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More than an emissions tracker, this ag tech platform, Ruminati, provides farmer-driven strategies to enhance sustainability.
Carbon emissions in farming practices are becoming an increasingly discussed topic, especially with the Australian Government’s Net Zero 2050 goal. However, navigating emissions and achieving this goal in an agricultural setting can become very complicated with minimal guidance. Ruminati, an emissions tracker ag tech platform, was established in response to this challenge and has grown beyond just an emissions calculator to become a comprehensive business tool that helps farmers manage their emissions effectively and make informed decisions.
Farmer-Led Solution
Led by farmers for farmers, Ruminati was founded by Bobby Miller and Will Onus in 2022. Both Bobby and Will are primary producers in the Riverina, NSW, with Bobby running his 4,500-hectare family cattle farm, ‘Cooininee,’ in Jugiong, and Will operating a 2,500-hectare grazing operation, ‘Woodside,’ in Tumut, alongside his wife Simone. After repeatedly hearing about the need for emissions tracking in the industry, Bobby and Will found that existing tools were too complicated and simply not built for farmers. “We needed something practical, so we built it ourselves,” Will said.
Ruminati is designed to be a user-friendly tool to measure baseline emissions and help farmers turn their data into action. By breaking down where an operation’s emissions are coming from, how they’re changing over time, and providing enterprise-specific intensity metrics, Ruminati allows producers to make informed decisions that align with their business goals. The reduction planner also lets producers test different scenarios, such as tweaking production, pasture inputs, fuel use, or investing in soil carbon and revegetation projects, to see how these choices might impact their emissions footprint.
Ruminati is also currently rolling out a new feature which allows service partners such as accountants and agronomists to provide third-party verification of emissions data.
A Stand Out Approach
The emissions tracker platform aligns with global standards and the Greenhouse Accounting Framework (GAF) with guidance from experts including Professor Richard Eckard and Dr. Carly Green, ensuring accurate data with no unnecessary complexity.
However, what really sets Ruminati apart from other tools on the market is their core values and approach to emissions management. Collaboration, integrity, and practical solutions are at the heart of everything they do. The team is committed to putting producers first, ensuring the platform is easy to use, data-secure, and delivers real business insights. Bobby emphasises, “We believe producers are at the heart of making agriculture both sustainable and profitable, so we designed a tool that actually works for them. We get the challenges firsthand, so for us, if it doesn’t work on-farm, it’s not good enough.”
Ruminati is built on the concept of providing farmers control over their data, enabling them to make informed decisions that positively impact both their operations and the environment.
A Team Effort
Corporate partnerships play a crucial role in Ruminati’s mission. The platform enables producers to share their emissions summary data with corporate partners, opening up opportunities for incentive programs, market access, and green finance options.
As large corporations need to report their Scope 3 emissions, they’re actively looking to support farmers in reducing emissions. Ruminati are working with partners like McDonald’s, FMG, Commonwealth Bank, Rabobank, Bendigo Bank and more for the mutual benefit of managing emissions. “It’s about bringing the whole supply chain together to make informed decisions with real data, not guesswork”, Bobby added.
Net Zero Targets and the Future:
Australia’s commitment to achieving net zero emissions by 2050 is a significant step towards combating climate change and ensuring a sustainable future. This target requires substantial efforts across various sectors, including agriculture, which is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. Ruminati is instrumental in helping farmers and producers align with this national goal by providing practical tools to measure and manage their emissions using real data and allowing collaboration across the supply chain. “The first step is always going to be knowing your number, and that’s where we come in,” Will explains.
Ruminati aligns strongly with the philosophy of Ang Hammond at Landcare Australia, “you can’t manage what you can’t measure”.
Ruminati empowers farmers to understand their emissions footprint, make informed decisions, and implement effective strategies to reduce their environmental impact. As Will notes, “Reducing emissions intensity actually improves profitability. Emissions tracking isn’t just about sustainability; it’s about smarter, more efficient farming.”
Looking ahead, Ruminati aims to expand its platform to cover a wider range of farming enterprises, making it an indispensable tool for producers globally. The team is committed to continuous improvement, ensuring that the platform remains user-friendly, efficient, and aligned with the latest standards and best practices. With long-term goals of taking the platform global, Bobby and Will envision Ruminati becoming the scoreboard for agricultural emissions, helping farmers and their supply chains track, manage, and showcase their impact with confidence. By providing practical, producer-driven solutions, Ruminati is poised to play a significant role in the future of emissions management in agriculture, making the industry more sustainable and profitable.
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