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29/09/2026
The Yorke Peninsula’s Matthew, James and John Davey leverage technology for an efficient and productive operation.
For South Australia’s Matthew Davey, technology and agriculture are woven into his DNA.
With his father, prominent Yorke Peninsula producer John Davey, instrumental in developing the local servers for dial up internet in the early 1990s, Matthew’s childhood afternoons were often spent by his side – tinkering with computers and building games to play with friends.
Coupled with a six generation farming lineage, this curious young producer was destined to be perfectly placed to leverage the enormous gains being made through ag tech.
“Thankfully dad has always been on the front foot when it comes to technology, and with the development of precision ag representing two of his passions, computers and ag, he jumped at the opportunity as an early adopter."
Returning to the farm in 2006, Matthew works with parents John and Deb, and brother James, and shares his father’s penchant for innovation.
Across the Clinton Centre operation the majority of their machinery is modified.
“Early on it was hard to know what direction to go in,” Matthew reflects. “Do you buy new gear or modify what you already have? Thankfully we had the skills to modify and capture the value of that early technology without huge capital outlays.”
“Today it’s all about data collection, and working out ways to boost profits – tech has moved beyond steering a tractor, and while technology can be addictive, you have to ensure there’s a return on investment.”
South Australia's Davey family, Matthew and Belinda, their children, Lily, Esther, and Abby, with Deb and John, and James and Mikaela.
In recent years the purchase of a new header has proven its worth, the data collected through a demo model trialled on farm suggesting the efficiencies gained equated to half a tonne to the hectare of wheat.
“We prepared a business plan and worked out that the financial value of these savings covered the yearly re-payments on the machine – so it was a no-brainer.”
“The beauty of technology and data is that you can analyse and justify your outlays, which is imperative for a healthy business.”
Profitability aside, Matthew believes the connectivity of every aspect of farm management through online workflow documentation has been an enormous boon, making life – and business – easier.
“We can get information such as yearly plans, agronomist recommendations, office admin all on our phones, instantly.”
“I get maps from my tractor directly to my desktop, and can see every path in the paddock – so if there are areas that are weaker, we can identify them and make more informed decisions as a result.”
As a past winner of The Australian Farmer of the Year Technology Award, Matthew says there’s not one piece of technology that stands out over another, rather, it’s the use of all technology together, leveraged to its maximum potential, that is the game changer.
“The early autosteer technology is where those really significant gains were made, now we’re looking at more targeted zones in the paddock and chasing the one and two percenters to increase yields and profits.”
“Rather than focussing on the whole paddock we identify zones, analysis yield mapping and soil testing, and use that data to push the envelope harder.”
Technology and data underpins measured and highly considered decision-making across the Davey's grain operation.
With the Davey family having farmed “Kalimar Park” since 1887, originally as a grazing operation, Matthew admits that vast amounts of nutrients have been depleted from the soil over such a long time.
“Our focus now is on soil health, nutrition and plant health, so we can restore nutrients, and leave the property in better shape.”
As such, their seed cart is modified with a unique calibration that accommodates for four liquid channels and five granular products.
“We use a lot of liquids, including trace elements and fungicide, and although it makes seeding slower, we’re cutting out passes later in the season – we don’t have to race back to the paddock to fertilise when it looks like rain.”
With staffing a challenge across the industry, Matthew says his use of technology provides welcome reassurance when hiring less experienced people on farm.
“The fact I can see on my screen that the autosteer is working perfectly, and that work is conducted efficiently give me confidence that the job – whether it’s harvest or seeding – is going to be done correctly, which is a real weight off the shoulders for any employee during busy periods.”
James and Matthew Davey inspect this season's crop.
Together with their three daughters, Esther, 11, Abby, nine and Lily, Six, Matthew and wife Belinda want to leave the farm in a healthy state for the future, and are grateful to Rabobank’s Yorke Peninsula team for sharing the family’s vision.
“The amount of times Ben Allen has been out to look around the farm I wouldn’t be able to count, it makes Rabo’s job easier, and helps us really articulate where we’re trying to go.”
“There’s a lot of money and risk in this game, and it’s only going to get more complex – which is why strong relationships are so important, and we feel very confident having Rabobank’s local team by our side.”
As a bank dedicated to agricultural clients, understanding the cycles of agriculture is particularly beneficial – and not only in the dry times.
“Often it’s the good seasons that require the most inputs, and Rabo always understands why we’re coming for more capital, they understand the value of spending on a crop – and that’s one less thing we have to worry about.”
Matthew and James Davey with Rabobank's Ben Allen.