Aussie farmers need more than rain, so RLF harvests hope with root-deep tech
RLF AgTech steps in with tech to boost roots and resilience
New trial shows better soil, stronger crops, and lower emissions
It's supposed to be winter planting season.
But in parts of Victoria and South Australia, the soil's so dry it crumbles like stale cake.
In Western Australia, a few inches of rain have painted the paddocks green, but scratch beneath the surface, and you'll find the same old story.
Shallow roots, bone-dry subsoil, and farmers praying the next cold front doesn't pass them by.
The official forecasts from ABARES expect this year's national wheat crop to drop by at least 10%, down to 30.6 million tonnes.
This is a figure that, while above the 10-year average, is well below last season's bounty. Some analysts reckon the number could fall as low as 28 million tonnes.
And that's not just bad luck. It's the culmination of years of soil stress, input fatigue, and farming systems pushed to the brink.
The knock-on effects could stretch far beyond the farm gate. China, Indonesia, and other major buyers are watching closely.
Global grain stocks are already under pressure, and any shortfall from Australia – the world's fourth-largest exporter – adds heat to a market already twitchy from Black Sea instability.
From dry dirt to living soil
But this isn't just a weather story, it's a soil story.
And it's forcing the industry to confront an uncomfortable reality: Australia can't keep playing roulette with rain.
That's where companies like RLF AgTech (ASX:RLF) are quietly changing the story, from the ground up, literally.
At a glance, RLF might look like just another fertiliser company. But that's missing the point.
Its core innovation, Plant Proton Delivery Technology (PPD Tech), works at a cellular level to build bigger, stronger root systems and rejuvenate the very soil those crops depend on.
In a season like this, where rain offers only temporary relief, RLF's tech could create resilience from within.
By priming seeds and delivering nutrients directly through the leaf or soil, it helps crops pull more from what little moisture and nutrients are there, while also laying down the organic carbon that makes next year's soil just a bit stronger than the last.
It's not a silver bullet.
But it's a step toward breaking the cycle of nutrient-hungry farming that's left roughly a third of the world's soils degraded.
Boosting yields, building better food
Stronger roots mean better uptake of micronutrients like zinc, manganese, and boron. That's critical, not just for healthier crops but for more nutritious food on the table.
RLF's idea is simple: feed the plant the way it was meant to be fed.
The execution, though, is high-tech.
It blends agronomy, chemistry and sustainability in a way that helps plants thrive without depending so much on synthetic inputs.
And it's not the only company chasing that future.
ClearVue Technologies (ASX:CPV) 's ag-tech arm, OptiCrop, has just scored its first commercial sale in Israel for a root-zone cooling system that keeps plant temps in the 'Goldilocks zone'.
It works like air-conditioning for crops, and when paired with ClearVue's solar glass, the whole system runs off-grid.
Another company, Ridley Corporation (ASX:RIC), has just snapped up the old Incitec Pivot Fertilisers distribution network for $300 million, giving it a near stranglehold on east coast supply.
Stronger soil, lower emissions
Meanwhile, growers are under pressure to reduce emissions and improve soil carbon. RLF is giving them tools to do both.
And that's becoming a big deal, not just in ESG reports but on real farms.
Take its recent Hillston Soil Carbon Project in NSW - a real-world test bed that's part of the federal Australian Carbon Credit Unit (ACCU) Scheme.
After just one season using RLF's Accumulating Carbon in Soil System (ACSS), soil organic carbon in some zones jumped by up to 5%.
Greenhouse gas emissions fell by 29% across the project area, and synthetic fertiliser use dropped dramatically.
Instead of pounding the paddock with urea and monoammonium phosphate, the trial used RLF's PPD-based inputs to do more with less.
'The 29% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions is a significant achievement – and once the transition to RLF's system is complete, even greater emission reductions are expected', said Carbon West's Jennifer West.
In a tightening margin environment, the ability to pull more value from each hectare is becoming a competitive edge, not a bonus.
'We've got the chance to make a genuine difference to global food security, soil health and meaningful carbon sequestration,' said RLF's acting managing director, Gavin Ball.
'All this, without making things any harder for our farmers.'
