At Precision Agriculture, we are all about powering agricultural performance through technology.
At its heart, that means improving our customers’ productivity and profitability through better, more informed management decisions. As a leading provider of precision agriculture services, Precision Agriculture’s whole focus is on data, insight and action. We firmly believe that collecting the highest quality data is essential, but it only becomes truly valuable when combined with the experience and expertise to turn that data into actions and tools that match the client’s goals. Whether it’s on-farm, for industry or government we collect, measure and interpret data to find opportunities for technology to deliver savings and unlock potential. We provide practical assistance and support to apply our findings to the real world. We foster partnerships with leading suppliers in order to bring the latest in technology to our customers with products and services from around the globe. With offices around the country and a team dedicated to advancing excellence in agricultural production and land management, we have the knowledge, technology and skills to deliver leading precision agriculture services tailored to our customers’ needs.
- Experienced precision agriculture practitioners Andrew Whitlock and Tim Neale establish independent consulting business, Precision Agriculture Pty Ltd, opening an office in Toowoomba Qld and Ballarat Vic
- Experienced agribusiness professionals, Mike Chaseling, Mick Cattanach, Murray de Jong and Warwick Read join the business as investors and directors. Warwick is appointed as inaugural Chairman
- Ben Fleay joins the business as CEO, shareholder and director
- Precision Agriculture hands down the final report from a four-year project investigating the benefits of precision agriculture in the rice industry
- Precision Agriculture signs a three-year contract with the Fitzroy Basin Association to roll out ag tech across Central Queensland
- Precision Agriculture moves and expands its Ballarat office from Wendouree to the Ballarat Technology Park, Mt Helen. From this office, Precision Agriculture services Western Victoria and the Wimmera, South East SA and Tasmania
- Andrew Whitlock returns to the family farm to implement many of his learnings from Precision Agriculture, however continues to play a key role in the business
- Precision Agriculture finishes the financial year with a total area soil sampled and surveyed in excess of 67,000 hectares
- Precision Agriculture signs a three-year research partnership with Federation University
- Precision Agriculture delivers a project on the Darling Downs, Qld on behalf of the Condamine Alliance NRM (now the Southern Qld NRM) showing the benefits of variable rate nitrogen application for both local farmers and waterways
- Precision Agriculture is awarded a Victorian government project to investigate the benefits of implementing variable rate nitrogen fertiliser application in Gippsland Dairy systems to reduce nitrous oxide emissions into the environment
- Precision Agriculture finishes the financial year with a total area soil sampled and surveyed in excess of 92,000 hectares across five states
- Experienced agribusiness professionals, Mike Chaseling, Mick Cattanach, Murray de Jong and Warwick Read join the business as investors and directors. Warwick is appointed as inaugural Chairman
- Precision Agriculture opens an office near Temora, NSW at the Farmlink Research Farm. A total of six staff are employed in Temora to service farmers and consultants in the NSW Riverina and Central West
- Southern Farming System is awarded a four-year $3.6M project to investigate the impact of soil acidity across high rainfall zones of Victoria, SE SA and Tasmania. Precision Agriculture is a core partner in the project
- Precision Agriculture is awarded a Smart Farm Small Grants project to build a robust variable rate gypsum strategy across variable soil types in Western Victoria
- Mike Chaseling is appointed Executive Chairman of the business, with Mick Cattanach taking on GM of Farm Services and Ben Fleay as GM of Research & Innovation
- Precision Agriculture appoints Andrew Lay as PA Specialist in Sale to service farmers and consultants in Gippsland, Victoria
- Precision Agriculture appoints Dr Kirsten Barlow as our Principal Scientist, opening up a new office in Rutherglen, Victoria
- Precision Agriculture conducts the first-ever grid soil mapping project through Northern NSW to identify the levels of soil borne disease in cotton enterprises
- Precision Agriculture appoints experienced PA practitioner, Richard Sawyer as PA Specialist in Euroa to service farmers and consultants in North East Victoria and Southern NSW
- Precision Agriculture delivers two MLA Fast-track projects to demonstrate the benefits of variable rate lime and fertiliser application in livestock enterprises in South West Victoria and Southern NSW
- Precision Agriculture delivers the final report from a year-long project investigating the benefits of the new Satellite-based Augmentation System (SBAS) for more accurate and low-cost GPS guidance of farming operations
- Precision Agriculture forms a strategic alliance with independent agronomic firm, Western Ag Supplies. Western Ag employ 25 agronomists across 11 branches over Western Victoria, Wimmera and SE SA
- Precision Agriculture is awarded a contract to implement variable rate lime application strategies to graziers in Southern NSW for increased longevity of perennial pastures
Our Mission
At Precision Agriculture, it is our mission to power agricultural performance through technology. We inform our clients and partners, collaborating with them to create enhanced and sustainable financial and environmental outcomes.
Innovation
Helping you get more from every hectare
It’s all about data, insight and action. From ensuring we have the right information, to providing valuable insight and putting our plans in place in the field, our services aim to help you find opportunities to deliver savings and unlock economic potential using leading technology.
We can tailor our services to your needs – whether it is the whole farm or a single paddock, whether it is one service or a comprehensive precision farming strategy – we are here to help and work with you.
We use proven methods and techniques. As pioneers of precision agriculture in Australia, we have a wealth of experience from small farming enterprises to the highest levels of industry. Amongst many other activities, we have been leading the application of variable rate lime throughout Australia since 2010.
