Fertiliser

Sentiment among Australia’s agricultural producers continued to track lower this quarter, with concerns about cost pressures in the wake of Middle Eastern tensions remaining top of mind for farmers across the country. The quarter two Rabobank Rural Confidence Survey, released today, found national sentiment at its lowest point since November 2006 as it dropped to a net reading of - 48 per cent.

The Albanese Labor Government has secured another three shipments of approximately 98,500 tonnes of additional urea for Australian farmers through the Government’s $7.5 billion Fuel and Fertiliser Security Facility. The Albanese Government has partnered with Incitec Pivot, CSBP, and Summit Fertilizer to support the purchase of these additional fertiliser shipments, which are expected to arrive in Australia in the coming weeks. 

On writing this, urea had slipped back below $1,000 a tonne and oil had fallen under US$90 a barrel. The headlines had moved on, the politicians were congratulating themselves, and the market was once again telling us that everything was under control. Problem solved. Move along. Nothing to see here. Except that is exactly what people said after the last fertiliser shock, and the one before that, and the one before that.

Growers in the far eastern wheatbelt of Western Australia will benefit from two new Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) investments exploring long coleoptile wheat, deep-seeded crops and deep phosphorus fertiliser placement.

Queensland producers will gain access to discounts on ground and aviation fuels, and lubricant services through a new partnership between AgForce and Lowes Petroleum aimed at helping reduce operating costs and improve on-farm efficiency.

It seems that compost is a subject that is exercising the minds of many across the shire, and Maldon resident Oliver Messenger is one of them. He has invented a composting system that has been granted an Australian patent with an international patent in the works.

TasFarmers has welcomed the State Government's announcement of a new fertiliser supply agreement, saying it provides much-needed certainty for farmers preparing for the coming season. The agreement, facilitated through Indonesia and fertiliser manufacturer Incitec Pivot, comes after months of concern about global fertiliser availability driven by conflict in the Middle East and disruption to international supply chains.

Following a record year in 2025-26, ABARES is forecasting the value of agricultural production to fall by 5 per cent to $98.3 billion in 2026-27, ($104.5 billion when fisheries and forestry are included). Agricultural export value is expected to fall, down $7 billion to $74.8 billion in 2026–?27 ($79.3 billion including fisheries and forestry exports). 

Plus road train owner operator Zac Anthony gives a real on the road update on diesel prices, plus your weekly farming weather and all of your rural news with Fiona L Fox from Australian Rural and Regional News.

The Albanese Labor Government continues to secure essential fuel and fertiliser to keep Australian agriculture moving, with around 80,250 tonnes of additional urea now locked in through the Government’s $7.5 billion Fuel and Fertiliser Security Facility. Through Export Finance Australia, the Government has partnered with Incitec Pivot to support the purchase of two shipments of urea from Indonesia.

Australia is set to plant a reduced winter crop this year, as the nation’s grain growers contend with mixed weather conditions and the impacts of significantly-higher farm input costs, Rabobank says in its 2026/27 Australian Winter Crop Forecast. The specialist agribusiness bank estimates Australia’s winter cropping area will come in at 23.1 million hectares for the season – down eight per cent on last year and 4.3 per cent below the five-year average.

Almost three months since the closure of the Straits of Hormuz, the federal government continues to issue statements couched in confident language about fuel and fertiliser "secured" and "shipments" and "cargoes" headed our way ... Australian Rural & Regional News put out some feelers to many of the Australian farmers' associations this week ... your story from on the ground out there is wanted.

Queensland’s 2026 sugarcane crush will officially get underway this week, with harvesters rumbling into life across the state’s far north. Tableland crews will fire the starter gun on the 7 month harvest, with the first rakes of cane due to go through the rollers at MSF’s Arriga mill on 18 May. 

The May Budget delivered by Treasurer Jim Chalmers has elicited criticism, and some praise, from many quarters, as illustrated by the following statements from the National Party, Beyond Zero Emissions, National Farmers' Federation and the NFF Horticulture Council, National Seniors Australia, Business Council of Co-operatives and Mutuals, TasFarmers, Grain Producers Australia and NSW Farmers.

This is a responsible Budget that is all about resilience and reform. It’s all about getting Australians through the global oil shock and building an economy that works for more people. We’re delivering more cost-of-living help and building a more productive economy, a better tax system, a fairer housing market and a stronger and more sustainable budget.

Australia’s dairy producers are facing the 2026/27 season with "limited margin for error" as they juggle rising input costs, Rabobank says in its newly-released annual Australian Dairy Outlook ... escalating input costs – led by fuel, fertiliser, water, labour and interest rates – remain the dominant pressure for the nation’s dairy producers.

While headline annual inflation rose sharply in the March 2026 Consumer Price Index (CPI), the re-acceleration in inflation was not, at this point, food led, with food price inflation remaining similar to levels recorded since mid-2025.

Since the beginning of Operation Epic Fury in the Persian Gulf, the price of diesel fuel and gas for cars in Ukraine has increased by almost 30 per cent. The price of the cheapest gasoline has risen by almost 15 per cent ... What do farmers do? What is the Ukrainian government doing?

In the 1930s, Winston Churchill warned that Europe was sleepwalking into danger. Across the chamber, Neville Chamberlain insisted all would be well. “Peace in our time,” he said—a comforting line, right up until Hitler crossed into Poland. We are seeing a modern version of that same delusion play out today.

A great ANZAC show today! We caught up with Tracy Jones from the Dowerin Footy Club for a full debrief after Buddy Franklin pulled on the boots for the Tigers! Plus your rural news (fuel and fertiliser update) with Fiona L Fox from ARR.News...