Agriculture

The UNE SMART Region Incubator supports start-ups in Agribusiness and Agtech with innovative business ideas by providing the resources a new business needs to succeed. A number of founders are working with UNE researchers and students.

The UNE SMART Farms provides a test-bed for agricultural technologies. UNE operates the largest beef cattle research feedlot in Australia, a working property, the global headquarters for livestock genetics, world class wool production technologies and food system researchers. 

AgTech founders collaborate with researchers and industry to develop solutions for water, soil, livestock, cropping, horticulture and poultry industries for regional and global application.

UNE has long had a passion for Agriculture. Our locations in Armidale, Tamworth, Moree and Narrabri means we have local access to over 90% of the food stuffs grown in this country. Our founders can work in one of the most diverse and productive food production eco-systems in the country.

In 2018–19, the gross value of agricultural production in the New England and North West region was $1.8 billion, which was 15 per cent of the total gross value of agricultural production in New South Wales ($11.7 billion).

The New England and North West region has a diverse agricultural sector. The most important commodities in the region based on the gross value of agricultural production were cattle and calves ($611 million), followed by cotton ($390 million) and wool ($115 million). These commodities together contributed 64 per cent of the total value of agricultural production in the region. In 2018–19 the New England and North West region accounted for 86 per cent ($67 million) of the total value of the state's sorghum production.

Value of agricultural production ($millions) New England North West
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, cat. no. 7503.0, Value of agricultural commodities produced, Australia 2020

Featured event: Agmentation 2022

Featured Founder: Ag360