Every agricultural conference I attend has a session on AI. Usually presented by someone from Melbourne or Sydney who’s never dealt with patchy mobile coverage on a 2000-hectare property. I wanted to find out what’s actually working for farmers in our region.

Over the past two months, I spoke with a dozen farmers across the Grampians, Wimmera, and Western Districts. Here’s the reality.

What’s Working

Satellite Crop Monitoring

This was the most commonly mentioned success story. Services that use satellite imagery to show crop health across paddocks.

“I can see where the crop stress is before I can see it with my eyes,” explained Mark, a cropping farmer near Horsham. “Last season it picked up a drainage issue I’d never noticed.”

Several farmers mentioned FarmLab and FluroSat (now part of Terrascope). The technology analyses satellite images to create maps showing crop vigour variations.

The appeal is obvious: you can monitor thousands of hectares without driving to every paddock. Problems get spotted earlier, and inputs can be targeted to areas that need them.

Cost: Typically $2-5 per hectare per season. For large cropping operations, the ROI can be significant.

Automated Weather Stations

Not strictly AI, but farmers using smart weather stations with predictive analytics were enthusiastic.

“It’s not just telling me what the weather is—it’s predicting frost risk for the next 72 hours based on local conditions,” said Jenny, who runs sheep and cattle near Ararat.

The data feeds into apps that help with spray timing, irrigation scheduling, and frost management. Davis Instruments and Weatherlink were frequently mentioned, along with Australian company Goanna Ag.

Livestock Management Sensors

For livestock farmers, ear tags and collar sensors that track animal movement, weight, and behaviour are gaining traction.

“The system flagged that three ewes weren’t moving much. Turned out they had footrot starting. Caught it before it spread,” one farmer told me.

Services like Ceres Tag and SmartShepherd are being trialled. The technology identifies sick animals, tracks grazing patterns, and can even predict calving times.

The catch: These require good connectivity across the property. Several farmers said they’d tried and given up because of coverage issues.

What’s Oversold

Autonomous Tractors

Every equipment brand is promising fully autonomous tractors. But farmers I spoke with were skeptical.

“I’ve got John Deere’s AutoTrac. It’s great—drives straighter lines than I ever could. But full autonomy? I’m not leaving a $400,000 machine alone in a paddock,” said one farmer bluntly.

The technology exists but the practical, regulatory, and risk considerations mean most farmers are using driver-assist rather than full autonomy.

AI-Powered Agronomic Advice

Several services claim to provide AI-generated recommendations for fertiliser, chemicals, and planting decisions.

Feedback was mixed. “It told me to apply nitrogen based on satellite imagery, but it didn’t know I’d already done a split application,” complained one user. “The AI doesn’t know enough about what I’ve actually done on the farm.”

The consensus: these tools can provide useful data, but farmers still need to apply their own knowledge and work with local agronomists who understand conditions.

Drone Spraying

Consumer-level spray drones are heavily marketed but aren’t practical for broad-acre farming.

“Great for orchards and small areas. Useless for 500-hectare paddocks,” summarised one farmer.

There are larger commercial drone spraying services emerging, but cost and logistics make them a niche solution for now.

The Connectivity Problem

Almost every conversation came back to the same issue: internet connectivity.

Many AI-powered tools require constant data uploads. Satellite imagery needs downloading. Sensor data needs transmitting. When you’re 30km from the nearest tower with unreliable mobile coverage, these systems struggle.

“I’ve got sensors on water troughs that need cellular connection. Two out of six get signal. The others are expensive paperweights,” one farmer admitted.

Until connectivity improves—whether through NBN upgrades, Starlink rollout, or improved mobile coverage—the most sophisticated AI tools will remain impractical for many properties. CSIRO continues researching agricultural technology solutions suited to Australian conditions, including connectivity-constrained environments.

Getting Started

If you’re a farmer curious about agricultural AI, here’s a practical approach:

1. Start with satellite monitoring. It works offline—you check results when you have connection.
2. Get a quality weather station. Relatively cheap and immediately useful.
3. Fix your connectivity first. Before investing in sensors, ensure you can actually get data off the property.
4. Talk to neighbours. The farming grapevine is excellent for learning what’s actually working locally.

The technology is improving fast. What doesn’t work today might be viable in two years. But for now, be selective about where you invest.

For farmers interested in exploring AI options, their Melbourne team can help with practical implementations—Team400 understands the connectivity constraints and can advise on what’s genuinely viable for rural properties.