GrainGrowers Acquires PASource

Grain Growers Limited today announced the acquisition of online precision agriculture entity PASource.

The move signals a game changer for Australian grain growers in relation to the way they collect, analyse and apply farm-related data in their decision making.

As part of the purchase, data generated through PASource will be integrated into GrainGrowers popular online crop management system ProductionWise.

?For the first time Australian growers will have the ability to collect and analyse spatial data and farm management activities on the one platform,? CEO Alicia Garden said.

“ProductionWise users will benefit from the increased functionality powered by PASource with new features set to be available by July this year.?

Ms Garden said the investment by GrainGrowers was an acknowledgement of the increased move by farmers towards precision agriculture-enabled equipment – much of which has the capability to collect and retain large tracts of farm data.

“Recent research by the Australian Farm Institute heralds the increased use of digital technology and the application of data by Australian farmers as the next big improvement in efficiency and profitability,? Ms Garden said.

This is preceded only by the mechanical revolution in the early 1900s and the scientific revolution of the years between 1960 and 1990.

Ms Garden said Australian grain growers were being increasingly better served by public domain spatial data including satellite imagery relevant to crop growth, weather and soils.

“The key to successfully leveraging both farmer-collected and public data is knowing what happened in the paddock.?

“GrainGrowers integration of PASource within ProductionWise is the first step in the process.?

PASource was developed in 2011 by grain grower and researcher Ben Jones in conjunction with the AGRIvision group of agronomists.

Farming at the time Dr Jones identified a need for a simple way to translate spatial data into meaningful information for growers and their advisors.

“The data itself is not complicated ? it is more the processes required to transform the data into useful information,? Dr Jones said.

He said the complexity was in getting the data, checking its validity, processing it and presenting it in ways that maximised its use and application.

?At the end of the day farmers and agronomists want simplicity when managing and analysing several sources of data. The integration of PASource within ProductionWise will deliver this,? Dr Jones said.

ProductionWise allows the user to apply digital tools to record on-farm activities and operations in the interests of achieving better traceability, improved accountability and higher outputs through smarter farming.

Ms Garden said the integration of PASource and ProductionWise positioned GrainGrowers as Australia?s leading provider of online precision-agriculture support tools.

?GrainGrowers? vision is to develop and promote a more efficient, sustainable and profitable sector for Australian grain farmers ? the acquisition announced today?s significantly progresses this vision,? Ms Garden said.

Learn more about?PASource