GRDC - Driving Agronomy Podcasts

Andrew Whitlock, Agronomist, Farmpos Precision agriculture technologies will become more affordable with the rollout of a network of GPS reference stations around Australia which will deliver near pinpoint spatial accuracy. The Continuous Operating Reference Station (CORS) network will allow farmers to undertake true precision farming down to a nominal 20 mm accuracy. Contact: Andrew Whitlock, Agronomist, Farmpos Ph: 0458 312 589

Dr Sarita Bennett, Future Farm Industries CRC A new book – Prospects for Perennials provides valuable local knowledge to mixed farmers in southern Australia who may be thinking about converting their annual pastures to perennial grasses and legumes. The book is available free of charge from Future Farm Industries CRC. In the book, Southern Australia is divided into 12 zones providing farmers with detailed information about perennials that are suitable to their areas. Contact: Dr Sarita Bennett, Future Farm Industries...

Michael Materne, lentil breeder; Kristy Hobson, chickpea breeder Pulse Breeding Australia (PBA) was established two years ago to provide a national focus to the development of new pulse varieties. Now, four new varieties – 2 lentils and 2 chickpeas – will be released for the coming winter growing season. These new varieties are the first to be developed under the PBA banner. Michael Materne and Kristy Hobson describe the various advantages of the new varieties and their management. Contact: Michael...

Dr Alan McKay, SARDI Scientists in South Australia and Victoria are working to try to prempt the re-emergence of a once prolific disease of wheat and barley called Cereal Cyst Nematode (CCN). The work is part of a new project funded by GRDC which is examining disease management in a changing farm environment. The release of new wheat and barley varieties and changed cropping patterns in recent years may also change the capacity of modern plants to fight off disease....

Nick Poole, Foundation for Arable Research, New Zealand Nick Poole talks about his new booklet, Disease Management and Crop Canopies – What are the Interactions? This book follows up a 2005 publication, Cereal Growth Stages – the link to crop management. The new book closely examines how the use of nitrogen influences the need for in crop disease control in wheat and barley Contact: Nick Poole, Foundation for Arable Research, New Zealand +64 3 325 6353

Dr Fran Hoyle, DAFWA The Soil Health Knowledge Bank is designed to be a one stop shop for information about soil health. Found at www.soilhealthknowledge.com.au this website explains the top 10 habits of healthy soil farmers, features a simple to use diagnostic tool for soil problems and includes a water use efficiency calculator, as well as a carbon calculator. The designer of the website, leading soil scientist, Dr Fran Hoyle explains why farmers will benefit from this unique website. Contact:...

Dr Fran Hoyle, DAFWA The Soil Health Knowledge Bank is designed to be a one stop shop for information about soil health. Found at www.soilhealthknowledge.com.au this website explains the top 10 habits of healthy soil farmers, features a simple to use diagnostic tool for soil problems and includes a water use efficiency calculator, as well as a carbon calculator. The designer of the website, leading soil scientist, Dr Fran Hoyle explains why farmers will benefit from this unique website. Contact:...

With the need to understand industry performance, this edition of Harvest Radio focuses on the GRDC Farming Practices Database. This edition outlines some of the key benefits of providing farming practices data from grain and mixed cropping farmers around Australia. Alan Umbers (Project Manager, Farming Practices database) outlines some of the key features of the project including methods to contribute to datasets and reports available to growers as part of the project. For more information, visit the Farming Practices website...

With a greater focus on pasture production for mixed livestock this issue of Harvest Radio looks at cost effective fodder options including forage brassicas and the benefits for mixed farming systems. Sowing time is discussed with an emphasis on trial results assessing the impact on yields. For more information contact: Mike Gout, Seed Force, 02 6944 9001

This issue of Harvest Radio looks at Pulse Agronomy trials and the relationship to managing disease in the Northern Region. Kathi Hertel and Kevin Moore from the NSW Department of Primary Industries overview some of the key issues to consider including planting populations, variety choice, paddock selection and history. This edition also outlines some of the key strategies to manage disease. Also refer to the Grains Research Update paper on this topic held at Goondiwindi 2007 at: http://www.grdc.com.au/growers/res_upd/north/n07/ferguson.pdf [PDF 175KB]...

This edition of Harvest Radio discusses the latest developments in soil inoculant research. Sandy Gleddie (Philom Bios) outlines some of the new developments in the pipeline for soil inoculants aimed to boost plant productivity. David Herridge (NSW DPI) also outlines some of new formulations of inoculants available to industry. For more information contact: Sandy Gleddie, Philom Bios, 08 8303 7142 David Herridge, NSW DPI Tamworth, 02 6763 1143

February 2007 presented by Peter Jacobs Peter Jacobs, head of ANZ Rural Banking and a keynote speaker at Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) updates at Adelaide, Wagga Wagga and Bendigo, discusses grain production from the banker's perspective, the banker's perception of the Australian grain grower as a customer, and how the drought has affected the banks' outlook. Mr Jacobs says that he and his fellow bankers hold individual grain production businesses - farms - in high regard for their...

February 2007 presented by Dr Hugh Wallwork Dr Hugh Wallwork, from the SA Research and Development Institute (SARDI), discussed the lessons that could be learned from the drought at the recent Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) Advisor Update in Adelaide. The Advisers Updates are aimed at positioning growers for a rapid recovery from the worst drought on record. Dr Wallwork discussed disease issues for SA growers in 2007. Crown rot growth in plant stems is greatly favoured when...

February 2007 presented by Sandy Gleddie Philom Bios Australia (PBA) is a joint venture between the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) and Canadian firm Philom Bios Inc (PBI). In forming PBA last year, the GRDC and PBI sought to introduce new inoculants to Australian growers and to commercialise them and other emerging agricultural technologies. Sandy Gleddie, PBA's chief executive and a keynote speaker at the 2007 GRDC Adviser Updates, discusses inoculant technology and its potential role in Australian grain...

February 2007 presented by Dr Chris Preston Dr Chris Preston of the Cooperative Research Centre for Australian Weed Management (Weeds CRC) - a keynote speaker at the 2007 GRDC Adviser Updates - discusses the need to understand weed biology and behaviour under different farming systems. Dr Preston says that weeds behave differently in traditional farming systems than they do under conservation farming systems such as minimum tillage. With the widespread adoption of no-till, further changes in weed behaviour can be...