Toowoomba-based founder of DataFarming Tim Neale wins 2019 QLD Pearcey Entrepreneur Award
Announcement posted by Pearcey Foundation 21 Oct 2019
The Pearcey Foundation today announced Tim Neale as this year’s QLD Pearcey Entrepreneur Award winner. The co-founder and managing director of agtech company DataFarming was presented with the award by the Hon. Mick de Brenni MP, QLD Minister for Housing and Public Works; Minister for Digital Technology and the Minister for Sport and Wayne Fitzsimmons, Chairman of the Pearcey Foundation. The award event was held in Brisbane last week in collaboration with CICTA (Council of ICT Associations in Queensland) and with sponsorship and support from ICEMEDIA and TechnologyOne.
Tim co-founded DataFarming in 2017 in Toowoomba in regional Queensland with his wife and fellow precision agriculture specialist Peta, investing in the development of a web platform that could assist farmers and agronomists with precision agriculture solutions to improve the management of their crops and pastures using real-time satellite imagery from the European Space Agency. DataFarming is now one of the fastest growing agtech companies in Australia, with over 12,000 farms already using the system with more than 7,000,000 ha of paddock data processed across Australia, UK, Africa, the Middle East, USA, and Canada.
“Tim combines exactly the spirit, enthusiasm and dedication that Trevor Pearcey invoked those 70 years or so ago. He has successfully coupled his entrepreneurial enthusiasm for risk-taking with the perception of what space technology and imaging could do for the agricultural sector when mixed with advanced IT systems. DataFarming is a unique and world-leading product servicing a vital national industry,” said Bill Caelli, chief judge of the Pearcey Foundation’s QLD Judging Panel.
“However, it is in the man himself, like Trevor Pearcey, in which the real spirit lies, giving a strong example to other young Australians about just what can be done with IT – in Tim’s case for our farming and allied national resource sectors – even with the financial and business risks involved in creating a viable commercial product. Moreover, Tim's leadership to export such high-value, advanced technology products to the world means that he truly does stand in Pearcey's footprint.”
DataFarming has seen unprecedented rates of adoption in the agtech industry by focussing on ensuring the platform is simple to use, low cost, and easy to access. DataFarming has taken a collaborative approach with commercial, government and academic partners, and is an integration partner with eight other software companies.
After spending nearly 25 years helping farmers across Australia and internationally, Tim reflects that the most rewarding part is working in an industry that is like ‘one big family’. He was named 2018 Rural Consultant of the Year at the Australian Farmer of the Year Awards for his services to the agricultural industry. Tim has presented at over 50 national and international conferences on sustainable farming and agtech; including the World Congress on Conservation Agriculture in Canada. Tim has worked internationally in Africa with developing agriculture projects, and has been an active supervisor to PhD students from the University of Southern Queensland and the University of Queensland. DataFarming is also committed to developing the next generation, regularly taking on work experience students.
For more information about previous QLD Pearcey Entrepreneur Award winners, go to https://pearcey.org.au/qld.
Other QLD Industry Award Winners Recognised
The event was also an opportunity to recognise other QLD industry association award winners for 2019, a number of whom attended last week’s dinner.
Other 2019 Pearcey Foundation State Awards
About the Pearcey Foundation
The Pearcey Foundation Inc. is a non-profit organisation established in 1998 to raise the profile of the Australian Information and Communications Technology (ICT) industry and profession. It was created in the memory of one of the greatest pioneers of the Australian ICT industry, Dr Trevor Pearcey. By celebrating the heroes in our industry, past, present and future, the Foundation is looking to attract and encourage young Australians into this most exciting of global high technology sectors of our nation.
Web: www.pearcey.org.au
Twitter: @Pearcey_org #pearceyawards #AdvanceQld
LinkedIn: Pearcey Foundation #pearceyawards #AdvanceQld
Tim co-founded DataFarming in 2017 in Toowoomba in regional Queensland with his wife and fellow precision agriculture specialist Peta, investing in the development of a web platform that could assist farmers and agronomists with precision agriculture solutions to improve the management of their crops and pastures using real-time satellite imagery from the European Space Agency. DataFarming is now one of the fastest growing agtech companies in Australia, with over 12,000 farms already using the system with more than 7,000,000 ha of paddock data processed across Australia, UK, Africa, the Middle East, USA, and Canada.
“Tim combines exactly the spirit, enthusiasm and dedication that Trevor Pearcey invoked those 70 years or so ago. He has successfully coupled his entrepreneurial enthusiasm for risk-taking with the perception of what space technology and imaging could do for the agricultural sector when mixed with advanced IT systems. DataFarming is a unique and world-leading product servicing a vital national industry,” said Bill Caelli, chief judge of the Pearcey Foundation’s QLD Judging Panel.
