This week's roundup: Wool price jumps, Australia’s Wheat Outlook, 25 Years of Sowing Technology, Rainfall Shifts & Digital Farming Trends, and more updates. Plus, fresh listings, auction dates, and more from across Australian ag. Let's get into it →

In short:
Australian wool prices have reached their highest level since 2019. China remains the dominant buyer with its market share now at 88.4 per cent of Australian wool exports.

What's next?
Wool auctions will now take a break until February 24, with the industry respecting a request from China for a week off to celebrate the Lunar New Year.

Australian wool prices are on the up ahead of the industry's first week-long recess for the Chinese New Year.

The industry's benchmark Eastern Market Indicator (EMI) improved 16 cents this week to 1,693 cents per kilogram, which is its highest level since 2019.

The EMI has now risen 152c/kg (10 per cent) since the start of this year.

In its weekly summary, Australian Wool Innovation (AWI) said "solid price gains" were occurring despite the rising Australian dollar.

It said China's market share had increased to 88.4 per cent of Australian wool exports, but one of the major factors determining price was Australia's dwindling supply.

"To put the loss of Australian wool production in perspective, over the past two years, the volume of wool grown in Australia has fallen by the magnitude of the entire South African wool clip," it said.

AWI's general manager international, Stephen Hill, said wool auctions would now take a week-long break for the Chinese New Year period — a first for the industry.

"For the last 15 years or so, China has become the dominant destination [for Australian wool] and now takes over 85 per cent of wool exports," he said. 

"The Lunar New Year is the most important holiday in China, and [buyers] would love to take the week off, relax and not keep an eye on business.

"So we've been able to satisfy this reasonable request from our major client."

Sales will resume on February 24.

Mr Hill spent the past month in China and said demand going forward looked positive, with wool going into traditional categories such as men's suiting, but also emerging markets such as sportswear.

"Wool is definitely in fashion, and we're seeing demand across the board," he told ABC Landline.

"There are so many new categories that are using wool.

"There's so much wool going into blends now, and there's a boom in wool-cotton … and even if the percentages in the blends are low, they're in mass market areas and selling volume."

Australia’s wheat sector is entering 2026/27 with strong yield momentum, driven by farm consolidation, improved machinery, precision and autonomous spraying, and seed advances that better suit drier conditions. However, rising input costs, especially nitrogen fertiliser, are tightening production decisions, potentially weighing on protein levels and reshaping post-harvest selling dynamics, as expanded on-farm storage gives growers greater marketing leverage.

Australian crop yields are expected to continue improving in 2026, assuming favourable seasonal conditions. Yield gains are being driven by improvements in cropping machinery, seed technology and farm consolidation. 

Australian farms are becoming larger, and the number of individual farmers is decreasing. Larger farm sizes are allowing farmers to purchase more expensive and more efficient equipment, spreading the cost over more hectares. The uptake of precision spraying increased considerably in recent years, improving agrochemical and fertiliser application efficiency. 

Furthermore, there has been a visible increase in the use of autonomous spraying machinery in 2025, helping reduce labour costs and boost productivity. According to the Australian agricultural statistical agency ABARES, the average cropping farm size increased from 1,731 hectares in the year 2000 to 3,787 hectares in 2025. In 2023, 18,000 farms were classified as being involved in cropping, which compares to 39,916 in the year 2000, according to the ABS. New seed varieties have meant that crops are handling Australia’s drier conditions better. The most recent 5-year average national wheat yield was recorded 40% above that of a decade earlier. 

Pöttinger, a company previously focused on grassland machines, entered the arable farming sector by taking over the “Bayerische Pflugfabrik Landsberg” (Bavarian plough factory in Landsberg am Lech) in 1975.  

The next milestone followed 25 years ago in 2001, when the Austrian company entered the sowing technology market by acquiring the Rabe seed drill plant in Bernburg, Germany. 

Since then, Pöttinger has continuously expanded its seed drill range. The mechanical Vitasem seed drills, the pneumatic Aerosem seed drills, and the universal Terrasem seed drills offer farming businesses new capabilities for precision sowing and optimum seedbed preparation.  

Updates, new features, and awards 

2003 – Pöttinger presents the Terrasem at Agritechnica in Hanover and sets new standards with the mulch seed drill. 2009 –launch of the updated Vitasem mechanical seed drill for even more precise metering. 2012 – Pöttinger launches a direct fertilisation system on the Terrasem seed drill. The new feature deposits nutrients exactly where they are needed, right next to the seed.  

2013 – the new generation of Aerosem seed drill wins the “Machine of the Year” award. The patented Intelligent Distribution System (IDS) delivers extremely precise seed distribution, while Precision Combi Seeding (PCS) integrates precision seeding technology into pneumatic seed drills. 2013 – Pöttinger also launches the Fox compact combination for even more seed drill flexibility.  

2019 – 2021 see more new features added to the Aerosem series. The Aerosem F is a seed drill with a front hopper that achieves maximum output thanks to its pressurised hopper system. The Aerosem VT joined the line-up. The trailed seed drill combination conserves the soil and is compact. These properties mean that it matches the manoeuvrability of the whole series. 2022 – new to the product range, the Amico front hopper with a choice of distribution systems for soil preparation implements, providing the optimum combination of tillage, fertilisation and sowing. 

Takeover of MaterMacc for entry into the precision planter market 

2022 – Pöttinger takes over MaterMacc. The merger brings precision planters and integrated new technologies for modern arable farming into the Pöttinger product range.  

