Driving change: how technology and collaboration fuels innovation in two WA agribusinesses

Agtech at the forefront of cereal breeding programs

According to Tress Walmsley, CEO of InterGrain, a long time CommBank customer, when people think of agtech, plant breeding isn't generally top of mind. But as one of the leaders in cereal breeding in Australia, this WA company is at the cutting edge of integrating agtech throughout their entire breeding process.

"Cereal breeding programs generally take around 10 years to finalise. It's a lengthy process with many steps, from development in our glasshouses, to field and quality testing and grower trials. We're always looking to hit three targets with a successful breed: improved yield, good agronomics including drought tolerance and disease, and third, ultimately the cereal grain, has to deliver a good end product," Tress says.

"To ensure the quality and viability of the end product, we use technology to our advantage. Wheat is five times more genetically complex than a human, as it is made up of significantly more genes, but only recently have we been able to gain a better understanding of its genotypic and phenotypic data. The adoption of agtech tools such as genotyping, drones, or thermal imagery to detect plant stress, have all dramatically increased our ability to assess different gene impacts. It means our processes are rich with data and insights, and this has been a gamechanger for our breeding programs."

She adds that collaboration with other leading agribusinesses, such as seed design companies, tertiary partners or government-led organisations means they can target what their research should be addressing.

"We want to continue to be at the forefront of cereal breeding, whether that be gene editing, biometrics or other new breeding technologies, collaborating throughout the entire process ensures we're connecting with the growers and delivering varieties that are tailor made for them and their regions.

"Financial partners, like CommBank, are critical for us to keep our programs running, too. We've been working with them for nearly 15 years and have had an outstanding relationship from the get-go thanks to their expert, tailored advice and support. The structure of our business means our revenue comes in ebbs and flows, but the bank has been able to accommodate this and support us no matter what position where in. The opportunities the bank has been able to provide us with networking, connecting and collaborating with our industry peers has also been extremely valuable," Tress says.

Precinct delivers collaboration opportunities across supply chain

Western Australia's premier location for agri-food innovation, Food Innovation Precinct Western Australia (FIPWA), opened in 2023, and General Manager, Dr. Chris Vas, says the precinct has big goals to help build a robust and vibrant food and beverage manufacturing sector out of the west.

"FIPWA was developed with a clear goal in mind, to help drive business growth, develop new products and exports, and transform Western Australia's food and beverage manufacturing industry. Our three key pillars of innovation, collaboration and production, each play an equally important role in fostering a successful agribusiness sector" Chris says.

"We want the precinct to be seen as the one stop place for producers, or those in the agri supply chain, to workshop and stress test their ideas to see where they could go. From R&D, to manufacture, as well as business services, it's all here for them to access."

With FIPWA in its first year of official operation, during which time it received the National Economic Development award for Partnerships and Collaboration, Chris says that a key part in its success is connecting and collaborating with the supply chain of agrifood production.

"Getting producers and industry groups involved has been quite critical. We've been working with grower groups and individual farmers to help identify where their pressure points are, or what opportunities they would like to see us explore. They then use this insight to identify new technologies and drive productivity at the farm level.

"Some standouts we've seen come through the precinct include an indoor vertical farm pioneering the growth of speciality crops and an indigenous brewing company that has produced its first export shipment to South America from the doors of the precinct. We're hoping with evokeAG putting a focus on industry in the west, we'll see even more interest in the precinct from both domestic and international businesses," Chris says.

Agtech adoption and development of new technologies are critical to Australia's agricultural sustainability, profitability and resilience. CommBank is committed to collaborating with leading agribusinesses to better understand the products and services the sector needs to keep moving forward.

This includes the announcement of our pilot with emissions platform Ruminati to support farmers measure emissions and model abatement options. The Ruminati pilot follows our investment in agtech integrator Pairtree Intelligence, which aims to reduce complexity for farmers by providing seamless integrations with 100+ leading agtech companies.

Summary

• Innovation in the Australian agri-food industry continues to deliver productivity benefits, but as new solutions emerge, collaboration remains key for agtech to reach its full potential.
• WA based CommBank customer InterGrain, are at the cutting edge of integrating agtech throughout their entire breeding process. Genotyping, drones, or thermal imagery to detect plant stress, have all dramatically increased their ability to assess different gene impacts, and has made their breeding process rich with data and insights, completely revolutionising their breeding programs.
• InterGrain has been working with CommBank for nearly 15 years. The structure of their business means their revenue comes in ebbs and flows, but the bank has been able to accommodate this and support them no matter what position they’re in with expert, tailored advice and support, plus opportunities beyond this including networking and fostering industry connections.
  
• Western Australia's premier location for agri-food innovation, Food Innovation Precinct Western Australia (FIPWA), opened in 2023, to help drive business growth, develop new products and exports, and transform Western Australia’s food and beverage manufacturing industry. The precinct wants to seen as the one stop place for producers, or those in the agri supply chain, to workshop and stress test their ideas to see where they could go.