Fertiliser

Peter Christen. If you've ever wandered through Panacea Estate and seen a flock of sheep wandering between the vine rows, you might have wondered: What are they doing here? The answer is simple and surprisingly effective. They're helping us make better wine.

Monash University scientists are urging caution around recent claims of breakthroughs in green nitrate fertiliser production, warning there is more work to do before the concept is market-ready. Research by the Monash School of Chemistry has reviewed 50 published studies claiming to have produced green nitrate fertilisers, and found none that successfully resulted in a sustainably-produced alternative to existing products.

Global urea supplies currently sit in a fragile state, with several key suppliers exporting lower volumes year-on-year, which creates a "ripple effect" for available volumes for Australian fertiliser importers, Rabobank says in a newly-released report.

Roy Butler, Member for Barwon, tells us he visited a place run by Oceans2Earth. They make a product called Soil Enhancer. They mix fish waste and wood together to make a fertiliser. The man behind this is Tim Crane, originally from Wilcannia.

Shaun Ossinger. The world biochar market is estimated to reach $5 billion dollars by next year more than 100 people were told at the recent South Coast Biochar Forum. Key speaker Professor Stephen Joseph told the Wilson Inlet Catchment Committee forum that biochar had huge potential to sequester carbon, improve plant and animal health and manage a host of waste streams in the process.

Land managers across the Murraylands and Riverland are invited to attend a free workshop to find how biochar can be used to improve soil health. The event will be held on-farm at Lameroo ... and include live demonstration of a biochar kiln, weather permitting. Operated by Maccy Biochar, the kiln will be used to burn organic, on-farm waste at a high temperature in a low oxygen environment.

GrainGrowers is closely monitoring the impending sale of Incitec Pivot Fertiliser (IPF) to Indonesian government-backed fertiliser company PT Pupuk Kalimantan Timur (PKT) to ensure growers have access to a consistent supply of critical inputs. GrainGrowers’ Chair Rhys Turton said the sales process had been underway for some time, with members expressing concerns over access to an uninterrupted supply of products.

A recent Rabobank report highlights a complex scenario for the global fertiliser market – fertiliser costs are down, but so are commodity prices, squeezing farmers’ margins. Demand for certain fertilisers, such as phosphates, is experiencing a downturn.

Better than expected summer rain across key winter crop growing areas has set up a favourable window for 2024 winter crop planting ... Incitec Pivot Fertilisers (IPF) technical agronomist Clint Sheather explains while the last thing growers want to do when applying fertiliser at planting is delay or reduce plant emergence, there is potential for seed damage when fertiliser is placed with the seed.    

In years to come Casino could be known not only for its beef industry but for its innovation and sustainability. Visitors may still come to tour the Casino Food Co-op abattoir and packaging centre but there is likely to be great interest in seeing the workings of the biohub next door that creates energy from the nutrient-rich waste at the Co-op site.

The NAB Rural Commodities Index* increased for the third month in a row in January, underpinned by rising cattle prices which are now around 60 per cent higher than their October lows. NAB’s February Rural Commodities Wrap ... reports cattle, lamb and dairy prices have all recorded gains, fuelling the Index’s rise to levels last seen in May 2023.

When UAG Bio Nutrients needed specific plastic manufacturing expertise to produce its patented vermiculture modules, it turned to Select Plastics ... The process is the first in the world to efficiently and cleanly integrate anaerobic digestion and vermiculture at industrial scale to convert organic waste into bio-fertiliser and clean energy.

Australia’s agricultural sector is "moving confidently into 2024", with an overall positive outlook for the nation’s farmers and agribusiness industries in the year ahead, Rabobank says in its newly-released annual outlook ... while agri commodity prices are "well down on the highs seen over the previous two years", the bank’s price forecasts point to "continued positive farm margins in key agricultural sectors in 2024"

Trade logistics are set to become increasingly challenging for Australia’s agricultural sector with the escalating tensions in the Red Sea disrupting global trade, according to agribusiness banking specialist Rabobank. However, there are also potential upsides for the nation’s wheat and barley exports, the bank said.

Most Aussie farmers say climate change is the single greatest threat to their business, according to Farmers for Climate Action’s online survey on the Net Zero Sector Plan for Agriculture and Land. Farmers for Climate Action created the survey to make sure farmers … could easily have their say as part of the Federal Government’s Sector Plan consultations.

Andrew Smith, Rural Bank Head of Agribusiness Development said: “As was the case for 2023, the three key themes that will impact Australian agriculture in the first half of 2024 continue to be seasonal conditions, trade conditions and economic headwinds, but looking to the upside, a more favourable economic environment is expected to begin supporting agricultural markets in the back half of 2024."

After extreme market volatility and record-high prices in recent years, global fertiliser prices are expected to settle in 2024, despite uncertainty posed by the Israel-Hamas conflict as it currently stands, Rabobank says in a new report. In its just-released Semi Annual Fertiliser Outlook, titled What is next?, the agribusiness banking specialist says while the Israel-Hamas conflict creates some uncertainty in the outlook for fertiliser markets, the current impact for the food and agri sectors is manageable.

With the global insect market expected to be worth more than US$6.8 billion by 2032, AgriFutures Australia has released a new five-year plan to accelerate the growth of the emerging Australian industry.

In response to the urea shortage currently being experienced in Australia’s northern and southern regions, the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) has published new resources for growers. To support growers and advisers considering on-farm storage, GRDC has published ‘Investing in fertiliser storage infrastructure’, available online to read and download.

With spring in full swing, the weeds are up and about. Rotor Solutions Australia (RSA), operating out of Albury, has been busy in the Upper Murray spraying winter and spring weeds over the past few months, not only from the helicopter but also using a drone.

Targeted co-investments and favourable policy settings promoting the establishment and retention of new domestic fertiliser operations are required to unshackle Australia from its dependence on overseas supply, a GrainGrowers report has found.  The Fertilisers of the Future Report examines in depth the so-called big three fertiliser inputs – nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium...

Improved affordability of agricultural fertiliser is set to prompt a recovery in demand and application rates by farmers next season, Rabobank says in a recently-released report. In its Australian Fertiliser Outlook 2024/25, the specialist agribusiness bank says Australian farm fertiliser consumption had declined 20 per cent in 2022...