This week's roundup: Bumper season brings cheaper avocados, Fuel and fertiliser pressures, JCB wheel loaders, Higher Rates & Higher Costs, Putting farmers at the centre, and more updates. Plus, fresh listings, auction dates, and more from across Australian ag. Let's get into it →

In short:

A strong supply of avocados is pushing prices down for consumers. Exporters say volumes going to Asia are double what they were five years ago. But growers say the price they are receiving for their avocados is below the cost of production.

A bumper avocado season is creating a perfect storm for cheaper produce and record export volumes, but growers are doing it tough.

There are two main varieties of avocados grown in Australia — Shepard and Hass.

A strong Western Australian Hass season was followed by a large Queensland Shepard harvest, resulting in an abundance of fruit in the domestic market.

The oversupply is flowing into international markets, with exports reaching record levels, according to Far North Queensland grower and director of Avocados Australia, Lawrence Massasso.

"Demand has actually been really strong," he said.

"There's pretty much … an avocado for every Australian consumer right now. He said the export market had also been strong.

"We've actually been shifting record numbers of fruit overseas," he said.

"Export tends to take the sizes that retail doesn't want to take."

He said about 20 per cent of the Australian Shepard crop had been sent overseas this season, double the usual 10 per cent.

Increasing demand from Asia

Matthew Watt, who is managing director of Watt Exports based in the Sydney Markets, said international demand, particularly in Asia, had grown significantly.

He said he had been sending noticeably more avocados overseas this year. "We're seeing general demand increase," Mr Watt said.

"I think overall, customers, especially in Asia, have accepted avocados more and are using them more in their day-to-day food habits.

"On top of that, we have increased supply, so we're able to fill more orders and push more volume overseas."

His business is exporting about 10,000 trays of avocados to Asia every week — a sharp rise from about 4,000 trays five years ago.

Key markets include Singapore, Hong Kong and Malaysia, with emerging demand from Indonesia and Cambodia.

"Australia recently has gained market access to Thailand, India and Japan, so those three markets are new markets for us, and they have definitely helped increase our overall export volumes," Mr Watt said.

Growing pains

Despite strong demand and booming exports, the supply is driving prices down for consumers, with avocados selling for as little as 90 cents each in supermarkets.

For growers, however, the outlook is far less positive.

"Growers are doing it pretty tough right now," Mr Massasso said.

"Pretty much everything you pick can be sold, but pricing is not really going to cover your costs this year.

"We knew that we were in for a big crop following a big Western Australian crop, so growers were understanding that this was going to be a tough year, but it's been an extremely tough year."

While margins were tight, Mr Massasso said retailers had worked collaboratively with growers to keep pricing relatively aligned across the supply chain.

"We've got really good relations with retail where you walk into a supermarket, and you'll see it at the front of the store and at a really good price," he said.

"I would probably say around about 80 to 90 cents is probably where the growers are getting, so everyone is chipping in at this point."

Here are the main highlights for some of Australia's key commodities and economic influences for this month. The full report provides an overview of the developments to watch in the upcoming weeks.

Wheat and barley: Grain markets have stabilised after recent volatility, with global benchmarks and Australian prices lifting on geopolitical risk and tightening local balances. While global supplies remain ample, rising input costs and regional production constraints point to firmer prices and upside potential later in the year.

Canola: Oilseed prices have strengthened due to the Middle East conflict, supported by firm, rising energy markets and strong crush margins. Canola offers a better risk‑reward profile than cereals, which may lead to an increase in cropping area despite rising input prices and availability headwinds.

Beef: Cattle prices remain firm. Buoyed by favourable rain through large parts of Queensland in March, the market remains firm despite some areas selling higher numbers due to dry conditions. While markets are expected to remain firm, the cost and availability of transport will need to be managed in the coming months.

Sheepmeat: Lamb and mutton prices have continued to hold firm despite disruptions to the large export market of the Middle East. Domestic supply and processor procurement pressure appear to still be the driving forces in the market, and we believe these pressures will continue for the coming month.

Wool: Wool prices performed relatively well in March, with EMI prices rising 3.2%. However, demand slowed down towards the end of the month. The market will be watching to see whether sentiment can pick back up again in early April.

Cotton: Cotton prices bounced 6.5% higher MOM, with the jump in crude oil prices likely supporting cotton markets. Looking forward, the market will focus on US plantings, with the USDA set to release its planting intentions report at the end of the month.

