Farmanco Facts - July 2026
- 5 hours ago
- 3 min read
Farmanco Management Consultants and Agronomists are out and about on farm at this time of year. Remember to book your mid-year review with your Farm Management Consultant.
Eric Nankivell is back in the east for six weeks doing his round of Riverina and Central West NSW on-farm mid-year catchups—including a run up to his QLD banana farmers!
Thanks to the Farmanco team for coming forward with their usual informative and timely articles.
Farmanco Pestbook 2026 is available for purchase in our website shop. While there, you can subscribe to Farmanco Facts online, email subscribe@farmanco.com.au or call (08) 9295 0940.
Mid-Year Farm Reviews. Checking Progress & Planning Ahead
Ben Curtis (Farm Management Consultant, Esperance)
Your Farmanco consultant will be out to farm businesses, to review progress against budget.
This time of year is great for:
Catching variances and projecting to the end of the year.
The opportunity to talk about broader challenges.
Discussing finance costs, an area worth revisiting, with huge variations in interest costs.
Consider discussing options with Premium Capital Solutions, navigating the tender process for your business.
These conversations often work best on-farm, talking through numbers alongside what is actually happening on the farm.
Approaching The Bank For Additional Working Capital? Here’s How To Nail It!
Jonathan Uphill (Farm Management Consultant, Wagga)
Well-prepared, clearly presented applications lead to stronger bank support.
Up-to-date financials and realistic cashflow forecasts are essential.
Engage your bank early and communicate proactively about any pressures.
A trusted consultant can improve clarity, credibility, and approval outcomes.
Funding should support cashflow, maintain production, and strengthen future performance.
The strength of your application determines the strength of the bank’s response.
Can UAN Substitute for SOA In Spray Tank Mixes?
Mark Lawrence (Farmanco Agronomist, Kojonup)
UAN is not a direct substitute for SOA (Sulphate of Ammonia) when the job is water conditioning.
SOA works because SOA supplies sulfate, which helps reduce antagonism from cations including calcium, magnesium, sodium and potassium in hard water for susceptible herbicides.
UAN supplies ammonium and it may improve performance in some mixes, especially where bicarbonate or uptake is part of the issue. However, it does not condition hard water as reliably as SOA.
The practical rule is that if water quality is questionable, or the herbicide is known to be sensitive to hard-water cations, then SOA remains the best choice. Always follow the product label.
Growers often ask whether UAN can replace SOA in the tank, especially where UAN is already plumbed in and easy to use. It is a fair question …
AI Means That It Has Never Been A Better Time To Be Farming
Ben Curtis (Management Consultant, Esperance)
The fundamentals for farming are as strong as they have ever been—and AI makes them stronger.
Land becomes the most valuable commodity of all.
AI puts expert advice in your pocket, available any time of day.
Automation eases the labour and work health and safety (WHS) burden.
The farmer's role will shift from managing day-to-day complexity to implementing long term direction.
AI will assist in scaling farm businesses.
Many of us see AI as a potential threat but I believe for farmers AI is an incredible opportunity. AI will be the next big thing for Australian farmers and will become the tool that will make farming businesses stronger.
Using Wheat Grade Spread Trends In Grain Marketing
Mae Connelly (Grain Marketing Consultant, Esperance)
Spreads for lower-quality wheat grades have often improved after harvest.
Spreads for higher-quality wheat grades have frequently been strongest during harvest.
Grade spread opportunities and flat price opportunities are not always the same.
Historical spread trends can help guide marketing decisions.
Some clear patterns have emerged in how wheat grade spreads behave during and after harvest. Understanding these patterns cannot predict what wheat prices will do in any given season, but it can provide useful context when making grain marketing decisions.
Mouse Surveillance Update
Farmanco, GRDC and CSIRO
CSIRO have launched a new website www.mouseforecast.com providing the full winter report, and current mouse activity updates.
Growers are encouraged to report paddock observations through MouseAlert feralscan.org.au/mousealert .
The latest winter 2026 forecast shows a mouse plague is under way in Western Australia’s Northern Geraldton zone, with concerning activity also recorded east from Fitzgerald in the Sandplain Esperance zone.
Inspirational Program! Liebe 2026 Women’s Field Day
Eric Nankivell (Management Consultant, Perth)
Eric reflects on the fantastic, well-run day and congratulates the Liebe Group team, volunteers, partners and presenters an event that was warm and deeply valuable.
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