Nufarm

The exponential rise in the global population remains a pivotal challenge. With an estimated increase from 7.9 billion to 10 billion by 2050, ensuring an adequate food supply for everyone will become a daunting task. The growing population puts pressure on agricultural resources, land, and water, and demands innovative and sustainable solutions.

Nufarm, a global company headquartered in Australia, has been accelerating agricultural innovation for more than one hundred years. The company is committed to addressing the growing global population’s changing needs by delivering solutions beyond conventional agricultural practices.

“Nufarm has been a key player in the agribusiness sector for more than 100 years, actively supporting farmers, partners and end-use customers worldwide meeting the challenges of evolving nutritional and energy demands,” says Greg Hunt, managing director and CEO at Nufarm. “Advances in science and technology are rewriting how we use land and plants to supply not just food, but energy and a wide range of other new products. Nufarm is at the forefront of these changes, and a large part of our focus is on innovation and technology which are the cornerstones of our future.”

Through these advancements, Nufarm’s seed technologies platform, Nuseed, was established in 2006 with the vision of offering plant-based solutions and its commitment to advancing agriculture has resulted in an array of innovative products and technologies with the potential to revolutionize the industry and serve new markets from agriculture.
“Innovation is really how you take these new technologies and bring them into a marketplace that creates value by putting a new dollar in someone’s pocket or solves a social or environmental problem,” says Brent Zacharias, Group Executive Nuseed. “We are focused on upstream partners at the farm gate, midstream (through our channel partnerships and strategic value chain models), and downstream end-use customers. Through all of this, we deliver new technologies sustainably, reliably and create value for all involved.”

“We recognize the need for a paradigm shift in agricultural innovation, where a focus on new technology, markets, value chains and business models can create new sources of income for farmers. Our commitment to providing value beyond yield and dedication to sustainability will shape the future of agriculture by growing a better tomorrow.” says Hunt.

A Diverse Portfolio with a Singular Focus

One of Nufarm‘s key strengths is its collaboration with agricultural partners and leading innovators across the globe. This approach fosters a network of expertise, allowing the company to aid growers in producing more while conserving natural resources. Through these collaborations, Nufarm invests in technologies that connect the dots between global megatrend issues and its wide-ranging solutions tailored to improve agricultural productivity, strengthen resilience, and promote sustainability. These solutions span various categories, including crop protection, precision agriculture, weed-it technology, electric treatment of weeds, hybrid seeds, biorenewables, and products for human and animal nutrition, that collectively help provide food, feed and fuel security.

Focus on Plant-Based Solutions

Nufarm’s plant-based solutions are a testament to a commitment to addressing global challenges. These solutions are more than theoretical; they are practical, tangible, and poised to make a real impact. Nufarm’s seed technologies platform has developed new hybrids that present market opportunities across the world. These hybrids are helping strengthen the ability to meet global food demands and providing food security as well as helping address energy transition and climate change.

“Our Omega-3 Canola, initially cultivated in the U.S., offers a sustainable source of the essential nutrient (DHA). This development, represented by Nutriterra^® and Aquaterra^®, not only addresses human nutrition needs but contributes to environmental sustainability,” says Zacharias.

Nuseed Carinata is an independently certified sustainable, non-food oilseed, grown between main crop rotations to sequester carbon and regenerate soil, that is harvested and then crushed to extract lower carbon oil. It’s a scalable, lower-carbon drop-in replacement for fossil oils that enables transport sectors to decrease carbon. Nuseed Carinata oil is a low GHG renewable feedstock that is ready now and expanding into the Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) market. The co-product from processing the grain provides a new source of high protein, non-GMO meal for animal feed.

The Customer-Centric Approach

Nufarm's dedication to meeting the evolving needs of agribusiness is exemplified by its continuous product refinement and development. Working with partners brings innovative solutions to market, making a tangible difference.

The company's focus lies in delivering an outstanding customer experience built upon three foundational pillars— customer insight, capability, and systems. Through this strategic approach, it effectively categorizes customers into key segments of growers, channel partners, and end-use customers, tailoring the offerings to meet diverse client needs.

The company has innovation centers for its seeds platform across the globe in Horsham, Australia; Venado Tuerto, Argentina; and West Sacramento, U.S.A. These breeding centres and formulation labs, conduct comprehensive research and testing for the development of seed traits for a variety of climatic conditions. The innovations include seeds and traits, biotechnology and scalability, which also helps us stay at the forefront of agricultural innovation.

Active collaboration with partners like Nucrop and Enko brings technologies to market. Enko, a company Nufarm invests in, focuses on discovering new molecules for crop protection using cutting-edge technology borrowed from the pharmaceutical industry. Screening billions of compounds against specific targets, it delivers faster, cheaper and more precise solutions for farmers. This partnership showcases Nufarm's commitment to embracing innovation from diverse industries.

Nucrop, in collaboration with Crop.zone, offers an alternative solution to chemical-based weed control and crop desiccation. Their method involves applying a conductive liquid to plants and then an electrical charge to control weeds. The partnership strategy which includes active collaborations with the University of Liverpool, University of Queensland and CSIRO not only combines a safer and more environmentally friendly approach but aligns with Nufarm's vision of sustainable agriculture.

Work Culture at Nufarm

Nufarm values continuous improvement and a customer-first approach. The company's work culture emphasizes responsibility, agility, respect and empowerment (RARE). These values guide employees in their day-to-day work, fostering an environment that encourages experimentation, innovation, and tough decision-making to improve the business.

The company’s culture has had a significant impact on its employees and customers, leading to an elite customer experience. The values and behaviors that define its culture have not only benefited employees but have become a major selling point for potential customers.

In terms of expansion, Nufarm is poised to leverage its existing pipeline, introduce new products, and continue winning market share, across crop protection and seeds through technology platform solutions. “With innovation centers across the globe, partnerships that drive innovation, and a culture of continuous improvement, Nufarm is well-positioned to play a pivotal role in addressing the world's agricultural challenges and help us grow a better tomorrow,” says Hunt.


Nuseed is the seed technologies platform of Nufarm Limited (ASX:NUF)