Farm inputs: For fertilisers, attention has once again turned to urea prices, which have risen by around 50% over the past four weeks. An immediate supply shock to urea exports, combined with the secondary impact of higher natural gas prices, is exerting a prolonged upward influence on pricing.

Sugar: Sugar prices have risen on oil‑driven volatility, with tighter global oil and sugar supply key. Brazilian ethanol decisions and Indian exports will shape near‑term price directions.

Dairy: Commodity milk values have bounced, which provides better support for farmgate values moving forward. Global dairy markets remain well supplied with steady production growth across key export regions for now, which may limit upside in the commodity basket.

Consumer foods: Australian consumer confidence set to plunge, reshaping discretionary spending, while good inflation remains stuck at 3% even before any impacts from the global energy supply shock start to hit the consumer basket.

Interest rates and FX: The RBA raised the cash rate to 4.10% in March and is expected to hike rates further as war-related supply chain interruptions put sharp upward pressure on inflation. The AUD has been resilient so far, but has fallen below USD 0.6900 in recent days as interest rate expectations have risen elsewhere.

Oil and freight: Diesel prices have soared since the outbreak of war in the Middle East, and supply is being tested in many areas. A reopening of the Strait of Hormuz will be critical to restoring supply and bringing down prices.

The quality and reliability of JCB wheel loaders and tractors are bringing daily benefits for an eastern states silage contractor

Running a fleet of seven wheel loaders from the same manufacturer is a strong endorsement of an operator’s belief and trust in that brand.

Adding in owning a tractor from that same brand – with plans to increase that number in the near future – is the cherry on top.

For Priebbenow Silage Contractors, placing faith in JCB machinery has proven to be a good decision, with their 435S and 457S wheel loaders working in tandem with the new iCON 8330 Fastrac tractor.

Priebbenow Silage Contractors is a family-owned business based at Greenmount near Toowoomba, which provides contracting services across Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria.

The family’s silage production journey began in the 1980s before taking on contracting in 1992. Into its third generation of family ownership, Priebbenow Silage Contractors has grown to now run five crews at a time to keep up with demand in the states it services.

Loyalty benefits

JCB machinery has been part of the business’s journey for about two decades.

Current owner Brendan Priebbenow – whose father and grandfather started the business – puts emphasis on reliability and functionality when selecting new machinery, two areas which are particularly important for contractors who cannot afford downtime.

“We’ve had JCB loaders for about 20 years now,” Brendan says.

“It just started from seeing a lot of them used in Europe and New Zealand – there were not many in Australia at all at the time – so we thought we’d have a go and bought one, and we were very impressed from the start, really.

“We’ve got seven wheel loaders at the moment, and they’re really easy to operate.

“Anybody with minimal experience can get in one and operate them very easily.”

Daily jobs for his fleet of JCB wheel loaders involve stacking and compacting the silage, while the iCON 8330 Fastrac tractor has a silage trailer attached to undertake the hauling work.

Unlike some small-scale farmers who may need to get their machinery to multitask or use it for jobs beyond where it may be perfectly suited, Priebbenow Silage Contractors is able to invest in the best for each job.

For Brendan, the JCB wheel loaders are the ideal choice for his silage work.

“They’re an excellent machine, and they’re built to do the job exactly,” he says.

“Unlike using tractors and machines like that to stack silage, which are not built for the purpose, the wheel loaders are purpose-built to be used on silage.”

Feature loaded

While wheel loaders are often associated with construction sites, JCB has recognised their importance to Australian farmers and contractors by offering a range of agriculture-specific loaders.

Brendan has invested in the two largest models within this Agri range – the 435S and 457S – and both are packed with features.

JCB describes its 435S Agri as being its “most powerful farm machine yet”, having increased its horsepower by 12 per cent to now provide 282hp (210kW) from its 6.7L engine, along with a 2.4 cubic metre shovel capacity.

A huge power-to-weight ratio of 19hp per tonne means additional strength, more tractive effort at speed and a machine that holds its torque for five times longer – all characteristics which increase the climbing and road performance.

The 435S Agri also boasts a unique six-speed transmission with torque convertor lock-up, along with a JCB Quickhitch for fast and easy attachment changing. There is also a twin variable displacement piston pump, which provides fast, productive loader-end control.

A 400L fuel tank helps to give maximum uptime between refills – a particularly crucial component for contractors such as Priebbenow –, and this is complemented by fuel saving features such as an auto engine shutdown when left idling, plus a hydraulic cooling fan which automatically adjusts the speed to optimise cooling.

