As organic waste diversion accelerates across Australia, composters are facing increasing pressure to secure reliable markets for their products. Agriculture represents an opportunity, but unlocking this market depends on two key factors: consistent high-quality products and credible technical expertise. Environmental management company Ennovo helps compost producers raise standards and access high-value end markets. Ennovo’s environmental scientist, Ellie Leopold, contributes to this work by coordinating quality assurance programs and supporting the environmental management of composting facilities.
Growing up on a farm in the southeast of South Australia, Leopold has firsthand insight into the expectations of growers.
“Farmers are constantly managing risks and need to know there will be a return on investment,” she said. “If compost is going to be applied at scale, quality must be guaranteed and growers need to trust the advice to adopt what they currently see as a generally unfamiliar and novel solution.”
Agronomists – the trusted gateway to farmers
Agronomists play a vital role in adoption of agricultural practices. Increasingly, farmers rely on agronomists to guide soil management and input decisions, placing greater trust in advisers rather than in suppliers.
Agronomists bring technical knowledge, local experience and established relationships, making them vital to the adoption of compost on farms. While education on organic soil ameliorants is still needed across the profession, there are already highly capable experts operating in this space.
Ennovo works alongside agronomists to conduct on farm compost trials, generating real data to support informed decision making.
“If we want farmers to believe they will get results from applying compost, we need to show them real-world examples in the paddock with achievable application rates and methods,” Leopold said.
Matthew Barnes, senior agronomist at Australian Soil Planners, runs both a cotton farm and commercial composting facility in Central Queensland, giving him a deep understanding of all aspects related compost application in the agricultural industry. Matthew says, “A trained professional needs to be involved to identify the soil constraints and the right application method. There is a space for organic soil ameliorants in the agricultural market when it’s done right”.
Shifting mindsets
One of the most persistent challenges facing the waste and agricultural sectors is perception. Compost is often thought of as a complete nutrient replacement to produce immediate results comparable to synthetic fertilisers. While compost can reduce reliance on synthetic fertilisers – an increasingly attractive outcome as prices for inputs such as urea rise – it functions best when considered as a soil amendment, with its true valued realised over seasons, not weeks.
The benefits of compost can include improved soil structure, increased organic carbon, enhanced water holding capacity, improved nutrient use efficiency and increased biological activity. These attributes support long term productivity and farm resilience rather than immediate nutrient supply.
Subsoil agronomy, particularly the deep application of compost to improve subsoil constraints, is an emerging area of interest with potential for future agricultural productivity gains. By injecting organic amendments into the deeper soil layers, farmers can create a favourable environment for root growth, improved water holding capacity, and increased crop yields in heavily constrained soils.
“Novel machinery prototypes for this process exist out there, however they aren’t widely adopted or readily available for farmers just yet,” Leopold said, “The momentum for this type of application method is building, including research and education.”
Consistent quality determines market success
Product quality is essential, not only to achieve the first sale, but to gain returning customers and market growth. One poor experience, such as yield loss or contamination, can undermine confidence across a farming region.
Compost maturity remains a barrier. Active or “immature” compost applied too close to seeding can cause nutrient drawdown, negatively impacting crop performance. Producing a consistently mature product is technically challenging, particularly where processing space and time are limited.
Manager of Ennovo’s Recycled Organics division, Dr Mitchell Hodgkinson notes that Ennovo’s Carbon Air forced aeration systems are often used to improve processing efficiency.
“For compost producers, the challenge is balancing throughput with maturity,” Hodgkinson said. “The Carbon Air system uses technology to deliver greater control of the composting process, enabling producers to develop higher quality products, providing confidence they are agronomically safe and consistent.”
Physical contamination is another ongoing concern when it comes to product quality, especially for Food Organics and Garden Organics (FOGO) operations. As 2030 diversion targets put pressure on councils, FOGO feedstocks, which are more contaminated by nature, can pose a challenge to getting products back out to market if not carefully managed.
“Contamination comes from the source, but more often than not, composters have to deal with the consequences, and it becomes a direct reflection of quality and brand for customers,” Leopold said.
This further highlights the importance of informed process management for composters. Technical expertise can help shape council contracts, processing methods, testing regimes, and complementary feedstock strategies to ensure finished compost meets customer expectations.
Industry collaboration and innovation
Through its focus on quality assurance, technical expertise and agronomic collaboration, Ennovo is helping compost move from a waste diversion tool to trusted agricultural input. For composters to reach the agricultural market, the organic waste industry must consistently produce high quality, fit for purpose products, and build strong networks with technical experts and agronomists who can support correct use.
Organisations that invest in quality, technology and collaboration will be best placed to unlock new markets and long term value, not just for composters, but for agriculture and the environment alike.