GRDC Podcast

For the past three years, researchers in Western Australia have been trialling innovative new pasture legume species suited to low to medium rainfall areas. The findings are clear - new species can overcome traditional barriers to use and deliver significant benefits to mixed farming enterprises. In this podcast, Professor John Howieson from Murdoch University discusses the research findings so fa...

Now is the time of year to test your paddock for dispersive soil. Many soils in south-eastern Australia have naturally dispersive topsoils that are prone to compaction, temporary water-logging and reduced seedling emergence. In this podcast, NSW Department of Primary Industries research Dr Ehsan Tavakkoli shares a simple one-hour soil test that quickly tells growers if dispersion is an issue in th...

The extraordinarily high winds experienced by growers around Geraldton in May 2020 emphasised the importance of retaining stubble as a means of protecting the soil. This podcast is one of a limited series looking at how farmers are managing stubble across the western region, brought to you by GRDC and the Wester Australian No Tillage Farmers Association. Farm consultant Craig Topham talks about th...

When it comes calculating fertiliser toxicity risk in the paddock, the tools and resources available to growers haven’t really changed over the past 70 years. But exciting new research at the University of Adelaide is modernising our understanding and approach to this important industry issue. In this podcast, research lead Jacinta Dockerill shares the latest fertiliser toxicity research findings...

Agricultural technology has a long way to go. That was the message mixed enterprise farmer and Nuffield scholar Andrew Slade delivered to those attending the 2020 Perth Grains Research Update. In this podcast, Andrew talks about what conclusions he came home with after his Nuffield study tour and what that means for the adoption of digital technology in the Australian farming sector. Andrew Slade,...

“The next wave of productivity improvements will come from … the soil itself.” That’s a quotation from a valuable online resource for growers and their advisers – a series of E-books on improving the soils that make up Australia’s grains belt. The E-books are interactive and easy to digest and promise users a unique experience when it comes to learning and the application of the information for pr...

Through the careful analysis of more than 18 years of paddock data, we now know that cropping weeds constantly evolve to evade all forms of weed control, including non-herbicide strategies. In this podcast, Australian Herbicide Resistance Initiative (AHRI) research agronomist, Dr Mike Ashworth, discusses the evolution of annual ryegrass and wild radish in our cropping systems, and how this informa...

Even though consultants haven’t traditionally seen discussions with growers about stress management and mental health as part of their role it actually makes good business sense. The ‘slow creep’ of drought-related stress is detrimental to growers if unaddressed, but supporting growers to understand and manage their stress helps to prevent developing mental health problems, while also supporting f...

Rhizoctonia will cause yield losses especially where cereal crops have had a dry finish, but because this disease doesn’t like moist soils, those growers who have received late spring rains are unlikely to notice any impact. What this season does emphasise, however, is the need to monitor crops as what might appear completely healthy above ground could be significantly impacted below ground. One o...

An estimated 12.5 million hectares of sandy soils in southern and Western Australia are deemed at moderate and high risks of water repellence. In this podcast, researcher Dr Jack Desbiolles from the University of South Australia evaluates the effectiveness of available soil wetter chemistries and seeding tactics to improve crop productivity in non-wetting sandy soil. The research findings explored...

We all look for disease ratings when selecting a variety. Is it moderately resistant (MR) or moderately susceptible (MS)? What do MR and MS and all of the other designations actually mean? When it comes to pulses, in the past those ratings have meant different things to different people – but now a uniform description has been developed. Agriculture Victoria plant pathologist, John Fanning explain...

A key consideration when growing a cereal grain crop such as wheat is knowing a variety’s Optimal flowering period. With that knowledge sowing times can be planned to minimise risks such as frost damage and heat stress, and maximise crop productivity. But what happens when the Optimal Flowering Period moves, as a result of climate change. Contact: Andrew Fletcher, CSIRO Agriculture and Food 08 933...

