Turning waste into want

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By Dwain Duxson

Turning waste into want - You'll laugh at this one. But, could there be a time in Farming when the Stubble or Straw is worth more than the Grain or the Hay? Remember when Lamb shanks were considered Dog food, now they are one of the most sought-after cuts. Could Straw be the Lamb shanks of the Grains industry?

Yesterday at the Fodder Conference in Bendigo, the CEO of Green Hydrogen start-up HydGENE said they intend to make (don't ask me how) this Green Hydrogen from, you guessed it, Straw. When she said that, all the Farmer's went quiet and listened intently.

Then earlier in the week, I was talking to someone else who intends to turn gas into Fertiliser locally. To make the gas, guess what the main input was. You got it in one, Straw.

You probably think all this weird and wonderful-sounding stuff won't come to fruition in our lifetimes, but what if it did? What if there were multiple creators of Fuel, Gas and Fertiliser who were fighting over your Straw? I think the HydGENE CEO said they were looking at prices of around $140 a tonne for Straw ex Farm, but what if competition pushed the market to $200 a tonne or more? All of a sudden, we have a new industry. Forget Carbon Credits.... And can you imagine rushing in with the Header, and the stuff coming out the back is worth more than the stuff coming out the top? Now stop laughing....

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