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Why yield protection is moving up the priority list
When heat, rising input costs, and water scarcity collide, protecting yield becomes even more critical for growers. In that context, growers are prioritising proven products and technologies that reduce risk and perform under Australian conditions.
Hotter seasons are reshaping crop management decision-making in Australia, with heat and sun stress now part of routine planning rather than an occasional risk. For quiet innovator AgNova Technologies, that shift has sharpened its focus on helping growers manage extreme conditions without adding complexity.
With margins tight and seasonal variability increasing, protecting yield has become one of the few areas where growers can still exert control.
“We can’t help with water or commodity pricing,” says AgNova Business Manager and agronomist Andrew Glover. “But we can help growers protect yield and offset some of those pressures.”
Filling gaps others leave behind
AgNova is an Australian-based crop protection company focused on specialist products and technologies for agricultural markets.
Founded in 2003 by six industry specialists, AgNova set out to fill gaps left as larger multinationals stepped away from smaller horticultural markets.
It has since grown to a portfolio of more than 40 niche offerings across herbicides, fungicides, insecticides, nutrition, and non-chemical technologies.
“We’re not a generic company,” Andrew explains. “We prefer products that have their own niche — solutions to specific problems for growers.”
Products such as Surround® WP Crop Protectant are gaining traction across horticultural crops as growers see the impact extreme conditions can have on crop performance.
Rigour before release
AgNova reinvests a significant share of its revenue into research and development, operating in-house technical and registration teams while outsourcing trials to specialist third-party operators, including universities and independent trial companies. Before any new product reaches the market, it undergoes at least two years of efficacy and safety testing, with trials across multiple climates in line with Australian regulatory requirements.
That rigour extends beyond conventional chemistry. In partnership with Griffith University, a world leader in future-focused agriculture, AgNova developed a non-chemical fruit fly management tool targeting egg-laying females. Fruit flies are a major issue for many growers across numerous crops. In the field, Fruition® Nova® Fruit Fly traps can reduce crop losses from about 30% to about 5%. And as with all AgNova products, there is a strong focus on ongoing development to maximise the benefit for growers.
AgNova joined the US-based American Vanguard group in October 2020 and continues to operate independently in Australia, gaining access to a broader pipeline of biological and green technologies.
“Whether it’s chemistry or biologicals, we trial everything thoroughly,” Andrew says. “That’s how growers can have confidence it will perform under Australian conditions.”
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Trace minerals are required for optimal growth, reproduction, and immunity. Optimising trace mineral status relying solely on oral supplements across a herd may fail because of variation in individual intake and reduced absorption due to antagonism of other ration components and minerals. The use of injectable trace mineral supplements has been associated with positive reproductive outcomes including improved conception rate, increased odds of pregnancy and greater final in calf rate. A study conducted on 2,168 dairy cows, administered injectable trace minerals, four weeks prior to calving and again four weeks prior to the start of mating showed treated animals had a 3.3 per cent greater final in-calf rate, and a reduced time from start of mating to conception, compared to control animals 1 . The Importance of B12 Dr Carl Eden, Technical Services Veterinarian with Boehringer Ingelheim says “Vitamin B12 is sometimes referred to as a ‘super vitamin’ because it is only required in very small amounts but vital to many essential metabolic pathways. However, demand for B12 can vary considerably during the year and we see serum levels of B12 fall at critical times, such as the first few months after calving.” Vitamin B12 contains cobalt, so deficiency in cobalt can lead to deficiency in vitamin B12 because ruminants get most of their B12 as a byproduct of ruminal fermentation where the bacteria in their rumen assemble B12 from cobalt for use by the cow. Sub-optimal trace mineral and vitamin B12 status at calving, mating, and drying off has been shown to negatively impact growth, reproduction, and immunity. Using a trace mineral injectable containing vitamin B12 can improve trace mineral and vitamin B12 status at these critical times. Marks-Min with Vitamin B12 – The Evidence In the largest trace element study to date, Marks-Min Injectable Trace Mineral with Vitamin B12 demonstrated remarkable results when compared to a reference trace mineral injection. “Given the differences between Marks-Min and other products on the market, we wanted to generate a compelling data set to demonstrate how effective it was compared to the pioneer product. We entrusted this work to a third-party research company” says Dr Eden. “We chose farms that were at the top of their game from a reproductive perspective. We made sure that the farms had no evidence of trace element or vitamin B12 deficiencies or excess.” Across all outcomes of interest, Marks-Min demonstrated clear non-inferiority when compared to the reference product. Outcomes measured included submission, pregnancy and conception rates, and six week in-calf rate. Marks-Min demonstrated it is highly suited as an alternative treatment to the reference product. Reference: 1. Hawkins, D., and B. V. S. Franklin. New Zealand Dairy Veterinarians Newsletter 24 (2007): 12-16 Company website: livestockfirst.com.au Company email address: CustomerCare.Australia@boehringer-ingelheim.com Company video: https://vimeo.com/1138807630?fl=pl&fe=cm
