Loam Bio launches new seed treatment product after four years of development

An Australian-developed agtech product named FurrowMate, a direct air injection unit that integrates with air seeders to deliver biological products, has been launched by Loam Bio.

Orange-headquartered Loam Bio is a developer of microbial technology for capturing carbon and increasing the health of agricultural soils.

In a statement on Monday marking the launch of FurrowMate at Gunnedah's AgQuip show, the company said it followed four years and $3.5 million invested in R&D. This included 2024 planting season field trials using Loam Bio’s fungal-spore-based carbon-sequestering product, CarbonBuilder. 

“Growers using our CarbonBuilder product identified the need for an easier application, and we listened, working hard behind the scenes to bring this tech to life,” said Andrew Godwin, Loam Bio’s Engineering Manager. 

The company hired design and development firm Robotic Systems to work on FurrowMate.

According to Loam Bio, FurrowMate saves growers time by replacing “messy, manual seed treatments,” which make “a liquid slurry using an auger or cement mixer”.

“FurrowMate allows farmers to adopt innovative inputs faster, more effectively, and at scale,” added Godwin.

“You simply pour the product into the hopper, and you're ready to plant. The system includes its own built-in GPS to automatically modulate dosing, introducing the biological into the air stream with the seed for accurate in-furrow application.”

Founder and Director of Robotic Systems, Adam Amos, said: “Working with another industry-defining company like Loam Bio proves that world-leading innovation doesn’t come from overseas. Australian-designed and Australian-made, FurrowMate will have real impact far beyond our borders.”

Picture: supplied

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