SA Drought Hub showcases innovation and practical resilience at 2025 APEN Conference
When more than 250 extension professionals, producers, researchers and industry representatives gathered in Brisbane for the Australasia-Pacific Extension Network (APEN) biennial conference (14–16 October), the energy was unmistakable- practical innovation, real-world impact, and a shared focus on better outcomes for farmers.
The theme, Tech + Extension: A Powerful Partnership for Change, brought together the extension community to reflect on the evolving landscape of agriculture.
With five SA Drought Hub staff and multiple Hub partners in attendance, South Australian research and innovation was strongly showcased. A highlight was the award-winning collaboration building South Australia’s drought and climate resilience, with SA Drought Hub Innovation Broker, Sean Miller, and SA Livestock Consultants Emeritus Member, Bruce Hancock, winning Best Field Notes for their work, SA Livestock Consultants lead the development of the next generation of the grazing livestock workforce.
The SA Drought Hub team contributed a diverse range of presentations, demonstrating how research, innovation, and collaboration are translating into practical outcomes for producers.
The Hub’s Livestock Technical Specialist, Dr Penny Schulz, shared insights from the Precision Sheep Management (PSM) project, which is working to accelerate the adoption of precision management tools across Australia’s sheep industry.
Penny emphasised that precision sheep management strategies need a clear business case and practical implementation plan to support widespread adoption. This five-year producer-led collaboration between research organisations, commercial innovators and producers ensures management solutions are grounded in on-farm practicality and profitability.
Initial findings from a national survey of 477 producers managing flocks of 100 or more sheep show that adoption is highest for technologies offering immediate, tangible benefits, such as electronic identification (eID) tags, weigh scales, and auto-drafters, while more complex, data-heavy tools remain in the early adoption phase.
The project will continue to bridge the gap between potential and practice, helping producers better understand how precision tools fit their business models and deliver measurable returns. A new online platform, Precision Sheep HQ, will launch in the coming months, providing practical resources such as case studies, training materials, and insights from the national survey.
SADH Innovation Broker, Sean Miller, presented on how the F2F TEKFARM® platform has effectively enhanced the adoption of agricultural technologies to improve on-farm drought resilience.
This farmer-led platform connects producers to vetted technology providers and agtech solutions, with a focus on preparing Australia’s agriculture value chains for a climate-resilient future.
Working across diverse localities, production systems and sectors including livestock, horticulture, viticulture, broadacre, poultry, aquaculture and speciality crops (First Nations), the platform has delivered strong outcomes to date:
- 154 completed producer workbooks
- 460 problem statements identified
- 100 technologies deployed to producers
- 57 technology providers engaged, with 45 successfully deploying agtech
Sean highlighted how the dual approach, supporting both producers and tech providers, creates a powerful decision-making environment. He also noted that while most participants were already aware of available technologies, cost remains a major barrier (purchase and implementation), and financial capacity is critical for adoption.
Hub Director, Dr Steve Lee, showcased the Hub’s role and impact in facilitating effective recovery from drought.
The presentation outlined the Hub’s approach across both short-term and medium- to longer-term preparedness and recovery.
To strengthen medium- to long-term drought recovery and preparedness, the Hub is supporting and facilitating workshops that guide producers and advisors through reflection and planning. These sessions help producers review the decisions made before and during drought, capture lessons learned, and develop prioritised action plans for the future. The workshops take a whole-of-enterprise approach, covering key areas such as farm infrastructure (water, fodder, containment) and management practices (lambing dates, seeding options).
Steve also showcased a key SA Drought Hub project led by Sean Miller, adapting to the challenges of the future climate in farming systems in marginal environments. Co-designed with local producers, the project defines and models ‘typical’ farm businesses to explore enterprise or income solutions that may provide financial and environmental sustainability amid institutional change and a changing climate. The work includes:
- Modelling historical farm performance (productivity and financial return), and future farming systems and enterprises to contribute to sustainable primary production.
- Developing scenarios for carbon and biodiversity market returns from likely vegetation assemblages that could be restored in target regions.
- Initiating conversations about the implications and opportunities arising from likely changes in climate, markets, and institutional environments.
For more information on the SA Drought Hub and these presentation topics, please contact:
Dr Steve Lee, SA Drought Hub Director: stephen.lee@adelaide.edu.au, 0421 570 630
Penny Schulz, Livestock Technical Officer: penny.schulz@adelaide.edu.au, 0417 853 094
Sean Miller, Innovation Broker: sean.miller@adelaide.edu.au, 0407 363 046
