GRDC Podcast

Deborah Bishop interviews Mechelle Owen from AHRI, Australian Herbicide Resistance Initiative about herbicide resistance in weed species in Western Australia and the data collected from the GRDC funded survey conducted during the 2020 harvest. Download the transcript for this episode   Contact: Mechelle Owen AHRI, University of WA mechelle.owen@uwa.edu.au   More Information: GRDC Podcast – Annual...

Today's 'GRDC in Conversation' podcast interview is with David "DJ" Jochinke. DJ is the vice president of the National Farmers’ Federation, third generation grain and livestock farmer and an incredibly passionate advocate for the agriculture industry. This conversation feels like one motivational pep talk and we hear all about his education journey, why he cares so much about the work he does and...

Deborah Bishop catches up with Dr Lizzy Lowe from Cesar Australia to discuss redlegged earth mite resistance and the surveillance measures being taken to develop up to date management recommendations and help with maintaining the effectiveness of current chemical control options. Download the transcript for this episode Contact Lizzy Lowe Cesar Australia llowe@cesaraustralia.com More Information G...

Today's 'GRDC in Conversation' podcast interview is with Ann McNeill. A semi-retired soil scientist Ann started life in the UK, spent time in Syria working in dryland agriculture, and landed in Australia where she’s done a lot of work and research with farmers to help improve their crops. She has fascinating stories about research, her pathway into academia and the love she found along the way – h...

Darryl Anderson comes live from Showcase Day at the Agtech and Logistics Hub in Toowoomba, Queensland. Darryl speaks with Agtech coordinator, Thomas Hall about the innovation behind some of the most current, up and coming products and services in agriculture and also catches up with participants from this year’s GroundUp, agribusiness accelerator program.  Download the transcript for this episode...

Today's 'GRDC in Conversation' podcast interview is with Lou Flohr.  Lou is a mixed cropping and livestock farmer running her enterprise alongside her parents and partner in Lameroo in the Southern Mallee of South Australia. With three young children, family is a huge part of Lou’s life, as is her commitment to ensuring women are represented in the ag sector and support for them encouraged. She is...

Darryl Anderson interviews Professor Mike Bell and Dr David Lester to find out about GRDC’s $11.9 million investment into predicting nitrogen cycles and losses in Australian cropping systems.   This video looks into the use of the APSIM farming system simulation model which measures the nitrogen cycle; and how this GRDC trial is looking to create a national data set of nitrogen loss across all reg...

Today's 'GRDC in Conversation' podcast interview is with Harm van Rees. Harm’s story starts in the Netherlands where he was raised until he was 14. Then his father got an engineering job in Australia, bringing the family with him. When his dad got another job back in the UK, Harm was not ready to leave. He studied science and biochemistry which took him all around the world, and when he got back t...

It’s estimated the Australian grains industry loses more than $350 million a year – due to insects.  GRDC has invested in the Australian Grains Pest Innovation Program (AGPIP) a joint initiative with the University of Melbourne and Cesar Australia – set up to tackle pest management problems in the grains industry.  More novel approaches and solutions pest control are needed – Associate Professor P...

Sally Maguire looks at ammonia volatilisation in depth with Associate Professor Louise Barton from the University of WA. They discuss the extended findings from a 14 month trial study and the implications for crop productivity and nitrogen use efficiency.  Contact: Louise Barton University of WA Email: louise.barton@uwa.edu.au   More Information: GroundCover article - Assessing gaseous nitrogen lo...

Deborah Bishop catches up with spray application specialist, Bill Campbell at the GRDC Western update, to discuss the awareness and understanding of making good weed spraying decisions.  Contact: Bill Campbell Consulting  bill@campbellag.com More Information: GRDC Media Release – How to get the most from your spraying program Project Code: BCC1910-001SAX  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit me...

Deborah Bishop interviews Dr. Elizabeth Petersen from the University of Western Australia about the results from a survey of four hundred West Australian grain producers. They discuss the role of agronomics, the process involved with making fertiliser decisions and strategies implemented to maximise yield potential.  Contact: Dr Elizabeth Petersen Principal Applied Economist, Advanced Choice Econo...