Since the takeover, Pöttinger has successfully developed its San Vito location into a centre of excellence for precision planters. The Puro precision planter is the first joint development. It brings together MaterMacc’s many years of experience with Pöttinger’s agricultural engineering expertise and high-quality standards. 

Seasonal conditions and technology adoption continue to shape decision-making across Australian farms this week.

In parts of south-west Queensland, recent rainfall has provided welcome relief after extended dry periods. Improved soil moisture and pasture growth are easing pressure on livestock operations, with many producers reassessing feed budgets and stocking strategies. While conditions remain uneven across regions, the shift highlights how quickly farm planning priorities can change.

At the same time, digital agriculture continues gaining momentum. Farmers are increasingly evaluating precision tools, remote monitoring systems and data-driven technologies designed to improve efficiency, reduce downtime and optimise input use. Practical gains — rather than hype — remain the primary driver of adoption.

Sustainability and land performance are also becoming more central to long-term planning. From soil health measurement to productivity tracking, producers are placing greater emphasis on metrics that support resilience and operational stability.

With operating costs and seasonal variability still influencing margins, cash flow management remains a consistent focus. Investment timing — particularly for machinery, vehicles and infrastructure — is being approached more strategically across many operations.

Against this backdrop, specialist lenders and brokers with experience in agricultural finance, including groups such as REV Finance, continue working behind the scenes to help producers structure funding aligned with seasonal income cycles and farm realities.

As conditions evolve, adaptability and informed financial decisions remain critical across the sector.

Four Small Automations That Make a Farm Run Smoother

There’s work that deserves your attention: Buying decisions, minding the staff, weighing risks, etc.

Then there’s the repeat layer: The things that happen every week and still need to be remembered manually. They show up every week and still somehow require fresh attention.

But if something happens every week and still needs to be remembered, that’s friction. Here are four adjustments that don’t change the engine but make a noticeable difference.

Most of us are already using Xero, MYOB or QuickBooks.

The reminder function is usually sitting there unused. Turn them on. Set them to send at seven days, fourteen days, and thirty days. The system sends the nudge. You don’t have to remember who owes what or draft the polite follow-up at 9:30 at night. Cash flow tightens without you becoming the bad guy.

The “does Tuesday work” cycle is unnecessary.

Calendly or Microsoft Bookings links to your calendar and lets people choose from the times you’ve already approved.

It removes a surprising amount of email traffic. Your schedule doesn’t change. It just stops being negotiated in fragments.

If something happens weekly or monthly, it should regenerate automatically.

Trello, Asana, and even a basic recurring task in Google. If you review debtors every Friday, set it once and let it regenerate. If you send a weekly supplier summary, make it automatic on the task list. Memory is useful for judgement and sometimes, it’s wasted on routine triggers.

A surprising amount of revenue slips through follow-up gaps.HubSpot is free, Zoho, and even a structured spreadsheet with reminder dates. Log enquiries as they come in. Set follow-up dates immediately. That way, the business doesn’t depend on who happened to remember the phone call from two weeks ago. This matters more than most admit, especially if you quote regularly.

To be honest, none of this is revolutionary. That’s the point. These little tweaks don’t alter your model or require new staff. It removes small points of friction that add up over a season.

So, pick one. Set it up properly. Let it run.

And let us know how it goes.

At RD Creative Studio, this is the sort of work we spend a lot of time on. We don’t rip businesses apart nor force new systems for the sake of it. Just identifying repeat friction and building simple structures around it, so good operators can focus on the work that actually needs them.

That’s usually where the real gains are.

G'day REALM Readers,

I met and spent a couple of days with Frank Shadforth at the Kimberley Pilbara Cattlemen's Association (KPCA) Conference in Broome last year. Frank is a true NT cattleman from Seven Emu Station on the Gulf of Carpentaria, a vast and remote pastoral property east of Borroloola.

We sat for hours chewing the fat at the RFTTEJOBS booth - although I don’t reckon five minutes passed without someone stopping to say G’day. It seemed everyone had worked with Frank, knew his family, or had a story from the Gulf country to share. By the end of the day, I’d started calling him 'Famous Frank' - a quiet legend whose reputation has been built the proper bush way: through relationships, quiet respect, and years of simply turning up for people.

Although he probably wouldn't like all the attention he's recently received...

Frank was recently awarded the Order of Australia Medal for his decades of work supporting Aboriginal children and education in remote communities. Beyond running cattle in the Gulf country, he’s invested his time helping young people stay connected to school, culture, and opportunity - a legacy that reaches well beyond the station boundary.

Whilst we spoke at length about his work with kids, it was his passion and knowledge for the country that really struck me. Frank pays close attention to birds, bats, and the natural rhythms of the landscape as indicators of environmental health. He tells it like it is - in his unique nonsense way! 

He joined a panel of speakers during the conference and delighted the audience with his simple but powerful message: "Slow Down!" he said... 

After a lifetime living and working on Seven Emu Station, Frank reckons he’s seen the country change with his own eyes - fewer pollinators around, wildlife not as plentiful, and the seasons not behaving the way they once did. His view is simple: look after the country, listen to Indigenous knowledge, and take only what you need so the land stays healthy for the next generation.

For young people considering a career in agriculture, stories like Frank’s show the broader impact of working in the bush.

Yes, it’s about mustering, machinery, and livestock.

But it’s also about leadership, responsibility, and contributing to communities that rely on the land.

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