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Tasmania’s next generation of agricultural leaders is set to gain hands-on experience with cutting-edge technology, thanks to a new initiative bringing real-time weather and soil data directly into the classroom.
The Digital Ag Tech on School Farms project will be launched at Agfest on Friday, 2 May at 12pm, at site Seventh Avenue (710).
The project, delivered by Ag Logic in partnership with the Hagley Farm School Agricultural Learning Centre, is helping school students gear up for the future of farming. The initiative is proudly funded by the TAS Farm Innovation Hub through the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund.
As part of the project, networked weather stations and soil moisture probes have been installed at three government schools:
An extension of the project this year will fund installations at:
These state-of-the-art tools will feed real-time local data into lessons, helping students understand the impact of weather and soil conditions on farm decisions such as planting, irrigation, harvesting, and protecting crops from extreme weather.
“The information students will access includes temperature, humidity, wind speed and direction and rainfall — key factors that influence farm work,” said Marek Matuszek from Ag Logic.
“They’ll also get alerts for events like frost or heatwaves and data on evapotranspiration, which helps estimate how much water crops are using. It’s practical, real-world learning that connects the classroom to the paddock.”
The new installations will also become part of a broader statewide network of 51 weather stations and 44 soil moisture probes across Tasmania’s farming regions — initiatives previously funded by the TAS Hub.
According to Andrew Harris, Statewide Coordinator of the Revitalising School Farms initiative, the project is a powerful example of how collaboration with industry can transform education.
“With this new rollout, five government school farms and one non-government school farm will have this advanced technology on-site,” he said.
“It’s about preparing students for the modern ag sector — giving them hands-on experience with the tools that are shaping the future of farming.”
Sandra Knowles, Director of the TAS Farm Innovation Hub, said the project is about more than just learning — it’s building resilience.
“This is a win for both education and climate preparedness,” she said.
“By helping students understand and interpret climate data, we’re fostering the next generation of agricultural professionals who will be ready to face challenges like drought and climate change head-on.”
Interested in getting involved?
Teachers looking for training on using the data from the weather stations and soil moisture probes can contact Andrew Harris at the Hagley School Farm Agricultural Learning Centre on (03) 6392 2272. Professional learning opportunities will be delivered for teachers in 2025/26.
The TAS Farm Innovation Hub is one of eight hubs nationally funded through the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund. The Hub is based at the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture (TIA) at the University of Tasmania and delivered through an extensive network of industry and community partners.
Photo/Interview opportunity: The project will be launched at Agfest on Friday, 2 May at 12pm, at site Seventh Avenue (710). Teachers, students and representatives from the TAS Hub and Ag Logic will be there for interviews. A weather station has also been installed at the TAS Hub stand at Seventh Avenue (710) for photos and filming opportunities.