All controls are seat-mounted and move with the seat suspension, while safety is ensured by interior and exterior mirrors, well-designed access steps and grab handles, rear camera and LED lighting.

JCB’s 457S Agri wheel loader offers a heavier overall unit, weighing in at 20 tonnes compared to the 15 tonnes of the 435S, and is described by the manufacturer as being “incredibly productive” with a power-to-weight ratio of 14hp per tonne.

It can also reach 282hp (210kW) with dynamic power mode, while its standard power mode puts out 224hp (167kW).

The 457S provides additional capacity thanks to its 3.3 cubic metre shovel capacity, and its six-speed powershift transmission with lock-up provides improved acceleration, hill climbing performance and faster cycle times.

Limited-slip differential or auto diff-lock axle options are available, while non-parallel lift links give improved load retention by allowing the attachment to roll back when the loader arms are raised.

The loader arm also features unloaded spool valves, which allow it to lower by gravitational force and give increased productivity and reduced fuel consumption.

An optional tow hitch with integrated camera gives users up to 20,000kg towing capacity, and there is also a choice of standard loader arms with a 4.3m pin height or a high lift of 4.8m.

With an auxiliary tank, the loader also has a 400L fuel capacity, and both the fuel and hydraulic tanks are integrated into the chassis for added protection and strength.

Other features include an automatic reversing fan to remove build-up, plus a wide-core cooling pack.

Haulage hero

The other JCB machine, which is delivering daily success for Priebbenow Silage Contractors, is the iCON 8330 Fastrac tractor, which hauls a silage trailer.

This tractor has proven to be a game-changer for Australian farmers and contractors since its introduction into the local market about three years ago, with its speed, capacity and technology.

It is the largest Fastrac tractor offered by JCB, sitting above the 4220 and soon to be joined by the mid-size 6300 later this year.

JCB’s iCON Fastrac 8330 is capable of reaching up to 70km/h, something which local users have already cited as a major advantage when travelling long distances.

A powerful 348hp (260kW) engine, which produces 1,450 N · m of torque, makes it the perfect workhorse for contractors.

Features such as a 50-50 weight distribution help to optimise the Fastrac’s tractive performance in the field.

This is complemented by a full-length rigid chassis, dual-line steering and twin-calliper ABS disc brakes for safety, plus anti-roll bars and an advanced suspension system for stability when travelling at speed.

Where the 8330 Fastrac also excels is with its iCON technology suite, a feature which Brendan describes as “very nice” to have.

It includes a 30cm touch-screen display, fully integrated ISOBUS connectivity, a new armrest console, five configurable buttons and a roller thumb control on the main joystick and another four buttons and a rocker switch on the second joystick.

Having these configurable buttons helps to create a bespoke experience for users and means contractors such as Priebbenow can allocate any function to each button.

This helps to increase the tractor’s overall user friendliness, something which becomes particularly crucial for contractors that may be employing new staff who need to quickly get familiar with the machine.

As his newest JCB purchase, Brendan has given the iCON 8330 Fastrac his tick of approval and plans to grow his fleet.

“I do plan on getting more of the 8330s in the near future now that we’re happy with the one we’ve got,” he says.

“They’re an excellent machine, and I think JCB are moving forward with their innovations and is continually improving, which I like.”

When looking at his fleet of JCB wheel loaders and the tractor as a whole package, Brendan is also full of praise.

“They’re just a really good product – well-made and strongly built,” he says.

“We have had very few problems with them, and we get good longevity from them.

“The service is excellent as well. We have a really good relationship with the dealer, and we can get anything sorted pretty fast when we need it.”

Cheers LB

This week, the pressure on Australian farmers has stepped up again.

With interest rates rising and fuel prices climbing, the cost of running a farm has shifted higher across the board. Borrowing is more expensive, diesel is eating further into margins, and everyday operating costs are stacking up quickly.

For many producers, this is immediate — not theoretical. Higher repayments, tighter cashflow, and rising input costs are all hitting at once across planting, harvesting, freight and livestock operations.

But there’s no widespread slowdown — farmers are adjusting fast.

The focus has clearly shifted from growth to control and efficiency. Equipment that reduces downtime, transport that lowers cost per run, and systems that improve reliability are taking priority over unnecessary expansion.

One of the biggest trends this week is how producers are managing the financial side. More farmers are looking at ways to refinance existing loans, reduce repayments, and free up cash flow. Others are unlocking equity in land or assets to reposition — either to strengthen their balance sheet or reinvest into more efficient equipment.