At Stockhead we tell it like it is. While RLF AgTech and ClearVue Technologies are Stockhead advertisers, they did not sponsor this article.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
ABC News
8 hours ago
- ABC News
Algal bloom recreational fishing response includes plans for artificial reef and reservoirs
A new artificial reef will be created off the South Australian coast to help the state's recreational fishing sector battle the ongoing impacts of the algal bloom "disaster", the state government says. The government said it was also looking to open more of the state's reservoirs for freshwater fishing "where consistent with public health advice", and boost fish stocks in reservoirs and lakes to take pressure off the marine environment. The bloom is devastating some of the state's commercial and recreational fisheries, as well as hitting parts of the economy that rely on them, such as regional tourism. The government today unveiled measures to support recreational fishers, with short-term funding of $200,000 for Recfish SA to bolster community participation initiatives, such as fishing lessons and competitions. Recfish SA's executive officer Asher Dezsery said fishing and tackle shops were desperately in need of stimulus. "They've had sales collapse by up to 70 per cent so they really need not handouts but feet through the door, they need boots on the ground, they need customers," Mr Dezsery said. The funding forms part of the state and federal governments' $28 million support package, with $300,000 to be spent on installing an artificial reef somewhere in Gulf St Vincent. "The idea of re-establishing reefs as soon as we see this bloom pass is a really important one," SA Environment Minister Susan Close said. "The faster we can help nature restore, the faster we can accelerate that recovery, the faster we'll all be able to move past the experience of this bloom and also make ourselves more resilient in the event that it returns." SA Premier Peter Malinauskas said recreational fishers were feeling the economic effects of the bloom — which he described as a "natural disaster" — even in regions that had avoided environmental impact. "The algal bloom has impacted around about 27 per cent of our coastline, which means 73 per cent of our coastline remains completely unaffected," Mr Malinauskas said. "There are whole regional communities that are underpinned by recreational fishers who book an Airbnb and go to the pub and go to the cafe and restaurant, buy equipment from the local fishing tackle shop. South Australia has several artificial reefs, and it is understood a precise location for the new one has not yet been decided. Recfish SA has strongly backed the proposal, and the government believes it will boost fish stocks and allow "real-time monitoring" of the environment by researchers and citizen scientists. "We know that artificial reefs, from interstate projects, 100 per cent assist fish stocks in recovering. They also create biodiversity," Mr Dezsery said. According to the Department of Primary Industries and Regions, recreational fishing is already permitted in several of the state's reservoirs. Recfish SA said the government was looking to expand that further, including in regional areas. "Wherever there's water, wherever there's reservoirs, council stormwater catchments — any body of water, we're trying to create freshwater fishing opportunities so people can keep fishing without putting pressure on that marine environment." Speaking before the announcement, SA Opposition Leader Vincent Tarzia said that what had been offered to recreational fishers so far had been "completely inadequate", and he issued his own call for reservoir fishing. "There are a number of things that the government could be doing to help the recreational fishing space — one of them, for example, is the government could be doing things like stocking fish and allowing some of our reservoirs, where it's safe to be done, to be fished in," Mr Tarzia said. "That would add significant value in the recreational space." Mr Tarzia has also suggested tourism vouchers, like those that were made available in the wake of the 2023 River Murray floods, could be handed out to encourage regional travel. "Any sort of stimulus that could be allowed for that sort of area would certainly be welcome."
