COTTON growers are the most “connected” to agtech and digital technologies, and beef, sheep, grains and sugarcane growers are the least.

According to new research from the CSIRO and the University of New EnglandΆs precision agriculture research group, 40 per cent of cotton growers are connected to mobile data and 47 per cent are connected to radio data.

Horticulture producers are 30 per cent connected on both mobile and radio, and aquaculture and pork are 24 per cent connected to mobile and 22 per cent connected to radio.

The poultry sector had 17 per cent connectivity to mobile data and 20 per cent to radio.

Bringing up the rear was beef, sheep, grain and sugarcane with 10 to 20 per cent connectivity to mobile and less than 10 per cent connectivity to radio data.

Meat and Livestock Australia digital strategy and business development manager Sam Gill told delegates at the Australian Farm Institute agtech conference last week that intensive industries were more reliant on water and therefore had the highest usage of on-farm sensors.