The Tasmanian Government is investing more than $1.1 million for two new projects lead by the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture (TIA), further boosting their research capacity and industry partnerships on the North West Coast.
In addition to the more than $5 million a year provided to TIA through the Joint Venture Agreement, the Tasmanian Government is funding $460,000 from the Agricultural Innovation Fund towards establishing a Zero Net Emissions Horticulture Demonstration Farm at the TIA Vegetable Research Facility at Forthside.
Minister for Primary Industries and Water, Jane Howlett, said the Tasmanian Government's 2030 Strong Plan for Tasmania's Future backs in the agricultural sector to innovate and prosper through research projects like this one.
"Farmers are important land managers and are responsible for significant carbon stores in soils and vegetation, however, agriculture contributes emissions from livestock, manure management and the application of soil conditioners and fertilisers," Minister Howlett said.
"The Zero Net Emissions Horticulture Demonstration Farm Project aims to develop an Australian-first zero net emissions farm to work collaboratively with growers about ways to reduce emissions, while maintaining productivity.
"The project will help reduce emissions by developing and sharing knowledge about reduced and alternative fertiliser application strategies, increasing growers' adoption of low emissions crop practices, and reducing costs of production.
"The Tasmanian Government is also providing an additional $700,000 to TIA for a supplementary feed facility at the TIA Dairy Research Facility at Elliott and a new greenhouse facility in the North West of the State.
"The supplementary feed facility will provide increased flexibility for preparation of feed regimes and increase the efficiency of management of the dairy research conducted at Elliott.
"It will reduce reliance on commercially produced animal feeds and provide additional resources for farmer demonstrations and research capacity."
The Tasmanian Government's financial contribution is being matched by the University of Tasmania to develop a new research greenhouse development in the North West.
The greenhouse will enhance research, teaching, and industry extension and demonstration capacity, as well as the important work TIA carries out in the North West of the State.
The greenhouse will enable TIA to conduct a wide range of plant growth studies and the testing of new technologies for example in vegetables, poppies, pyrethrum and winegrapes, along with engaging students in practical teaching and conducting industry demonstrations.
Investing in agricultural research and innovation is a key plank of the Tasmanian Government's strong plan to grow the annual farm gate value of Tasmanian agriculture to $10 billion by 2050.
