Ruralco plugs CSIRO-backed venture into property team

Agribusiness heavyweight Ruralco has deployed a new cloud-based platform for artificial-intelligence based land analysis into its property team following a successful six-month trial.

The new Rural Property Hub offer clients access to “one touch” automated rural property reports for clients, providing data on titles, infrastructure, ground water, production metrics, and climate.

It was developed in conjunction with Digital Agriculture Services (DAS) - a Melbourne-based company backed by the CSIRO - building on its Rural Intelligence Platform which combines traditional sales metrics with year-on-year productivity analysis, land use history and climate data.

The platform is billed as the first proptech solution specifically designed for rural properties, and can help potential land buyers calculate the potential risk from future climate change or drought stress for an individual plot of land, as opposed to macro-level predictions offered for regions.

Ruralco and DAS have been quietly collaborating since 2018, but kept the initial pilot of the Rural Intelligence Platform quiet before deciding to adopt it as part of the Rural Property Hub.

Property agent Matt Childs, who works for Ruralco subsidiary Pat Rice Hawkins, said the platform delivers a trove of relevant agricultural data through its property reports, speeding up the company’s agents initial research and giving them a leg up over other firms.

“The introduction of the Ruralco Property Report through the DAS platform into our rural real estate agency has provided our sales staff with an enormous advantage within the industry,” Childs said.

“The data supports our analysis of a property’s value and capability and therefore can assist a buyer or seller in making the most appropriate decision within the real estate space.”

Ruralco’s EGM of Rural Services Northern, Andrew Slatter, added that DAS’ “unique” platform and insights gives investors new sources of evidence-backed data “to showcase the true potential of any rural property”.

“This tool in the hands of our agents, and their deep regional ‘boots on the ground’ approach is the ultimate combination of technology and common sense.”