New food and agriculture not as we know it

The National Farmers' Federation launched the Sydney Institute of Agriculture with director Professor Alex McBratney, calling for a New Agriculture to address noble and global challenges while giving consumers what they want. National Farmers' Federation CEO Tony Mahar today launched the Sydney Institute of Agriculture - taking a roots to shoots approach, from the soil science of climate change to robots engineered in concert with farmers and a focus on value-added products tailored to individual shopper's needs. University of Sydney Vice-Chancellor and Principal Dr Michael Spence commented ahead of the launch: "This is the latest University-wide centre formed to solve grand challenges that cross disciplinary divides." The Institute encompasses areas and projects such as: Precision agriculture work pre-breeding heat-tolerant staples Animal behaviour (including a project looking at cow communication   - helping more than a dozen  countries struggling to cope with issues such as  drought - Sydney Institute of Agriculture director Professor Alex McBratney said to continue to be productive as well as profitable in a changing environment, rather than "incremental change", Australia needs to develop a "new agriculture". "The Sydney Institute of Agriculture.. is here to provide solutions and rigorous planning for future food and fibre, assisting farmers to produce the clean, green products Australia is renowned for," Professor McBratney said in his speech launching the Institute.