Sally Maguire interviews experts at the 2023 GRDC Grains research update held in Wagga Wagga. They discuss the latest advice for the season ahead. These experts include: Dr John Kirkegaard, CSIRO Dr Felicity Harris, Charles Sturt University Prof Chris Preston, Adelaide University Prof Robert Park, University of Sydney Prof James Hunt, University of Melbourne. Learn more about your ad choices. Visi...

Deborah Bishop interviews Richard Bell from Murdoch University (SoilWest Alliance), to discuss widespread Potassium deficiencies in soils and report on the highly successful collaboration between GRDC, DPIRD, SoilsWest, Murdoch University, Summit Fertilisers and CSBP Fertilisers and key research findings for growers and advisors from a long-term field trial in Western Australia, investigating how...

Pre-emergent herbicide applications at seeding. What to apply? How? And what chemicals really don’t get along well together in the spray tank? There is a lot to know as growers approach the 2023 season.  Across the southern region, the mild and wet season last year means there’s a mighty bank of weed seeds just waiting to rear their ugly heads. There’s a range of options for pre-emergent herbicide...

Welcome to the first podcast in our new limited series focusing on Nutrition in the West. Each Friday for the next four weeks, we’ll release an additional GRDC podcast covering nutrition topics specifically for Western Australia, as growers gear up for seeding 2023. The knowledge used to guide phosphorus management in WA agriculture has its origins in field research from 20 to 60 years ago. This l...

Forecasting how optimal flowering windows and crop yields will be impacted by the warming climate, and what growers can do about it, has been unexplored – until now. A new economics project under the Optimising Irrigated Grains Initiative, led by Associate Professor Matt Harrison from University of Tasmania, has brought together researchers, farming groups, and industry organisations to compare an...

If you’re a grain grower, an agribusiness practitioner, scientist, or industry expert – GRDC wants you.  That’s right, GRDC is looking for Regional Panel Members who are willing to share their knowledge, expertise and networks to help facilitate cutting edge research; and in turn bolster on farm profitability.  GRDC is a world leading grains research organisation, responsible for planning, investi...

Determining the economic impact of native budworm in wheat crops was not something Dustin Severtson from the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) ever expected to be doing.  But when WA agronomists and growers started reporting the insects feeding off wheat in spring, DPIRD, backed by GRDC investment, launched glasshouse and in-field research to examine why native budw...

For many South Australian grain growers, 2022 was a cracker season, but the weather and other factors did lead to some cereal disease.    So, what does 2023 have in store, and what to do to keep disease at bay?  This is the second part of a two-part podcast where we do a deep dive to bring you the latest advice.  In Part two we speak to Sam Trengove, who is an independent consultant on Yorke Penin...

For many South Australian growers, 2022 was a cracker season, but the weather and other factors did lead to some cereal disease. So what does 2023 have in store, and what to do to keep disease at bay? Dr Tara Garrard is a cereal pathologist at the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI), the research division of the Department of Primary Industries and Regions in South Australi...

Hot finishes in Australia’s northern region are resulting in lower chickpea quality and yield.  In a bid to improve heat tolerance in chickpea, GRDC has funded research that builds on advances already made under the Australian Research Council: Legumes for Sustainable Agriculture Hub.   Professor Richard Trethowan is Director of the University of Sydney’s Plant Breeding Institute in Narrabri, New...

The economics of farming are a crucial component for all growers, and it’s not always a skill set that comes naturally.  That’s why a group of Victorian growers has come together to pool their knowledge and resources around the topic of financial benchmarking.  One of the tools used by the Victorian grower group is business management software (P2P Agri) made by leading farm management consultant,...

Last year along the east coast of Australia, stripe rust was a huge issue and experts are warning that in 2023, growers will continue to experience stripe rust pressure with wet summer conditions and significant green bridge carryover from last year, creating the perfect storm for the disease. The good news is there's a free online tool that growers can use to avoid highly susceptible varieties in...

Growers and advisers in South Australia and Victoria are increasingly reporting underperforming crops, which they believe could be attributed to a lack of potassium (K).  Soil tests often show the levels are fine, but are those tests accurate for south-eastern Australia and has the grains industry relied on good K reserves in that part of the world for too long?   Dr Nigel Wilhelm is from SARDI, t...