Farmanco Facts - Agribusiness Edition 2025

tnankivell
5 days ago
5 min read

During the Christmas season, Farmanco provides a FREE Agribusiness Edition of Farmanco Facts—compiled of choice articles from the year.

Our consulting teams (Agronomy, Management and Grain Marketing) were polled on the articles they thought best represented 2025.

Key points of articles included are outlined below.

You can subscribe to have Farmanco Facts emailed or posted via our Website Store, by contacting our Rivervale Office (08) 9295 0940 or by emailing subscribe@farmanco.com.au.

What Makes a Top Performing Business

Rob Sands (Farm Management Consultant)

Understand the profit drivers of their farming system which increases their WUE.
They are uncompromising on getting the right timing, rate, and product for every situation.
They get the job done more quickly, more efficiently, and at a lower cost.
They keep a tight control on all costs.
They own and lease more land, buy land on performance, and don’t focus on rainfall alone.
Adapt to changes rapidly.
Pay for advice, then act decisively.
Accumulate knowledge of their business and productive performance.
Understand logistics and that fewer enterprises mean fewer compromises.
They keep it simple and do fewer things very well.
Purchase the right machinery and carry out due diligence on reliability and total costs and negotiate hard on price; and
Employ the right people and look after them.

The 2025 Profit Series Top 25% has been determined by ranking on their five-year average Return on Assets Managed (ROAM) — as a percentage of Productive Assets (Land – Owned and Leased or Sharefarmed; Infrastructure; Livestock and Machinery). The return is the Operating Profit (earnings before Interest, Lease and Sharefarm Costs, and Tax).

Precision Agriculture Software in Australia: Making Sense of a Complex Landscape

Giles McMeikan (Agronomy / Precision Ag Consultant)

The last decade has seen enormous growth in the adoption of Precision Agriculture (PA) across Australian broadacre systems.
What remains a sticking point for many growers and advisors is the software layer.
The software landscape continues to evolve rapidly.
Australian producers have access to a range of platforms, designed to manage data, generate prescription maps, and connect on-farm activities to the cloud.

Australian producers now have access to a range of platforms designed to manage data, generate prescription maps, integrate information across different machines, and connect on-farm activities to the cloud.

Tile Drainage: Managing Waterlogging for Productivity

Greg Easton (Farm Management Consultant)

Diagnose in wet conditions; install drains when dry.
Always check the outfall before construction.
Drain both the landscape and the soil.
Undertake installation in stages.
Ensure compliance with local, state, and federal environmental regulations.

It’s not often that an agricultural investment delivers a one-year payback. During a Farmanco management and agronomy professional development tour of Esperance, we visited a site where subsoil drainage had been installed— with remarkable results.

Is Land Value Too High to Make Purchasing Viable?

Ben Curtis (Farm Management Consultant)

Land values have increased by more than 10% per annum over the last 20 years.
Land values are expected to continue to grow.
High rainfall farms generally grow in value at a faster rate than lower rainfall farms.
Productive agricultural land is expected to continue to be in high demand in the future.
Higher interest rates have made it harder to justify purchasing land for many growers.

With the rapid increase in land prices, many growers are starting to question how sustainable these increases are and indeed if there is any sense in paying these high prices.

Urea Coatings for Improved Nitrogen Efficiency

David Cameron (Agronomy Consultant)

All fertiliser companies are actively coating urea.
NBPT can reduce ammonia losses and is the most common product.
Favourable results with NBPT are more likely on sandy soils.
Nitrification inhibitors and polymers are suited for high rainfall environments.
CSBP Sustain is now only NBPT based.

In recent years there has been a lot of activity with Enhanced Efficiency Fertilisers (EEFs) which aim to improve nitrogen utilisation with urea and UAN.

The Other Trade War: Non-Tariff Trade Barriers

Mae Connelly (Grain Marketing Consultant)

Non-tariff barriers (NTBs) are trade restrictions like complex paperwork, shifting biosecurity standards, and inconsistent testing rules.
NTBs are rising and now cost Australian agricultural exporters the equivalent of a 19% tariff.
Grain Trade Australia (GTA) plays a key role in reducing NTBs and supporting technical market access.

Last month in Farmanco Facts (May 2025), we looked at the big-picture trends in global trade and how a more polarised, protectionist world could affect Australian grain exports — and our prices.

VRT: The Concept Hasn’t Changed. How We Use It Has.

Giles McMeikan (Agronomy Consultant)

Same concept, smarter tools: VRT is now powered by live data and powerful platforms.
Seamless connectivity: Sync maps and adjust rates in real time.
Iterate to improve: Trial, review, and refine each season.
Data-built zones: Use soil, yield, protein, or topography layers to guide inputs.
Start small, scale smart: Begin with one input, expand with confidence.

Variable Rate Technology (VRT) has been around for years — and the idea has never really changed. Get the right input, in the right place, at the right time. What has changed is the tech that enables it.

Not all Grain goes on a Boat: Why Domestic Demand Matters

Mae Connelly (Grain Marketing Consultant)

Around 30% of Australia’s grain is consumed domestically, with demand set to rise due to population growth and increased demand for grain-fed meats.
Feedlots and poultry drive grain demand, with cattle-on-feed numbers and days on feed both increasing steadily.
Western Australia and South Australia remain key grain exporters and supply backup during eastern droughts.
Rising east coast domestic grain demand supports WA prices, even if the link isn’t direct.

On average, around 30% of the national crop is used within Australia each year — and that demand is expected to grow.

Also included are:

Budget Prices WA 2026

Budget Prices NSW, VIC & SA 2026

DISCLAIMER:

AUSTRALIAN FINANCIAL SERVICES LICENCE

Farmanco Marketing Pty Ltd is a Corporate Authorised Representative No. 341189 of Primary Financial Services Pty Ltd (AFSL No. 338360). Don McTaggart (No. 298483), Ryan Duane (No. 407412) and Mae Connelly (No. 315016) are Authorised Representatives of Primary Financial Services Pty Ltd (AFSL No. 338360). Primary Financial Services Pty Ltd is restricted to providing financial services to wholesale clients only as defined under the Corporations Act 2001.

GENERAL ADVICE DISCLAIMER

The information and opinions within this document are of a general nature only and do not take into account the particular needs or individual circumstances of investors. The Material does not constitute any investment recommendation or advice, nor does it constitute legal or taxation advice. Primary Financial Services Pty Ltd (ABN 37 136 347 610) (The Licensee) does not give any warranty, whether express or implied, as to the accuracy, reliability or otherwise of the information and opinions contained herein and to the maximum extent permissible by law, accepts no liability in contract, tort (including negligence) or otherwise for any loss or damages suffered as a result of reliance on such information or opinions. The Licensee does not endorse any third parties that may have provided information included in the Material.