It’s not about pulling back — it’s about getting structured properly.

In this environment, Pay In Time Finance continues working with Australian farmers to restructure existing lending, reduce costs where possible, and align machinery, vehicle and equipment funding with seasonal income — helping businesses stay liquid while still moving forward.

Conditions are tougher — no doubt. But the operators making proactive financial decisions now are putting themselves in the strongest position for what comes next.

New global research shows that when farmers and researchers co-create knowledge through On-Farm Experimentation, there can be a lasting and meaningful impact on farm profitability and sustainability.

When you think of agricultural experiments, you might picture a scientist running trials on small plots, answering questions they're interested in. But On-Farm Experimentation (OFE) challenges this model.

OFE supports farmers to conduct their own experiments on their own farms to address the problems they face.

New OFE research has triggered a growing call to overturn traditional methods of agricultural research to solve the challenges facing contemporary agriculture. OFE might involve testing new technologies or practices such as different fertilisers, chemicals, crop varieties or cultivation practices. The farmers observe and measure changes in real farm conditions, with scientists taking on the role of supporter, helping with data analysis and interpretation of results.

Dr Rob Bramley, CSIRO Senior Principal Research Scientist (Precision Agriculture), said success with OFE is driven much more by what farmers see as effective, combined with spatial analysis, than through more classical statistical approaches.

“We’ve found On-Farm Experimentation to be particularly effective for farmers who use precision agriculture technologies such as variable rate controllers, yield monitors and crop sensors, because they cannot only use these to lay out the experiments automatically, but also use them to measure the effects of different management strategies and so derive the optimal approach for their own land and farm businesses,” Dr Bramley said.

“There is also an ‘over the fence’ knowledge exchange effect with learnings from one farm helping to inform investigation and decision-making on other farms.

Farmers using On-Farm Experimentation

OFE recognises that farmers hold local knowledge about their production contexts and practices and are themselves key sources of innovation as they routinely experiment.

Joe and Jessica Koch, cereal and sheep farmers from Booleroo Centre in South Australia, were involved in an OFE nitrogen trial over the 2021 season. For them, OFE meant they could see firsthand how different management regimes impacted their yields.

“With the On-Farm Experimentation approach, we were able to better understand how our in-crop nitrogen management decisions were reflected in protein, yield, and therefore profit at the end of the season. We believe that paddock-scale strip trials are the best way to practically assess inputs and better understand how our variable soils respond to different rates and timings,” Jessica said.

Mark Branson, of Branson Farms from Stockport in the mid-north of South Australia, has run such trials for several years and agrees.

“In-crop nitrogen management is a very hard practice to get right. The OFE approach has allowed us to see how different management affects grain yield and protein. The practical aspects of strip trials have allowed us to see how different soils and slopes respond to different Nitrogen management, making optimising N rates and timings so much easier,” Mark said

Meanwhile, Hans Loder, who is the vineyard manager at Penley Estate in the Coonawarra wine region of South Australia, also sees trials as an important part of his business improvement. He conducted strip-based trials to inform both fertigation and compost application as means of impacting vine vigour and fruit quality, especially with respect to Yeast Assimilable Nitrogen (YAN), which can have major impacts on winemaking.

“Using the strip-based On-Farm Experimentation approach, results could be assessed in ways which I would not have otherwise considered but which greatly assisted in untangling the effects of vineyard variability. This provided immediate benefit and insight to the whole Penley Estate team beyond just me and our winemakers,” Hans said.

Expanding the collaborative approach

There is now a growing body of international researchers keen to see the open innovation approach of OFE expanded to improve farm businesses worldwide.

Led by Dr Myrtille Lacoste from Curtin University’s Centre for Digital Agriculture, the recent study published in Nature Food was a collaborative effort involving an international team of researchers spanning 24 institutions across eight countries.

Dr Lacoste says the high demand for OFE can be attributed to the motivation of farmers to develop better practices, learn by observing results directly, scientists’ increased thirst for data and the rise of digital technologies that facilitate experimentation.

“This powerful collaborative tool has the potential to transform agriculture if the people from around the globe were able to routinely add to the ways knowledge is built, create new tools and harness different types of information in better ways, as opposed to simply receiving and adopting solutions developed elsewhere.”

Dr Lacoste and her co-authors are hopeful the paper will encourage a rethink of the relationship between farmers and scientific experimentation to drive meaningful impact.