ABC News
13 hours ago
- ABC News
Broome's Son Ming eatery closes, sparking fears town's Asian heritage will vanish
After tens of thousands of meals over more than three decades in Western Australia's north, a devastating fire has forced the closure of Son Ming Chinese Restaurant. The building's distinctive facade has been a fixture of Chinatown, the central business district in Broome, for more than 100 years. Hong Yu's father-in-law ran the now heritage-listed building as a general store along Broome's Chinatown strip during the mid-to-late 1900s, before retiring. Its connection to the family remained strong in the intervening years, with Ms Yu eventually opening the restaurant, which she ran with husband Sam, in 1993. "The others said, 'Your father's going to retire and you got no job, you got the shop there, how about changing it to the restaurant?'" Ms Yu said. The first English phrase Ms Yu learnt was "What would you like?" as she served behind the till and waited on tables. Son Ming became more than a place to eat, evolving into a gathering spot, a museum, and a living archive of Chinese-Australian history in Broome. "I wanted people to know the Broome Chinese community had been here for a long time," Ms Yu said. But after decades of service, a kitchen fire led to the restaurant's closure. In late June, two people passing by jumped into action upon seeing smoke coming from the restaurant's kitchen. While the blaze was contained to the kitchen, sparing the rest of the property, Ms Yu said the incident was the straw that broke the camel's back. "I can't pay for it to be fixed." The closure represents a loss for Broome, a town with deep multicultural roots dating back to the late 1800s when the pearling industry drew people from China, Japan, Malaysia, and Indonesia. European pearling masters successfully lobbied for Broome to be exempt from the White Australia Policy, creating a thriving multicultural community on the shores of Roebuck Bay. Broome had a majority Asian population for much of the first half of the 20th century. But only a few of the original family-run businesses in Chinatown remain. Ms Yu curated a museum upstairs from the restaurant in a bid to preserve some of the history. "When my father passed, I cleaned up and there were all these little photos I hadn't seen before," she said. Ms Yu led the local Chinese Community group in restoring graves in the Chinese cemetery, installing commemorative family names on plaques and coordinating events during Shinju Matsuri, the annual festival celebrating Broome's Asian heritage. For many locals, the closure signals the end of an era. Doug Fong was born in Chinatown, just before the start of World War II, in a building across the street from what would become Son Ming. "Inside the store, they had so many things on their walls depicting Chinese society living in Broome," he said. Mr Fong said he feared people would forget the culture that gave the town its prominence, with younger generations moving away for work and education opportunities. "Broome being such a multicultural town, we need to be part of keeping that attitude going," he said. His wife Margaret said the closure felt like a piece of the town's Chinese history was "disappearing". Ms Yu will continue as chairperson of the Chinese Community group, but said she was unsure what the future held after the restaurant closed.
ABC News
15 hours ago
- ABC News
Century-old water tower in Wodonga transformed into unique bookshop
With its towering, cylindrical form and circular internal shelves, booklovers who enter regional Victoria's newest bookshop have to be willing to fossick for titles in a confined space. Wodonga's 100-year-old water tower has been transformed into a second-hand book store by Melissa Boyes. For decades, the water tower housed a shoe repair business but has sat empty for the past year. "When we first took occupancy, it was very empty and echoey … we've tried to soften it with a bit of carpet, and obviously a lot of books," Ms Boyes said. When the local council asked for expressions of interest for people to occupy the space, Ms Boyes knew a bookshop was the answer. She had experience in such ventures, having opened her first bookshop in an old tobacco shed on her farm in north-east Victoria. "You can squeeze bookshelves in anywhere, and you can make do with the space that you have," she said. In Victoria's south west, Jo Canham had just finished an arts degree in literature and criminology when she decided to ditch a career in the justice system and open a bookshop instead. In 2004, she moved to Port Fairy where she transformed an old Masonic Lodge into a bookshop. "It had previously operated as a church and youth centre, so there were crosses, bibles and even a step-into baptismal font," Ms Canham said. Her store, Blarney Books & Art, was also once home to a bowling alley that ran the entire length of the hall. "We considered for a while whether we should have a combined books and bowling spot, but it was incredibly loud," she said. "We've chopped it up, used it for tables, benches, and other things, so it hasn't been wasted." A health scare and the need for a tree change inspired Ann and Paul Smith to open a little bookshop in a quaint gold rush town on the outskirts of Castlemaine in central Victoria. Mr Smith had previously managed a bookshop in Melbourne for Frank Cheshire before purchasing the 1854 Bath Arms Hotel at Campbell's Creek in 1994. "There was already a good, new bookshop in Castlemaine, so we thought we'd be the good second-hand bookshop," Ms Smith said. Now, the renovated building houses approximately 150,000 books in nine rooms. "It's probably the biggest second-hand bookshop in Australia now, I think," Ms Smith said. Water towers and watering holes are not the only heritage buildings in Victoria being repurposed as bookshops — there are old school buildings too. At Beechworth, in Victoria's north east, a former schoolroom and chapel for the Wesleyan church built in 1854 now houses the Quercus Bookshop. The volunteer-run social enterprise has operated as a second-hand bookstore alongside an opportunity shop since 2008. "It's a space where community can come together, and we offer community activities and support programs," operations manager Heather Jameson said.
