Laconik

About

Laconik provides 0.1‑hectare resolution, site‑specific nitrogen fertiliser recommendations for broadacre grain farmers by combining paddock yield, rainfall and crop responsiveness data, compatible with variable‑rate applicators.

Mission

Laconik is a Nedlands-based agtech startup that provides precision nitrogen fertiliser recommendations to broadacre grain farmers. Its core product delivers precise, site-specific recommendations on where and how much fertiliser to apply to maximise profit. During the current growing season the company delivered recommendations across 15,000 hectares and ran more than 50 trial sites (wheat, barley and canola). The team is developing machine-learning algorithms to extend recommendations to phosphorus and potassium and plans to commercialise the technology in time for the 2020 growing season. Laconik has grown to five staff, added a full-time CTO, and partnered with Tekkon Technologies to build the software required to scale. The company will use funding and a $19K Premier’s grant to attend a global agtech conference in Chicago and to meet US providers for potential integration opportunities. Laconik develops decision‑ag technology that combines farmers' years of paddock yield data, rainfall records and crop responsiveness to nitrogen to calculate N needs at a 0.1‑hectare resolution. The outputs can be used with existing variable‑rate sprayers and top dressers so growers can apply varying N rates across paddocks rather than a single uniform rate. Founders Darren Hughes and Wayne Pluske are based in CERI in Nedlands and bring decades of industry experience. A trial conducted last year reportedly delivered a 20x return for the farmer (stated as $1 invested producing an extra $20 profit). The company has assembled advisors and a backer and won a $383K Accelerating Commercialisation grant to support evaluation and refinement for the Australian market ahead of a planned full commercial release in 2020. Upcoming work includes trials at around 20 sites next season; Laconik positions its product against a large addressable market (Australia grows 20 million hectares of wheat, barley and canola annually, and globally ~300 million hectares of those crops plus 200 million hectares of corn could be targeted).

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