field task were paving the way for market acceptance, including in Australia, according to the report. RaboResearch ag tech analyst Vitor Pistoia said Australians were early adopters of technology. “This is no different in the ag tech space where our innovative farmers, supported by the large scale of their farms and paddocks, are well-advanced users of technology in their farm machinery,” he said. “(This) helps to increase efficiency, lower the use of farm inputs, save costs and simplify tasks for operators.” Mr Pistoia said Australia was an important market for most global farm machinery companies, with new technology trials taking place on Australian farms. “Those technologies range from traditional machinery that is enhanced by technology like sensors, all the way to more recently-introduced innovative technologies, like drones and the use of artificial intelligence, to help convert a vast amount of data collected on farm into insights for the operator or for use by the machine itself for innovative weed control,” he said. The report outlined how autonomous machines could improve work conditions on farms by boosting the speed, precision and ease of operations. The technology could also improve efficiency and sustainability by reducing resource consumption including water, fertilissers, crop protection and energy. Despite the obvious benefits for farmers and society, the report found uncertainty about safety regulations was tempering successful market introduction. Companies must demonstrate the safety of their designs and usage before they could be widely implemented, with the path to commercialisation shaped by the need for comprehensive industry standards and legal frameworks. “The regulatory environment is a critical factor that companies must navigate,” the report said. “The agricultural robot market, still in its early stages, is exploring various strategies for market entry. However, traditional distribution channels are not yet equipped to handle the unique challenges posed by these innovative machines.” In Australia, the safe and effective roll-out of autonomous farm machinery is being driven forward under a partnership between Grain Producers Australia, the Tractor and Machinery Association of Australia and the Society of Precision Agriculture Australia. The trio have been collaborating on a national code of practice since 2019 and in June announced a renewed partnership to ensure the code’s implementation is “owned and driven by industry to achieve common goals”.