26 Nov 2025
Since November 2024, the Queensland Farmers’ Federation (QFF), in partnership with Goanna Ag and supported by the Department of Local Government, Water and Volunteers (DLGWV), has delivered the Water Use Efficiency Trial (WUET) to help irrigators across South East Queensland (SEQ) better understand how water and energy interact on their farms. The trial focused primarily on understanding water use patterns and irrigation decision-making, with energy insights included as a complementary component to help producers make more informed choices.
Working with six farms across four regions, the trial combined Goanna Ag’s GoField irrigation management system – including on-farm telemetry, soil-moisture monitoring and weather stations with QFF’s in-house expertise delivering tailored energy efficiency assessments. Together, these complementary tools provided producers with real-time visibility of irrigation behaviour, crop conditions and energy use, enabling more informed decisions, reduced inefficiencies and greater long-term resilience.
QFF Water Policy Advisor Jo Martin said the trial filled a critical evidence gap in the region.
Real results across diverse farm systems
“This trial has enabled six farms to access real-time telemetry, training and energy assessments so they can make smarter decisions about when and how they use water, and how that ties directly into their on-farm costs and emissions.”
Across the twelve-month project, the trial delivered strong engagement and practical insights:
six farms engaged (four horticulture, two dairy)
more than 20 sensors and loggers installed
more than 12 site visits
six walk-through energy audits
more than 10 training sessions delivered.
Despite capturing only partial seasons, the cross-site analysis revealed clear trends:
irrigation energy use varied across farms and system types, highlighting clear opportunities for improved pump efficiency and scheduling
many farms had opportunities to shift portions of pumping into daylight hours to reduce electricity grid imports and improve solar utilisation
solar alignment varied across farms; irrigation timing was often constrained by water availability and crop requirements rather than energy signals
opportunities existed through friction-loss reductions, pipe repairs, pump-efficiency checks, tariff reviews and variable speed drive optimisation
producers gained confidence in aligning irrigation with crop need and available energy.
Producers putting data into practice
Three participating farms provided detailed feedback on how telemetry and energy data improved their decision-making.
Cherry Creek Estate – South Burnett (Avocados)
Soil-moisture probes and the irrigation management system improved our visibility of irrigation behaviour across the orchard. While there was a small opportunity to shift some irrigation into solar-generation periods, system design constraints —with irrigation pumps and solar connected to different NMIs — limited the practicality of solar alignment
“Having the data helped us understand our irrigation patterns more clearly. It gave us better visibility of how the system performs.”
— Cody Dennis, Cherry Creek Estate
This reflected a broader pattern across the trial: efficiency improvements often depend as much on system configuration as on management practices.
Piñata Farms – Wamuran (Berries and strawberries)
Piñata Farms used soil-moisture and EC sensors to track root-zone behaviour and crop stress. Insights from the trial validated their transition from soil to tabletops production, offering clearer visibility into moisture patterns and irrigation requirements.
“We’re now using the dashboards to check root-zone conditions and crop stress — so we apply only what the crop needs, when it needs it.”
— Sergio Perez, Piñata Farms
Their experience demonstrates how structural system upgrades such as the transition to tabletops production, combined with data-driven management, can strengthen consistency and long-term efficiency.
Abbott’s Farm – Aratula (Vegetables)
For Abbott’s Farm, the trial provided insights into block-to-block variation, infiltration patterns and irrigation behaviour across short-cycle vegetable crops. While the technology was helpful, Jack noted the need for tools that better match the pace and complexity of intensive vegetable production.
“Tech is great, but it still needs to improve a bit to really fit my crops… A good walk through the crops and experience won’t be replaced — but it’s good to have the data there to compare and make decisions.”
— Jack Abbott, Abbott’s Farm
This reflects a shared lesson: digital tools can complement farmer expertise, but usability and crop-specific fit remain essential for adoption.
Expert insights supporting future planning
QFF’s Jonathan Mendez said the trial’s cross-farm dataset provides a critical foundation for future efficiency programs and policy settings.
“By bringing together on-farm telemetry, irrigation-management data, tailored energy assessments and practical training for producers, we’re building an evidence base that can inform future programs, region-wide efficiency benchmarks and policy design,” said Jonathan.
These insights directly support the SEQ Agricultural Regional Water Assessment by showing how irrigation decisions are made in practice across diverse production systems.
Goanna Ag COO Tom Dowling said producers were highly engaged and eager to see the work continue.
“The uptake and feedback this trial has generated means we’re ready to scale, subject to funding and further partnerships,” said Tom.
Building capability and confidence
Participants consistently said that clear dashboards, trend data and hands-on support were essential to building confidence. Key benefits included:
improved understanding of the water–energy nexus
Greater confidence in making irrigation decisions using real-time data
identification of inefficiencies, including leaks, friction losses and instances of over-watering
greater awareness of tariff impacts and solar alignment
strong peer-to-peer learning at the SEQ workshop.
Collaboration with QFF’s members, including Queensland Fruit & Vegetable Growers (QFVG), played a vital role in identifying suitable participants and shaping the trial’s relevance.
Why the work needs to continue
The final report shows that even within a single year:
measurable efficiency gains are achievable
producers change behaviour when supported
farms consistently see value in telemetry and data-driven irrigation
the sector is ready for broader rollout.
However, single-season monitoring cannot capture full irrigation cycles, climatic variability or long-term system improvements.
QFF sees clear opportunities to expand these learnings and strengthen outcomes in future programs, including:
multi-season datasets that capture full irrigation cycles and climatic variability
broader crop representation, including sugarcane, cotton and other irrigated commodities
expanded sensor networks and deeper integration of telemetry data
regional demonstration clusters to support peer learning
closer alignment with the SEQ Agricultural Regional Water Assessment
stronger integration of water–energy data into planning frameworks
Sustaining this momentum will require continued Government and industry investment. Ongoing support will enable producers to use data more effectively, adopt improved practices and build long-term resilience across SEQ agricultural sector.
Extending the program ensures efficiency gains can be scaled, tested across seasons and embedded into regional planning and policy development.
The WUET is a component of the Water Initiatives in the Lockyer Valley commitment being delivered as part of the South East Queensland City Deal, a partnership between the Australian Government, Queensland Government and Council of Mayors (SEQ).