History of On-Farm Experimentation in Australia

Professor Simon Cook from Murdoch University, who co-authored the research, was an early pioneer of OFE in the mid-1990s. At the time, farmers in the Western Australian wheatbelt were concerned about variable crop responses to fertiliser. This led to a 'chequerboard' experiment over about 70 ha aimed at optimising nitrogen management.

CSIRO used a similar approach in the mid-2000s to help wine grape growers with vineyard floor management and disease control. Vineyard managers could see for themselves how the response to different treatments varied in different parts of the same block.

More recently, CSIRO and partners in the Future Farm project have been using OFE as a key platform for enabling grain growers such as Jessica Koch and Mark Branson to gain increased confidence in their nitrogen fertiliser decision-making and improved profitability from nitrogen use.

Dr Andy Hall, Senior Principal Scientist with CSIRO, says that while participatory processes have seen success in the past, there has never been a standard practice, which has prevented an effective integration of science-based and farmer-based knowledge.

“With our current approach to research, we are largely missing out on valuable and abundant knowledge and innovation generated by farmers,” Dr Hall said.

From this new paper and the inaugural International Conference on farmer-centric OFE in 2021, attracting 170 participants from 36 countries, it is clear there is growing international interest. A conservative estimate puts the number of OFE initiatives globally at over 30,000 farms in more than 30 countries.

Most people have opened it, tried a few prompts, and seen enough to know it’s useful. It writes, it summarises, it gives you something workable in seconds. So naturally, the next question becomes bigger. How do we use this across the business? How do we automate more? How do we get it to run things for us?

That’s usually where things start to drift. What tends to happen next is that people try to scale something they haven’t even stabilised.

What GPTs Actually Do (Without the Hype)

At a practical level, a GPT takes input and turns it into output.

You give it notes, and it turns them into a report. You give it context, and it drafts a response. You give it rough information, and it structures it into something usable.

That might sound obvious, but it matters. Because the value isn’t in it being “intelligent.” The value is in its being consistent.

It will approach the same task the same way every time, provided the instructions are clear. And in most businesses, that consistency is where things usually break down. The same job gets done slightly differently depending on the person, the day, or the pressure.

So instead of thinking about what it could do in theory, it’s more useful to look at what it can do reliably, over and over again, without variation.

Where GPTs Actually Pay Off

The operators getting value from GPTs aren’t spreading it across everything. They’re narrowing it down to one task that shows up often, follows a pattern, and doesn’t carry much risk if it’s done consistently.

They pick a task that:

Then they use a GPT to handle that one piece properly.

In practice, that looks like:

None of this is complex. But it removes friction immediately.

The gain is straightforward. Less time spent rewriting the same things, fewer gaps between people, and more consistency in how work leaves your hands.

The Compounding Effect Most People Miss

On its own, saving ten or fifteen minutes doesn’t sound like much.

But when that saving shows up every day, across multiple tasks, it starts to stack. Over a week, over a season, that becomes hours that were previously spent on things that didn’t need your attention in the first place.

More importantly, it reduces the number of decisions you have to make. 

Because most operators aren’t short on capability. They’re short on time and headspace. The same decisions keep coming back, and each one takes a small amount of energy. Remove enough of those, and the day starts to open up.

There is a place for more advanced, “agentic” systems down the line. But those only work when the groundwork is already in place. Until then, pushing for autonomy tends to create more complexity, not less.

From one operator to another, the businesses getting value from GPTs aren’t building something impressive. They’re making the day easier to get through, one repeat task at a time, and letting that do the heavy lifting.

The tool isn’t the hard part. Knowing where it actually saves time is.

If you want a second set of eyes on that:
📩 [email protected]

G’day REALM Readers,

When I head out to conferences and schools, I usually run a Guess the Bull Weight Competition, and this Tipperary bull was the latest contender.

So I thought I'd share it here and you can pass it around to your mates, and see who earns the bragging rights for guessing the weight of this big fella...

To help you along, Head Stockman at Tipperary Station, Sam Connolly, has shared a few clues:

"He’s a Gypsy Plains bull from Clayton Curley at Cloncurry, born in November 2022. Like all of Clayton’s cattle, he has the best temperament and likes to come and have a look in the ute when you’re in the paddock."

The answer is at the bottom of the page, so no peeking until you’ve done your homework and had a proper guess.

Wishing you a happy and safe Easter with your mates and family. Look after each other.

Hooroo for now,
Simon Cheatham
Founder RFTTE - The Online Campfire
0417 277 488 | [email protected]

Robbie is definitely 'that guy!' He's even got his own cartoon character.