Following the announcement the NSW Government is now recruiting farmers to collect the information in order to improve the state’s overall drought monitoring. 

Minister for Primary Industries, Niall Blair said the app will enable primary producers to easily record conditions on their property and will help to provide valuable information for drought reporting purposes.

“By completing a simple crop, pasture or livestock survey using the app, farmers can collect and store data for their business within a matter of minutes,” Mr Blair said.

“This enables farmers to keep and manage a photo diary of their farm and monitor the same paddock over many years in a centralised and easy-to-use format.

“The data will also feed into the Government’s state-wide database, creating an invaluable source of information to verify the state’s seasonal reporting.”

The app will be used to also better understand on-farm water supplies and allow the DPI to establish a dam monitoring network giving the Government a better understanding of places with water shortage. 

Member for Dubbo, Troy Grant said with much of NSW currently affected by drought and with more hot and dry conditions expected over the coming months, primary producers need access to the most detailed information available.

“Now, more than ever, producers in the region are looking to seasonal reporting to inform their decision-making and who better to test the integrity of these reports than farmers themselves,” Mr Grant said.

“This is an effective data collection tool, with clear benefits for farm businesses as well as for informing Government’s response to changing seasonal conditions.”

Primary Producers can download the app by searching ‘NSWDPI Farm Tracker’. For more information visit the Department of Primary Industries website.