“However, it is in the man himself, like Trevor Pearcey, in which the real spirit lies, giving a strong example to other young Australians about just what can be done with IT – in Tim’s case for our farming and allied national resource sectors – even with the financial and business risks involved in creating a viable commercial product. Moreover, Tim's leadership to export such high-value, advanced technology products to the world means that he truly does stand in Pearcey's footprint.”
DataFarming has seen unprecedented rates of adoption in the agtech industry by focussing on ensuring the platform is simple to use, low cost, and easy to access. DataFarming has taken a collaborative approach with commercial, government and academic partners, and is an integration partner with eight other software companies.
After spending nearly 25 years helping farmers across Australia and internationally, Tim reflects that the most rewarding part is working in an industry that is like ‘one big family’. He was named 2018 Rural Consultant of the Year at the Australian Farmer of the Year Awards for his services to the agricultural industry. Tim has presented at over 50 national and international conferences on sustainable farming and agtech; including the World Congress on Conservation Agriculture in Canada. Tim has worked internationally in Africa with developing agriculture projects, and has been an active supervisor to PhD students from the University of Southern Queensland and the University of Queensland. DataFarming is also committed to developing the next generation, regularly taking on work experience students.
For more information about previous QLD Pearcey Entrepreneur Award winners, go to https://pearcey.org.au/qld.
Other QLD Industry Award Winners Recognised
The event was also an opportunity to recognise other QLD industry association award winners for 2019, a number of whom attended last week’s dinner.
| Association | Winner | Category |
| ACS | BDO Australia | Skills Transformation of Work Teams - (Small, under 20) |
| AIPM | Project Bell, DVConnect | ICT\Telecommunications |
| AIIA | Felix (merit) | iAwards - Business Service Markets |
| AIIA | Pain ROADMAP – MNHHS, CSIRO & UQ (merit) | iAwards - Research & Development Project of the Year & Data Insights Innovation of the Year |
| AIIA | Collective Care – Seton College (winner) | iAwards - Senior Students |
| AISA | Scott Ballantyne | Cyber Security Law Enforcement Officer |
| APSCo | Kate Conrad, Davidson | Risk Management Award |
| SIBA GITA | Land Solution Australia/Monitum, QLD | Spatial Enablement Award |
| SIBA GITA | StartSapphire Productions | People and Community Award |
| SIBA GITA | Bennett + Bennett, QLD | Technical Excellence Award |
| SIBA GITA | DataFarming and Spatial Vision (winner) Immersive Robotics (special commendation) | Innovation and Commercialisation Award |
| WiT | Mandy Ross (winner) Carla Wall (highly commended) | ICT Outstanding Achievement Award |
| WiT | Megan Avard | Sue Wickenden Entrepreneurial Award |
| WiT | Emily Entwistle | ICT Young Achiever award |
| WiT | Kelly Pedler | ICT Rising Star |
| WiT | Angela Jones | ICT Professional Award |
| WiT | Lisa Gillinder | Life Sciences Rising Star Award |
| WiT | Rebecca McDonald (winner) Robyn Bull (highly commended) | Community Award |
| WiT | PWC (winner) Hall and Wilcox (highly commended) | Employer of Choice |
Other 2019 Pearcey Foundation State Awards
- ACT: presented to Penten CEO Matthew Wilson.
- NSW: won by co-founder, CEO and CTO of Deputy, Ashik Ahmed.
- SA: nominations are now open for the 2019 South Australian Pearcey Entrepreneur Award. Award to be presented on 30th October at Lot 14, Adelaide.
- TAS: nominations are now open for the 2019 Tasmanian Pearcey Entrepreneur Award. Event details to be finalised shortly.
- VIC: awarded to Craig McDonald, CEO and Founder of MailGuard and BlackEvents
- WA: presented to Robert Nathan, CEO and Founder of Australian Tenders, as part of the WAITTA Incite Awards on 14 June.
About the Pearcey Foundation
The Pearcey Foundation Inc. is a non-profit organisation established in 1998 to raise the profile of the Australian Information and Communications Technology (ICT) industry and profession. It was created in the memory of one of the greatest pioneers of the Australian ICT industry, Dr Trevor Pearcey. By celebrating the heroes in our industry, past, present and future, the Foundation is looking to attract and encourage young Australians into this most exciting of global high technology sectors of our nation.
Web: www.pearcey.org.au
Twitter: @Pearcey_org #pearceyawards #AdvanceQld
LinkedIn: Pearcey Foundation #pearceyawards #AdvanceQld