Research centre features Cravo retractable roof technology and will facilitate insights for growers
The 2025 Gatton AgTech Showcase has hosted the launch of the Protected Cropping Centre for Mild Winter Climates at the Gatton Smart Farm.
The A$3.57mn centre was officially opened by Queensland primary industries minister Tony Perret who said the investment in protected cropping research and development will supercharge the development of high value products for domestic and export markets.
“The Gatton AgTech Showcase is a testament to Queensland’s leadership in agricultural innovation, and a government that backs them,” Perrett said.
“It demonstrates how government and industry are working together to secure a prosperous future for our primary industries, which is just part of our bold vision to increase the value of primary industries production to A$30bn by 2030.”
The Centre is designed to designed to support year-round cultivation of vegetables, fruits and berries. It features retractable roof Cravo structure that creates flexibility to optimise growing conditions and productivity.
The launch of the Centre received funding from the National Farmers’ Federation (NFF) National Horticulture Roadshow (NHR) and chair of the NFF Horticulture Council said technology and innovation are central to the future of Australian horticulture.
“With an increased focus on being more efficient with inputs and a need to control climate, the Queensland Centre for Protected Cropping in Mild Winter Climates will be essential for industry to see and understand the advantages of investing in this type of facility,” Burnett said.
The Showcase was held by the Queensland Department of Primary Industries and funded by Hort Innovation, using the vegetable and onion research and development levies, contributions from the Australian government and co-investment from the Queensland Department of Primary Industries (DPI).
Hort Innovation CEO Brett Fifield said increasing productivity was a billion-dollar opportunity for the horticulture sector.
“A recent report we released into the factors driving productivity revealed that high adoption of innovation would benefit the Australian industry by about $1 billion annually in additional value added, reaching A$22bn in 2040,” Fifield said.
“The Gatton AgTech Showcase is all about providing these productivity solutions and opportunities for adoption.
“Autonomous technology is at the forefront of horticultural innovation and is transforming growers’ lives when tackling ongoing issues around labour costs and shortages.”
Insightful protected cropping programme
To celebrate the launch of the Protected Cropping Centre for Mild Winter Climates at the Gatton AgTech Showcase, the DPI Protected Cropping team built out a strong offering of 24 protected cropping exhibitor booths in the Protected Cropping Pavilion, live demonstrations and a speaking programme.
The speaking programme included DPI researchers, growers and industry representatives including speaker and managing director at Agrology, Levi Nupponen, who spoke on de-risking investment in protected cropping.
Rijk Zwaan contributed to the Protected Cropping Pavilion, exhitbiting its ToBRFV-resistant tomato varieties. Additionally, client manager and crop specialist James Bertram joined a panel discussion titled: ’Preparing for New Diseases: The Case of Tomato Brown Rugose Fruit Virus (ToBRFV)’, and shared insights from international breeding and production experiences.
“At Rijk Zwaan we’re combining our global research efforts with best practice to stay ahead of ToBRFV and similar emerging challenges,” said Bertram. “High-resistance genetics are proving to be a cornerstone of sustainable, long-term production systems in both protected and open-field environments.”
