Sustainable farming using solar energy

AgriFutures Australia has been a sponsor of the 2021 National Renewables in Agriculture Conference, a bi-annual event that examines the very latest in this rapidly changing sector.

Over the coming weeks we will feature some of the key speakers from this event, which this year was held in Dubbo, NSW.

In this week’s podcast we speak with two winemakers, Justin Jarratt from See Saw wines in Orange, NSW and Paul Squires from Squires Winery near Yarrawonga on the NSW, Victorian border.

Both have moved their wineries to sustainable models, and both share practical tips for farmers and producers thinking about using solar but are not sure where to begin.

Learning from their mistakes, they say the first step is access to information by talking to people who already use solar, carefully considering your options and then implementing your strategic plan so that it is line with the needs of your business.

They discuss their cost savings, grazing and growing underneath their panels, the location of their panels, their specific power requirements, and their solar story for consumers.

Although they both have different approaches to using solar, they share a common vision that solar is an important part of agriculture.