RAGT Australia has welcomed the Australian Government’s decision to support the continued development of its innovative SowSure™ crop establishment protection program, with $982,049 awarded through the Future Drought Fund’s Drought Resilience Innovation Challenges Pilot Program.
The project, recognised by the Australian Government under RAGT Australia’s registered business entity, Seed Force Pty Ltd, was selected for its potential to strengthen drought resilience across Australian agriculture.
The project, titled “SowSure – A Farmer-Led National Trial of Crop Establishment Protection for Drought Resilience”, will support a two-year program of grower engagement, extension and field-based validation trials focused on crop establishment, seasonal rainfall and the impact of time of sowing on yield.
RAGT Australia Supply Chain Lead Graham Girdwood said the funding represented a significant endorsement of the SowSure concept and the value it could deliver to Australian growers.
“We are extremely pleased to receive support through the Future Drought Fund. This funding provides independent recognition of the potential value SowSure can deliver to Australian farming businesses.
“Australian growers continue to face increasing seasonal variability, particularly at establishment. SowSure was developed to help address that challenge by giving growers greater confidence at sowing and helping share some of the risk associated with poor early-season rainfall.
“The Government’s support will allow us to work alongside growers, researchers and farming systems groups to further test, validate and refine the concept across a range of environments and farming systems.”
The trials will be coordinated by Southern Farming Systems, together with other farmer-led organisations across Australia’s grain-growing regions, and will investigate the relationship between establishment conditions, rainfall variability, sowing timing and crop performance.
Mr Girdwood said the grower-led structure of the project was central to its success.
“The strength of this project lies in its practical, grower-focused approach.
“Working directly with resellers, agronomists and growers ensures the outcomes remain relevant to real-world farming decisions and seasonal challenges.
“Ultimately, our objective is to contribute to a more resilient Australian grains industry by providing growers with additional tools and knowledge to manage seasonal uncertainty.”
SowSure™ is RAGT Australia’s crop establishment protection initiative, designed to support growers during one of the most financially exposed periods of the cropping cycle. By combining innovative seed technology with risk-management principles, the program aims to provide growers with greater confidence when making sowing decisions in increasingly variable seasonal conditions.
The Future Drought Fund was established by the Australian Government to help Australian farmers and rural communities prepare for, manage and become more resilient to drought.
Details of the Australian Government announcement can be viewed here:
Future Drought Fund – Drought Resilience Innovation Challenges Pilot Program Announcement
Further information on SowSure™ is available at:
RAGT Australia SowSure™
Ben Quist
Marketing & Communications
Zebra Direction (on behalf of RAGT Australia)
0419322495
benq@zebra-direction.com.au