How Technology Is Transforming Tasmanian Farms
Dairy cows wearing electronic collars in northern Tasmania are part of a wireless experiment aimed at enhancing milk production and detecting when the animals are on heat to ensure successful artificial insemination. The sensors generate a colossal amount of information, and complex algorithms are used to crunch the numbers to give practical advice to farmers.

Harnessing the Potential of a Nation’s Leftover Food
Instead of throwing leftover food away, we can find creative ways to use leftovers. In recent years, farmers have used anaerobic digesters to convert animal manure into electricity, high quality bedding for animals, and other usable resources.
 
Index Insurance Takes Root as Climate Change Stings Agriculture
Wagering on the weather might become a global business. Farmers everywhere need help to cope with the effects of climate change. Index-based crop insurance could be a good fit in developing countries; it is easily scalable because its reliance on weather data means that providers don’t have to send claims adjusters into the field.
 
Humble Spud Poised to Launch a World Food Revolution
Researchers are pioneering the development of crops fed by sea water. The scarcity of fresh water has been labeled as the planet’s most drastic problem; a fifth of the world’s population already lives in areas of drought. Given the high costs and energy demands of desalination, their non-GM, non-laboratory-based experiments offer an exciting alternative.