Projects
PROJECTS
Analyse - Innovate - Grow
At Farmanco we believe there is an ongoing need to provide research and development of new technologies.
We have been involved in innovative and important research since the 1990’s. In addition to our own research work, we work in conjunction with grower groups and funding bodies such as GRDC and MLA.
Our project and research efforts maintain three key principals, they need to be: Innovative, Tech Focused and Leading Edge. We are supported in our research by our own software tools, such as the Profit Series (enterprise level benchmarketing, with over 25 years of data) and the iPestbook (built on years of original research by Farmanco and our clients' experience of what actually works in the paddock), and our team of experienced consultants and project managers.
Farm Ex-Grain
By June 2026, GRDC understands the R&D gaps that exist in a conceptual design to achieve an on-farm process to assess and classify grain that could then be accepted by industry and where value can be created for growers by doing so.
Verge Launch Pad
Launch pad allows growers to compare machinery widths and direction of travel to understand the optimal path by reducing the number of turns and tracks within a paddock, as well as product wastage through overlap.
Agri-analytics Hub
An innovative digital tool (the Agri-Analytics Hub) co-developed with industry and grain growers that enables agronomists and ‘digitally sophisticated’ growers to conduct their own farm experiments to make data-driven decisions in the context of spatial and temporal soil variability to improve profitability, sustainability, and resilience.
HiRES (High Rainfall, Rotations, Economics, Sustainability)
Farmanco is partnering with DPIRD on a five-year project, HiRES (High rainfall, Rotations, Economics, Sustainability), designed to better understand some of the roadblocks and limitations in our modern rotations. We will be investigating the profitability of various combinations of crop rotation sequences, integrated disease management approaches, and crop management strategies that can be implemented sustainably in the high rainfall zones of Esperance and Albany.
Variable Rate Technology (VRT) for Nutrient Use Efficiency Project
Fostering the adoption of VRT fertiliser application for improved nutrient use efficiency is a Grains and Research Corporation (GRDC) national initiative aimed at addressing that gap by pairing growers who are new to VRT, with experienced consulting agronomists through a peer-to-peer learning model.
Milling Oats
This project aims to provide growers in the Esperance Port Zone with practical milling oats agronomy solutions, including market access and delivery options, to help them make informed decisions about integrating milling oats into their farming systems.
GRDC Farm Benchmarking Project
To 30 June 2028, a national farm-based financial and qualitative dataset will be established, using sophisticated analyses to develop benchmarks and insights to identify and understand sub regional differences in farm performance and the underlying drivers of farm profit.
Soft Wheat Market & Production Development
Through integrated research, trials, and industry engagement, the project will identify optimal production environments, evaluate agronomic and economic performance, and develop an evidence-based extension and communication framework to support adoption. Growers will understand the value proposition and relative return of soft wheat versus low protein hard wheat.
Improving surface and sub-surface water management across the medium & high rainfall zones of Australia
By 2030, grain growers in MRZ and HRZ will have access to new guidelines on how, when and where to implement sub-surface drainage and land forming to improve water use efficiency, resulting in an average annual yield increase of 5% per annum by 2035, across at least 600,000ha in the MRZ and HRZ.
GRDC Mouse Surveillance and Management in the Western Australian Grains Industry
Increasing Capacity and Capability for Mouse Surveillance and Management in the Western Australian Grains Industry
Demonstration of Legume Crops for Reliable Profitability in the Western Region
A majority of growers in the port zones will have access to agronomy packages for pulse/legumes and to whole farm modelling tools for their own farms to determine if particular legumes are profitable in their system. Completed.
AgriBalance - Preparing our people for natural disaster mental health management
This is a COGGO funded, Farmanco led program to provide client-facing agricultural professionals working in rural areas with the skills necessary to effectively communicate and support farmers and themselves through periods of heightened situational stress, in the aftermath of natural disasters or major weather events. Completed.
Diversified Farmland Income: Assessing the impact and opportunities for integrating renewable energy generation into farming systems and regional economies
The project purpose is to conduct a comprehensive desktop analysis focused on exploring the integration of renewable energy projects within the agricultural sector in WA. Completed.
Return on investment for implementing electronic identification tags in a commercial sheep flock in a non-subsidised environment.
Completed.
Carbon On-Farm: Understand, Measure and Manage it Profitably
The National Industry-led Carbon Farming Outreach Program is delivering un-biased, independent carbon farming knowledge to primary producers and ag advisors, with no sales pitch. Completed.
Farmanco-GGA In-Kind Program
As part of a three-year sponsorship partnership with GGA, network members have the opportunity to apply for a portion of an ‘in-kind’ component of the Farmanco sponsorship, which GGA has made transferrable to member groups. The total pool of ‘in-kind’ value available over the three years (2023 to 2025) is $52,500, split into an annual provision of $17,500. Completed.
Validation and demonstration of decision-making tools for managing blackleg in Canola in the Western Region
Completed.
Development of a grower-friendly decision support matrix for using drones to monitor crop conditions
Increased knowledge of the benefits and costs of using drones to monitor crop condition. Completed.
Applying Technology Solutions for Improved Frost Detection, Diagnostics and Precision Management Decisions
Completed.