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An early Spring is well and truly underway, and there is plenty happening at Agrista.  In this season’s newsletter, there is information on upcoming workshops, events and some resources from the Agrista team.
 

 

John Francis presented to clients at an Elders Albury client function on 3 September 2026, sharing insights from Agrista’s historical whole-farm benchmarking data.

 

The data highlights the significant impact of rising interest rates and declining operating returns following the rapid period of land value growth between 2016 and 2024. While land values have continued to increase, the rate of growth has slowed over the past two years.

 

Despite this recent slowdown, the compounding rate of land value growth from 2011 to 2026 was still 11% per annum, compared with a phenomenal 21% per annum over the preceding five-year period. The longer-term data also shows that periods of rapid growth can be followed by extended periods of stagnation.The early years of this data set look less impressive than the later stages but the compounding nature of land values means that apparent small changes in value the early stages equate to large price differences in relative terms.   

 

John also highlighted that, despite solid commodity prices, operating profits over the past five years have not generated strong operating returns. Rising land values are part of the story, but they are not the only factor. Increasing operating costs are squeezing margins, while lower-than-average seasonal rainfall has contributed to higher supplementary feeding costs.

 

The outlook for 2026–27 is more positive. The benchmarking year is shaping up to be one of the kindest winters on record, and with livestock commodity prices sitting in the upper percentile ranks, average operating returns are expected to be well above 3%. See graphs below.

Virtual fencing could become one of the most significant grazing technologies developed in recent decades. But the real question isn’t simply whether the technology works it’s whether it delivers a better outcome than the best management alternative available to you today.

 

John Francis explores the potential of virtual fencing, how it could change the way we manage grazing businesses, and why the technology needs to be assessed in the context of profitability, productivity and practical farm management. Read John’s article here or via the link below.

 

There’s plenty happening over the coming weeks, with the Agrista team out and about working with producers and industry:

Get in touch if we can assist with your business. We are looking forward to a great season in the Riverina and hopefully a good one in your part of the country too.