With offices around the country, we combine our experience with local knowledge and personal service. Our combination of staff in both advisory and technical roles can help you throughout all stages of a smart farming program and are only a phone call away
Our People
Our people is what sets Precision Agriculture apart. The highly qualified, experienced team has a wealth of experience across all spheres of agriculture so they can transform data into valuable decision making tools tailored to each client. Diversity of experience gives us a depth of knowledge and capacity to understand the issues faced by many kinds of agribusiness. From small farming enterprises to the highest levels of industry, we deliver precision agriculture services suited to our customers’ individual needs.
Mike Chaseling – Executive Chairman
Mike is passionate about agriculture and has over 30 years’ experience in Australian and international agribusiness. He was a co-founder and Deputy Chairman of Emerald Grain (2004-14) and has held senior roles with ConAgra Trade Group (Trading Manager), agricultural co-operative group NETCO (CEO), and the Australian Wheat Board/AWB Ltd (Trading Manager and Senior Wheat Merchant). In addition to his role at Precision Agriculture, Mike is a non-executive director and investor in CommStream Capital Ltd and has served as an elected director of the industry group Grain Trade Australia. He has also consulted to the Sydney Futures Exchange on agricultural commodities. Mike holds a Bachelor of Applied Science (Systems Agriculture) from the University of Western Sydney and has completed the Advanced Management Program at the Wharton Business School, University of Pennsylvania (USA).
Mick Cattanach, Executive Director and General Manager Farm Services
Mick has extensive agricultural experience having previously been Managing Director of Emerald Grain, General Manager Marketing for national co-operative group NETCO and has overseen the grain marketing and wool production activities for DR Johnston and ConAgra (Australia). in addition to his role at Precision Agriculture, he currently operates a cotton farm in Southern NSW, having worked extensively in primary production and corporate agribusiness. Mick is a former Director of Southern Quality Produce, Elginbah Pastoral Company and Australian Bulk Alliance. He holds a Bachelor of Business (Agricultural Commerce) from the University of Sydney.
Todd Buck – CEO
Todd Buck is CEO of Precision Agriculture He has significant experience in the agriculture and technology sector, having worked in a variety of roles over the past ten years across VIC.
Ben Fleay – General Manager Research and Innovation
Ben has extensive experience in agriculture and agribusiness, spanning production, marketing and technology. He joined Precision Agriculture in 2016 in the role of CEO. Ben guided the business through a significant period of growth in scale and elected to continue this contribution by taking on the leadership of our developing and critical Research and Innovation division. He maintains a significant investment in the company and sits on the company’s board. Prior to joining Precision Agriculture Ben was Managing Director of Victorian farmer owned company SQP Grain, and maintained a senior management role with Emerald Grain following their full acquisition of SQP, overseeing grain origination operations in Victoria, NSW and South Australia. Ben commenced his career in agronomy and held the position of senior agronomist for six years with a range of corporate farms throughout NSW. Ben holds a Bachelor of Agricultural Science from Melbourne University, and grew up on a sheep and cropping enterprise in Victoria’s Central Highlands.
Kirsten Barlow – Principal Scientist
As Principal Scientist Kirsten oversees the Field Services and Research & Innovation (R&I) divisions of Precision Agriculture providing well-rounded research capacity and capability for the Company’s applied science activities and research projects whilst simultaneously supporting and building on the scientific basis for our farmer products. Kirsten is a highly accomplished soil scientist with over twenty years research experience within Agriculture Victoria progressing from a Cadet through to a Senior Research Scientist. Her research has focused on the chemical and hydrological processes which affect nutrient availability and transport in a range of farming systems, as well as the development and application of computer models to farm systems research. She holds a PhD, Bachelor of Agricultural Science (Hons) as well as a Graduate Diploma in Front Line Management. She is also the current Chair of Certified Professional Soil Scientist (CPSS) Accreditation Program Board. Kirsten is based in Rutherglen.
Brendan Partridge – Ballarat Hub Manager & Precision Agriculture Specialist
Brendan is our Specialist for the Ballarat region. He has significant experience in the agriculture and technology sector, having worked in a variety of roles over the past ten years across VIC. Brendan commenced with the business as a Field Technician.
Our Customers
A standard blanket rate of fertiliser or lime may excessively apply amendments in areas where it is not required yet under apply in deficient areas. In many situations, the grid mapped sites have required significantly reduced overall fertiliser or lime inputs with an increase in overall yield expected via the targeted application of amendments. I have found it to be a useful tool to reduce the amount of within paddock yield variability which ultimately leads to more profitable outcomes for my clients.
The concepts of precision agriculture have changed the way we manage our farm. The practices we have employed over the last 4 year of consulting with Precision Ag in Ballarat have helped us close the gap between our best and bottom yields. And has also been a contributing factor to lifting our overall water use efficiency, with 2018 achieving our best average yield yet.
We have a high level of confidence in the services Precision Ag provides and have been able to realise increase farm profit from survey work, grid soil sampling and strategic deep nitrogen sampling.
National Network
Our dedicated specialists are based in major regional areas, with relationships that have been built over 20 years.
Our national reach, combined with local knowledge, means our team is equipped to assist with everything from your basic farming requests through to major research projects.
Contact us today to see how we can help you.
