Research underway to understand haystack fires

A new collaborative research project between Food Agility CRC, Charles Sturt University (CSU), Myriota and IAG, parent company to rural, business and strata insurer, WFI, is examining what data is most essential to understanding haystack degradation as a precursor to fires.

Haystack fires can happen spontaneously and variables such as moisture at harvest and during storage, sugar levels in the hay, aeration and temperature can play a part in the likelihood of a fire occurring.

A spontaneous haystack fire can put crops, machinery and fencing at risk as well as impacting livelihoods and mental health.

These factors are not quantified or modelled leaving farmers to rely on decades old approaches such as testing with a crowbar to assess the risk.

Throughout this project, several haystacks across the Riverina individually monitored, and the data collected will be transmitted via Myriota developed satellite communication technology, to a central monitoring and visualisation location. Here, the data will be modelled to recommend sensor configuration and placement in haystacks and generate timely alerts to farmers when their haystacks are at an increased chance of combustion.

The research team will also look at how to identify the critical indicators and process this data to send alerts through Myriota’s satellite communications system. This will allow for monitoring on properties that previously had low or no telecommunications coverage.

WFI executive general manager Andrew Beer said: “Through our parent company, IAG, we’re proud to partner with Food Agility, Charles Sturt University and Myriota on this project.

“The research will help producers and farmers understand the temperature within the haystack, which will enable early detection of increasing temperature and intervention before a fire starts.