Kristen was among the scholars announced in Darwin, where she was recognised for her proposed research into using AI as a decision-support tool for dairy farmers navigating increasingly variable conditions.
Her family operates a 1300 cow dairy enterprise at Glenbank Farm, supported by 15 staff across a mixed housed and grazing system.
The farm faces a range of challenges that can complicate management decisions, including volatile irrigation allocations, variable rainfall and fluctuating fodder costs.
Kristen's research - titled ‘AI as a decision support: Building drought resilience in the Australian dairy industry’ - will investigate whether AI can bring together the different sources of information available on farms and turn them into useful, timely insights.
The research will explore how data such as soil moisture, irrigation allocations and fodder requirements could be integrated to help farmers make more informed decisions throughout the drought cycle.
As part of the scholarship, Kristen will travel to Chile and Argentina to investigate the use of AI and technology to improve water-use efficiency, as well as the United States to examine the application of digital twins.
Her own farm will provide a practical test case for the research.
Kristen said AI could provide an opportunity to make better use of the data already being collected on farms.
“AI presents a real opportunity to bring together the fragmented data farms are already sitting on, analyse it, and turn it into insights that help farmers make more timely, informed decisions through the drought cycle,” she said.
She said the international study tour would provide an opportunity to examine approaches being used in other agricultural systems and consider how they could be applied in Australia.
“I can’t wait to get out there and see what’s working around the world, and bring the best of it home.”
Kristen said receiving the scholarship was a significant opportunity and acknowledged the support of Nuffield Australia, the Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Future Drought Fund, her family and the Glenbank Farm team.
“This is a huge privilege and I can’t wait to get stuck in,” she said.
