GRDC Driving Agronomy Podcasts
GRDC Research Update Podcasts are available in MP3 file format. You need to have Windows Media Player or other media player software that supports MP3 file format. Windows Media Player comes installed on most Windows computers. If the links below do not work, you can download Windows Media Player for Windows and Macintosh users from Microsoft website.
Canola Conquers Acid Throttle
01.03.2010
Mark Conyers, Industry and Investment NSW, Wagga Wagga
Research conducted in southern NSW has revealed that canola plants growing in ideal conditions have the ability to punch through a sub-surface acid layer. Trials have also found that once established canola roots are not deterred by a sub-surface hardpan layer and will track sideways until they find a gap in the hardpan. Results of the research mean that farmers (at least in southern NSW) are able to avoid expensive sub-surface soil treatments.
Contact: Mark Conyers (02) 6938 1830 Email: mark.conyers@industry.nsw.gov.auNo-Till Adoption in Australia
01.02.2010
Dr Rick Llewellyn, CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems
A comprehensive survey of no-till adoption amongst Australian grain growers has found between 70 and 90 percent of farmers use no-till practices on their farms, to some extent. The survey looks at what’s driving the use of no-till and also examines why farmers in some districts have been slow to adopt no-till practices. On this program we also ask what could potentially threaten the use of no-till and drive farmers back to more cultivation.
Dr Rick Llewellyn, CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems P: 08 8303 8502 EmailAudio: NoTill Adoption in Australia
The Impact of Spring Heat Events
18.01.2010
Dr Peter Hayman, SARDI
Last Spring’s record temperatures in some areas of the national grain belt had a major effect on grain yields and the incomes of farmers. GRDC has commenced a three year research project looking at the implications of severe Spring heat events - their long term predictability and their management. As with planning for the risk of frost, grain growers must make decisions on how to best manage Spring heat events in the Autumn, so any new understanding of the phenomenon will help farmers better manage their plantings.
Contact: Dr Peter Hayman, SARDI. Phone: (08) 8303 9729. emailPrecision Agriculture Workshops
11.01.2010
Brendan Johns, farmer, South Australia
GRDC is funding a new series of precision agriculture workshops in the Southern Region. The workshops have been run successfully in South Australia by the Southern Precision Agriculture Association since 2007. Brendan Johns is a South Australian farmer who has taken part in the SA workshops. In this edition of Driving Agronomy, Brendan explains how the workshops have helped him develop precision agriculture practices on his farm.Understanding the Farming Business
04.01.2010
Dr Allan Mayfield, GRDC Southern Region Panel Member
Is it the job of an agronomist to help a farmer maximise his yield, or maximise his profit? If maximising profit is important then agronomists should have the ability to analyse, at least at a basic level, the performance of a farm business. GRDC has piloted a new farm business workshop to give agronomists the skills to talk to farmers about what they want their farm business to achieve and create a better fit for the agronomic advice they are giving. Dr Allan Mayfield explains the rationale behind the course.Contact: Dr Allan Mayfield (08) 8842 3230; email
Pest Suppressive Landscapes
14.12.2009
Dr Nancy Schellhorn, CSIRO
New research funded by GRDC is seeking to better understand the capacity of remnant native vegetation to harbour insects that are beneficial to crops. The research will identify the source habitats of pest species and their natural enemies, assess their movement between habitats and determine when they colonise in crops. Dr Nancy Schellhorn from CSIRO explains more on this edition of Driving Agronomy.
Contact: Dr Nancy Schellhorn. Phone: 07 3214 2721 Email: emailAudio: Pest Suppressive Landscapes
Understanding Suppressive Soils
07.12.2009
Associate Professor Pauline Mele, Victorian Department of Primary Industries.
Scientists working with the GRDC funded Soil Biology Initiative hope to better understand what makes one soil better able to suppress the damage done to crops from soil borne disease, than other soils. While scientists recognise that healthy soil is better able to suppress disease, they suspect that microbial activity is what gives soils suppressive abilities. How to harness and spread that suppressive ability across a landscape is a major component of the new Soil Biology Initiative.
Contact: Associate Professor Pauline Mele from the Victorian Department of Primary Industries. Ph: 03 9210 9219. emailNew Frost Thrust
09.11.2009
Neil Young, Chair GRDC Western Panel
A national workshop in Perth, conducted by GRDC, has brought together scientists from around Australia who are attempting to develop grain varieties better able to withstand frost. The potential cost/risk of damage from frost has increased in recent years as farmers move to earlier sowing and the cost and use of inputs increases. The Perth workshop will help GRDC set frost research priorities with scientists confident they will eventually develop more frost tolerant varieties.
Contact: Neil Young 0428 918 766Audio: New Frost Thrust
Thinking New Varieties
26.10.2009
Frank McRae, Cereal Specialist NSW Industry and Investment
Many growers will use time during harvest to evaluate the performance of their grain varieties – yield, disease resistance, seasonal performance. Some farmers are reluctant to move to newer varieties which often outperform the more popular varieties. Cereal specialist, Frank McRae offers some tips for growers as to what to consider when it comes to variety choice for next year.
Contact: Frank McRae, (02) 6391 3198Audio: Thinking New Varieties
Networked GPS
21.09.2009
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 589Audio: Networked GPS
