Western Australian grain farmers are facing a rare and compounding set of pressures heading into the 2026 seeding season — a resurgence of mouse plague conditions across the Wheatbelt, ongoing fertiliser supply uncertainty, and persistent fuel cost and availability constraints.

Individually, each of these challenges is manageable. Together, they are reshaping how growers approach crop establishment, input efficiency, and soil management.

Mouse Plague Conditions Return to the WA Grainbelt

Parts of Western Australia are again reporting mouse populations at plague levels, with some paddocks recording thousands of burrows per hectare. In affected regions, infestations are already impacting freshly sown seed, with mice targeting furrows and reducing crop establishment before plants even emerge.

Scientists note that mouse populations can escalate rapidly under favourable conditions, particularly after periods of good rainfall and abundant residual grain. Once thresholds exceed around 800 mice per hectare, crop losses can become severe and widespread, especially in high-value crops such as canola.

For growers, the timing is critical — seeding operations are underway, meaning any loss of seed at establishment stage directly translates into yield reduction with no opportunity for recovery.

Fertiliser Supply Pressure and Efficiency Demands

At the same time, fertiliser availability and pricing remain volatile, driven by global supply disruptions and energy-linked production constraints.

For many growers, the issue is no longer just cost — it is fertiliser certainty and efficiency. With tighter margins, every kilogram of applied nutrient must work harder in the soil profile.

This has placed renewed focus on:

• improving nutrient retention in sandy and low CEC soils
• reducing leaching losses during rainfall events
• improving root-zone availability during early crop establishment

In short, farmers are being pushed toward doing more with less input.

Fuel Constraints Add Operational Pressure

Fuel availability and cost pressures are further limiting operational flexibility across many farming regions. Reduced machinery movement, delayed applications, and tighter logistics planning are becoming increasingly common.

This compounds the challenge at seeding time, where timing precision is critical and operational delays can directly impact germination and yield potential.

The Real Challenge: Soil System Inefficiency

What is becoming increasingly clear is that these issues are interconnected.

• Mouse pressure reduces establishment success
• Fertiliser inefficiency increases input risk and cost
• Fuel constraints limit the ability to respond quickly or rework paddocks

At the centre of all three is soil system performance — how effectively the soil holds, buffers, and delivers moisture and nutrients to the root zone while supporting strong early plant growth.

How AgriFix, Agri Soil Pro, and DeCide Fit Into the System

Rather than treating each challenge in isolation, soil performance inputs can be used to strengthen the underlying system the crop depends on.

AgriFix – Establishment Support and Soil Conditioning

AgriFix is designed to improve early soil-crop interaction at seeding, supporting better seedbed conditions and helping reduce establishment stress under pest pressure and variable moisture.

Agri Soil Pro – Fertiliser Efficiency and Soil Function

A blend of attapulgite clay and diatomaceous earth, Agri Soil Pro is designed to improve nutrient retention, moisture buffering, and root-zone stability. This helps fertiliser stay in the active soil zone longer, improving uptake efficiency and reducing losses from leaching or downward movement.

DeCide – Integrated Pest Pressure Support

In high-pressure environments such as mouse-affected regions, DeCide is positioned as part of an integrated management approach, supporting broader on-farm pest control strategies where pressure is impacting establishment and grain retention.

Contact:
E: [email protected]
P: 02 9251 7177

The Shift: From Input Volume to Soil Performance

Across the WA grainbelt, the direction of change is becoming clear:

It is no longer just about applying more fertiliser or increasing inputs to compensate for losses. It is about improving the efficiency of the soil system itself — so every input, every litre of fuel used, and every seed sown has a higher probability of success.

In a season defined by pest pressure, input volatility, and operational constraints, soil performance is becoming the key lever for resilience.