Cropping

Farmer group pushes ahead with data co-op

Grain Central, October 6, 2017

THE Birchip Cropping Group (BCG) in Victoria will be taking the next step in forming a data farmer co-operative when they undertake the next workshop in Birchip on 18 October 2017.

After the completion of the ‘traceability and data cooperative feasibility study’ in May 2017, further work is being conducted to further the concept and start to implement steps to create a co-operative.

The workshop will explore how growers can extract more value from their aggregated data through the establishment of a co-operative.

BCG CEO Chris Sounness said that growers and industry representatives understood the barriers to using data on-farm, but the aim of the workshops would be to start to break down these barriers.

“The complexity, accessibility and accuracy of data are all issues that need to be tackled before growers and industry are confident in using data to improve their enterprises,” Mr Sounness said.

“Investment cost and length of payback period are key issues raised when discussing data, and are a genuine concern that will need further investigation before finding a solution.”

Open to Wimmera and Mallee growers, the workshop aims to examine the rationale for a data co-op and scope the best business model to achieve it.

Mr Sounness said BCG was working with people who had vast knowledge and experience in the area, which would assist as a data co-operative was something that hadn’t been conducted in the area before.

“Representatives from the Business Council of Co-operatives and Mutuals, and Ag Data legal specialist, Leanne Wiseman from Griffith University, are assisting with this project” Mr Sounness said.

The project is funded by the Farm Co-Operatives and Collaboration Pilot Program (Farming Together Program), auspiced by the Southern Cross University to administer the Program by the Commonwealth of Australia, Department of Agriculture and Water Resources.

To find out more about the workshop or to RSVP contact the BCG office on (03) 5492 2787 or email [email protected]

Source: BCG

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