About Us

Steve Attard

Steve Attard, is the managing director of AgriTech Solutions. Over the past 25 years he has accumulated a range of skills and expertise in the agricultural sector, including:
  • Irrigation management – scheduling, soil moisture monitoring, energy and water use efficiency, performance assessment and optimisation.
  • Sugarcane cropping systems – nutrient planning, crop rotations, fallow management
  • Productivity – assessment of production, trend analysis
  • Natural resource management – management practices that maximise productivity and profitability whilst minimising off-site impacts
  • Government and industry liaison
  • Education and training

Before establishing AgriTech Solutions, Steve worked for CSIRO in Ayr for 17 years. Steve’s research area centred on sugarcane cropping systems with a focus on water and nutrient management and natural resource management. Steve’s areas of expertise include improving the efficiency of irrigation systems including furrow, overhead low pressure and drip irrigation, maximising productivity through improved irrigation scheduling, reducing risk of nutrient losses through improved irrigation management and improving productivity where irrigation supplies are limited.

Phone: 0418 155 844

Michael Hewitt

Michael Hewitt has more than 20 years of experience in the agricultural industry, including working as an agronomist with the Queensland Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and a senior technical officer for CSIRO conducting field-based research in sugarcane farming systems, with a particular focus on rotational crops and plant breeding. Michael’s role with AgriTech Solutions is in the field of soil moisture monitoring and instrumentation and building and installing the hardware and software for Automatic Irrigation systems.

Email: michael@agritechsolutions.com.au
Phone: 0418 698 924

Joseph Magatelli

Joseph joined Agritech Solutions at the beginning of 2023 and is working as is an Irrigation Technician. Joseph brings over 30 years of experience in cane farming and irrigation, to Agritech Solutions. Joseph utilises this extensive knowledge to establish personalised WISA Irrigation Systems to suit each individual farm layout, and to create the most water & energy efficient system.

Email: joseph@agritechsolutions.com.au
Phone: 0428 540 138

Vishal Rana

Vishal joined the AgriTech Solutions in March 2020 as an Agronomist. The main duties include (a) irrigation system designs (pump performance, hydraulics, energy and crop water requirement), (b) performing electricity tariff assessment and preparing tariff review reports to display best available tariff option with highest savings as well as the characteristics of the latest available tariff and, (c) preparing irrigation schedules based on SISCO model (surface irrigation simulation, calibration and optimisation). He has completed tariff reviews for 23 farms located in Tableland, Burdekin and Isis, QLD for “Energy savers plus program extension” under QFF and Queensland Government. He holds a Master of Engineering Technology major Agricultural Engineering and also enrolled as a part-time PhD candidate in University of Southern Queensland. The research Project and PhD was conducted on field sites for projects funded by the CRDC and Rural R&D for profit programs. He has demonstrated good project management and field-based research methods throughout his current PhD studies, project thesis and course work during his Master of Engineering Technology degree. He has experience in agronomy, water resource management, energy and water efficiency, crop physiology, systems modelling and irrigation science. Vishal manages the research and development program working with growers, researchers, suppliers and service providers as well as industry collaborators to generate the knowledge, skills and technologies required to improve the water and energy efficiency in sugar and cotton industries.

Email: vishal@agritechsolutions.com.au

Cherrie Stockham

Cherrie is an Operations and Extension manager and engages and consults with Farmers

Cherrie joined Agritech in November 2021 and has a strong background of experience in Agricultural

Jake Moore

Jake has joined Agritech Solutions apart of the QFF (Queensland Farmer’s Federation) Agricutulture Graduate Program in March 2024.Jake has completed a Bachelor in Marine Science and working along side Vishal and the Team, Jake will build on his knowledge of Automation Irrigation Building, Installing, Commissioning Farms and working with our Farmers to provide a smooth transition into the process and ongoing work required in Automatic Irrigation and Farm in One.

Andrew Dwyer

Andrew is apart of the Agricultural Extension Program, introducing younger people into Agriculture Australia and has joined Agritech  in November 2023.

Andrew Andrew has an Associate Degree of Engineering (Instrumentation Control and Automation Engineering) and is utilising his knowledge, working with Joseph and Mike Building and Installing the equipment for the delivery of the recent Burdekin Incentives Project.

Chris Vidler

Chris has recently joined the team and is engaging with farmers