Victoria's On-Farm Internet of Things Trial

How does the trial work?

Agriculture Victoria is partnering with NNNCo to establish IoT network coverage across each of the four trial regions. This network will be available for farmers to connect to.

Agriculture Victoria is establishing a Catalogue of Apps & Devices. Participating farmers will be able to select technologies from this catalogue with a financial contribution from Agriculture Victoria.

An Industry Technology Coordinator has been appointed to each trial region. The coordinators will recruit farmers to participate in the trial and provide specialised support for farmers to select technology to trial.

Agriculture Victoria will evaluate the impact that the selected technologies have on farm performance.

Grant funding for the trial will be delivered in multiple funding rounds. The first funding round is a pilot round, during which Agriculture Victoria will seek to enrol 100 farms (25 farms from each trial region). Expressions of interest for round one of the trial were open from 5 July to 2 August 2019 and are now closed.

In subsequent rounds, the On-Farm IoT Trial will be expanded to include up to a further 500 farms.

Outcomes of the pilot round will be used to inform the design of the expanded trial and subsequent funding rounds.

Who can take part in the trial?

Full information about who can participate in the On-Farm IoT Trial and the process for applying for a grant can be found in the Applicant Guidelines.

To be eligible to participate in the trial, farms must:

• be a commercial farm that is either a:
  • dairy cattle farm in the Maffra trial region
  • horticulture farm in the Tatura trial region
  • broadacre cropping farm in the Birchip trial region or
  • sheep farm in the Serpentine trial region
• be a business with an Australian Business Number (ABN)
• be a legal entity
• meet all industrial relations obligations as an employer in accordance with the National Employment Standards
• have a broadband internet connection (for example, 4G network, NBN, ADSL)
• agree to participate in future evaluation activities.

To be considered a commercial farm business, farm turnover must exceed $50,000 per annum under normal business conditions (a year in which average yields/productivity is achieved and with no adverse climatic conditions such as drought).

Sheep farms must be either a mixed enterprise with at least 100 head of sheep, or a specialised sheep (meat/wool) producer.

In addition to meeting the above criteria, farmers wishing to participate in the On-Farm IoT Trial must agree to:

• complete a Farm IoT Plan for their business, with support from an Industry Technology Coordinator
• select at least one IoT solution to trial on their farm for at least two (2) years
• contribute to the cost of the Apps & Devices to be trialled
• share data generated by the Apps & Devices with the department during the On-Farm IoT Trial
• enter into a Grant Agreement with the department
• participate as an On-Farm IoT Trial case study, or in On-Farm IoT Trial demonstration events.

What is the application process?

Applications to the On-Farm IoT Trial are currently closed.

Applications will only be accepted during an open funding round. Open and close dates for each funding round will be advertised on the Agriculture Victoria webpage.

If you would like to be notified when the next funding round of the trial is open, please sign up for email updates at the bottom of this page.

Applications to round one of the trial follow a two-stage process.

An Expression of Interest (EOI) stage to determine farm business eligibility to participate in the trial. This stage is now closed.

An Application for Funding stage, to select suitable IoT apps and devices to test on farm and apply for a grant to contribute to the costs of selected apps and devices.

The application process for round one is as follows:

1. Read the Applicant Guidelines carefully to establish your eligibility
2. Complete an online EOI form and submit it before the EOI close date
3. Your EOI will be assessed and, if successful, you will be contacted by an Agriculture Victoria Industry Technology Coordinator
4. Develop your Farm IoT Plan with the support of an Industry Technology Coordinator
5. If invited by the department, submit your online Application for Funding, including the Farm IoT Plan, to apply for funding to trial IoT solutions on your farm
6. Your Application for Funding will be assessed and, if successful, you will be required to execute a Grant Agreement with the department and be enrolled in the On-Farm IoT Trial as a Participating Farmer.

What documents do I need to submit an EOI?

Expressions of Interest are currently closed.

You will need to provide your ABN to submit an EOI.

If you are the trustee of a trust, you will also need to print and sign a Trustee Declaration Form and submit it as part of your EOI. The Trustee Declaration Form can be accessed online through the EOI application process.

The department may also contact you to request additional supporting documentation to determine your eligibility to participate in the On-Farm IoT Trial.

When can I submit an EOI?

Expressions of interest for round one of the trial are now closed. A call for further EOIs will be announced prior to each funding round for the trial.

EOIs will only be accepted by the department during an open EOI round. Open and close dates for EOI submissions will be advertised on the Agriculture Victoria webpage.

If you would like to be notified when EOIs are open, please sign up for email updates at the bottom of this page.

How much is the grant worth?

For round one of funding, a maximum grant amount of $30,000 (excluding GST) will be awarded per eligible application.

The grant amount awarded will depend on the total cost of the apps and devices you have selected to purchase in your Farm IoT Plan.

You will be required to make a minimum co-contribution of $1 for every $2 grant money awarded, based on the cost of apps and devices excluding GST.

When can I apply for a grant?

Farmers who submitted an eligible EOI for round one of the trial will be invited by the department to apply for a grant. If invited, you will be advised of the close date for applications and will be required to complete and submit your Application for Funding before the close date.

Dates for funding rounds, once available, will also be published on the Agriculture Victoria website.

What is the Catalogue of Apps & Devices?

The Catalogue of Apps & Devices will support farmers to select on-farm IoT technology to test under the On-Farm IoT Trial.

The catalogue contains a range of IoT technologies that have been deemed suitable for the On-Farm IoT Trial. It will be available for farmers to select apps and devices to test on-farm under the trial.

The catalogue will include details such as functionality, cost and network compatibility for each of the IoT technologies listed, as well as the contact details of suppliers for the trial.

When will the catalogue be available?

The full Catalogue of Apps & Devices including specific item and costing details will be available to eligible applicants who have been selected to take part in round one of the trial through the Expression of Interest process.

See an overview of the catalogue:

• Overview of the Catalogue of Apps & Devices (PDF - 208.6 KB)
• Overview of the Catalogue of Apps & Devices (WORD - 34.3 KB)

How will the trial regions be determined?

The trial regions will be defined by the extent of IoT network coverage. Connectivity is expected to cover the majority of the Local Government Areas of Greater Shepparton, Wellington, Loddon, and Buloke, and parts of Moira Shire (Cobram and surrounds). The objective is to maximise the total area covered.

A Request for Proposal (RFP) for IoT network connectivity was released in 2018. The RFP invited network providers to submit a proposal to deliver IoT network capability to the regions of Maffra, Tatura, Birchip and Serpentine for the two-year trial period.

NNNCo was successful through this process and will partner with Agriculture Victoria as the network provider for the trial. NNNCo is a leading Australian IoT network provider with experience deploying and managing networks to support cities, utilities, logistics and agriculture.

NNNCo will roll out LoRaWAN across the trial regions. LoRaWAN is a long-range network that wirelessly connects devices to the internet. More information will become available as the IoT network is rolled out to the trial regions.

How can I find out if my farm is in a trial region?

Agriculture Victoria considered the location of applicants’ farms during the EOI process to determine the feasibility of establishing IoT network connectivity on farms under the trial.

Agriculture Victoria has contacted applicants to the EOI for round one to inform them of the outcome of their EOI.

Connectivity is expected to cover the majority of the Local Government Areas of Greater Shepparton, Wellington, Loddon, and Buloke, and parts of Moira Shire (Cobram and surrounds).

More information will become available as NNNCo’s IoT network is rolled out to the trial regions.