Tatura SmartFarm

Where research and innovation in agriculture happens

The Tatura SmartFarm is located in northern Victoria’s Goulburn Valley, providing leading scientific research with a focus on economic productivity for horticulture including horticulture, pears, apples, and stone fruits in Victoria.

Agriculture Victoria’s SmartFarms are located at Ellinbank, Hamilton, Horsham, Mildura, and Tatura.

The SmartFarm research ecosystem enables the adoption of technology and innovation in agriculture.

Research and innovation focus at Tatura SmartFarm

The focus at Tatura SmartFarm, is on developing and demonstrating agriculture management practices and technology that help growers adapt to changing climate conditions while maintaining business profitability.

Our work aims to increase marketable yield, product value, and sustainable production efficiency in pears, apples, stone fruit, grapes, and almonds.

In addition, we evaluate integrated pest and disease management, new rootstocks and cultivars plus irrigation and sensor technology.

Through research and innovation, we enable the delivery of high-quality fruit from orchards to local communities and export markets around the world.

Research and innovation at the SmartFarm

• The world’s first sundial multi-directional experimental orchard is sensorised and includes orchard design and training systems for stone and pome fruit.
• Experimental pear and stone fruit orchards, combined with the Sundial orchard, enable new understandings of how orchard design impacts production efficiencies, labour efficiencies, resilience to extreme climatic events, and yield and quality of fruit.
• A narrow orchard systems experiment is being established to determine the extent of benefits that a narrow design can achieve.
• A fruit analytics facility that enables individual fruit from the experimental orchard to be measured for quality attributes including colour, size, and maturity.
• An integrated pest management facility equipped with laboratories, growth rooms, screenhouses, and greenhouses, to support the development and evaluation of new IPM options including biorationals, biopesticides, parasitoids, and weed biocontrol agents.
• Agrivoltaics research investigating the concurrent use of land for energy and crop production by testing the configuration of solar panels over a high-density pear orchard.
• Post-harvest technology to improve quality and reduce wastage supporting Victoria’s circular economy.
• Bureau of Meteorology  weather station providing daily observations including temperature, humidity, wind, cloud, evaporation, and rainfall.
• Irrigation infrastructure that manages water movement across the farm using the latest technology for remote control of irrigation and fertigation timing and amount, plus, the provision of feedback from soil and tree sensors.
• The PearBio Program has a collection of 150 new selections from the Australian breeding program and over 70 traditional cultivars of European and Asian heritage.
• The Victoria State Soil Archive housing almost 30,000 samples from soil surveys and research sites across Victoria.
• A cutting-edge soil physics laboratory that measures a range of key soil physical and hydraulic properties.

Get connected at Tatura SmartFarm

Collaboration is key to the success of Tatura SmartFarm and you’re invited to connect with us and explore the possibilities. Contact angela.avery@agriculture.vic.gov.au or ian.goodwin@agriculture.vic.gov.au.

• Innovation: Contact us if you have an interest in co-design and innovation in agriculture.
• Co-location: Experience the daily activities at the SmartFarm by co-locating with Agriculture Victoria site on-site.
• AgTech: We provide a costed service to test out new AgTech or you can take a look at our AgTech in action.
• Events: Hold an event or host a meeting at the SmartFarm. Our facilities are suitable for national and international scientific and agricultural conferences.
• Visiting scientists: We welcome national and international visitors including scientists, students, and those in the agriculture industry.

Take a tour of Tatura SmartFarm and find out how we are increasing value in the Victorian economy and creating new opportunities for agriculture through research and innovation.

Follow Agriculture Victoria on Facebook or X to find out when the next event is happening at a SmartFarm near you.

Career opportunities

Enjoy a fulfilling career at Agriculture Victoria in one of the many job opportunities ranging from science and research to policy and business or administration, communications, and community engagement. Start a job search and find out what’s available.

PhD opportunities are available at Tatura SmartFarm for those who want to be part of the next generation of leading STEM researchers and scientists in agriculture. For more information contact kendra.whiteman@agriculture.vic.gov.au.