What if your organisation’s greatest asset is the knowledge you already have?

Grower groups and industry organisations are continually looking for ways to improve agricultural extension.

As modern farming becomes increasingly complex, growers are required to make more decisions than ever before, making it important that trusted information is at their fingertips.

That's where artificial intelligence (AI) could play a role.

AI isn't replacing extension officers or technical experts. Instead, it could simply make their knowledge easier for growers to access by unlocking decades of research, trial results and extension resources that often remain buried in documents or difficult to find.

That was one of the key messages from AgExForum26, where Birchip Cropping Group's Alicia Mason and Caitlyn AI's Gabe Davila shared the story behind ChatBCG, an AI-powered platform that allows users to quickly search BCG's research, technical bulletins, podcasts and extension resources by simply asking a question.

Unlike general AI models, ChatBCG draws exclusively on BCG's own research. Rather than searching the internet, every response is grounded in BCG's existing knowledge base and linked back to the original source, giving users confidence in where the information has come from.

Unlocking knowledge that's already there

Every organisation has valuable knowledge sitting unused, Gabe Davila told attendees, posing the question:

"Where is knowledge sitting unused in your organisation? And what value could you create if you unlocked it?"

Research reports, trial results, technical resources and extension materials often represent years of investment, yet much of that information remains difficult to find, buried in documents or left sitting on a shelf and forgotten over time.

The presenters said this challenge is common across agriculture, with many organisations also grappling with technical information that's difficult to interpret, valuable institutional knowledge leaving with staff, limited visibility of what growers are searching for, and the time required to continually produce new extension content.

Alicia explained that growers often don't have time to work through lengthy technical documents. Instead, ChatBCG allows users to ask straightforward questions and quickly find local information drawn directly from BCG's existing resources.

Importantly, the goal isn't to replace expert advice or make decisions for growers. It's another pathway for connecting people with trusted information so they can make informed decisions themselves.

As Alicia emphasised, the value comes from BCG's extension work and research, not from AI itself. AI simply makes that knowledge easier to access.

Since launching, ChatBCG has answered more than 2,200 questions, with one in three conversations extending beyond a single query as users continue exploring topics and interrogating decades of BCG research.

Lessons for other organisations

The discussion prompted plenty of questions from grower groups and industry organisations about the practicality of developing similar tools, whether they could be scaled to suit different organisations, and how to get started.

Alicia’s biggest piece of advice was simple: “Start now”.

She explained that one of the biggest challenges in developing ChatBCG wasn't the AI itself, but preparing years of research, trial results and extension materials so they could be searched effectively. The process took considerable time, highlighting the importance of digitising historical or hard copy information well before an AI solution is on the table.

Whether or not an organisation plans to build an AI tool, digitising reports, trial results and extension materials today will make those resources easier to access and far more valuable into the future.

Another unexpected benefit of the platform is the insight it provides into what growers are searching for. By analysing searches, BCG can identify emerging topics, recurring questions and gaps in existing research, helping shape future extension activities around growers' needs. The platform can even identify questions it can't answer, providing valuable insight into future research opportunities.

The session also reinforced the importance of maintaining trusted, well-organised source material. By limiting ChatBCG to BCG's own research rather than drawing from across the internet, users can have confidence that responses remain grounded in local, credible information.

For many attendees, the biggest lessons weren't about AI at all. They were about extension:

• AI should improve access to trusted information, not replace expertise.
• Valuable research often already exists - it simply needs to be easier to find.
• Organisations don't need to start with AI. They can start by preserving and organising their knowledge.
• Well-organised digital resources become increasingly valuable over time.
• Making trusted information easier to access can improve the adoption of research and help growers make informed decisions when they need to.

As agriculture continues to adopt new technologies, the session offered a timely reminder that innovation isn't always about creating something new. Sometimes it's about making the knowledge we already have easier for people to use.

Ultimately, Alicia emphasised the project has never really been about AI. It's about extension. ChatBCG has made decades of BCG knowledge easier to access, helping connect growers with trusted information when they need it while also providing valuable insight into the questions and information they're seeking.

Further information

Interested in developing a similar tool for your organisation? Reach out to Caitlyn AI or Gabe Davila directly at [email protected], 0448 118 697.

To find out more about ChatBCG, contact Alicia Mason on [email protected], or trial the tool yourself.