Frost damage to Canola is a significant annual issue for the nation’s grains industry. Spring frosts in particular are the most economically damaging for growers as crop yields and quality are developing at this time. In this podcast NSW DPI crop physiologist and frost researcher Dr Rajneet Uppal discusses when and where to search within a canola crop for frost damage, how to identify pod damage a...

Accessing the latest information on fungicide resistance has never been easier – thanks to the newly established Australian Fungicide Resistance Extension Network (AFREN). In this podcast, Dr Kylie Ireland from the Centre for Crop and Disease Management (CCDM) discusses what the network has to offer, and the top five fungicide best management practices. AFREN has been established by the GRDC to de...

A missing link will soon be added to the pulse chain. A new and quite simple way of measuring the quality of pulses on farm is being developed that has the potential to add some serious cash to the bottom line of farmers. Work is being undertaken at the Agriculture Victoria laboratory at Horsham in Victoria, where this podcast was recorded. Contact: Cassandra Walker Cassandra.walker@agriculture.vi...

Western Australian growers are urged to be on alert following the discovery of succinate dehydrogenase (SDHI, Group 7) resistance in spot form of net blotch (SFNB) in barley crops in the WA grainbelt. The resistance has been uncovered by the Centre for Crop and Disease Management (CCDM), which is a co-investment by the GRDC and Curtin University. In this podcast, CCDM researcher Dr Fran Lopez shar...

Deciding on what portion of your winter cereal crop will be cut for hay, can be a complex decision. One important factor is the amount of nutrient that is exported in the hay and the cost of replacing that nutrient. On this podcast, crop nutrition specialist Rob Norton discusses some of the critical issues you need to keep in mind when deciding your hay cutting strategy. Further information: Rob N...

Spot Form Net Blotch is the most common foliar disease of barley in Australia and given the right season, it can cause significant losses. A new fact sheet is now available that details the very latest knowledge about the disease and its management. This podcast features Agriculture Victoria plant pathologist, Mark McLean who has devoted the better part of two decades researching the disease. Cont...

A summer rainstorm can restore your soil moisture profile after harvest, but it could also deliver enough of the wet stuff to grow a summer crop. On this podcast we look at a series of trials that are testing the growability of a range of legumes that have been grown mostly much further north. Further information: James Nuttall James.nuttall@agriculture.vic.gov.au Learn more about your ad choices....

When it comes to managing subsurface acidity, the message is clear - it’s much better to prevent subsurface acidity than it is to treat it. Across Australia’s growing regions, subsurface acidity has largely gone undetected and untreated, but a significant amount of research is underway to help growers address this important issue. In this podcast, Primary Industries and Regions SA soil consultant...

The farm is one of Australia’s most dangerous workplaces. According to year-to-date figures from Safe Work Australia, which compiles data on work-related traumatic injury fatalities, 21 of 104 workplace fatalities in 2020 have occurred on-farm, that’s roughly 20 per cent of the total. The only other workplace with a higher number of fatalities is the transport, postal and warehousing sector which...

Western Australian grain grower Duncan Young farms at Beverley in the west of the State’s central wheatbelt. Duncan is a well-respected grower and is the immediate past president of the WA Farmers Grains Council. One of the things that makes Duncan Young a good operator is his approach to chemical safety on farm and, with National Farm Safety Week a recent event, Debra Bishop speaks in this podcas...

A new resource for grain growers called Profit from Precision Agriculture offer grain growers an easy to follow step by step approach to adopting PA. Put together for GRDC by consultants Rural Directions and Think Agri, the resource acts as an implementation guide and cautions against rushing too quickly to buy the latest PA equipment without first understanding how the principles of precision agr...

The five-year iMapPESTS project is using the latest in-field technology to rapidly and accurately monitor and report on airborne pests and pathogens. In this podcast, South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI) researcher Rohan Kimber discusses that the project has achieved so far and what opportunities exist for this in-field technology. iMapPESTS is a $21 million dollar research,...

They say travel broadens the horizons and that was certainly the case when Riverine soil scientist Cassandra Schefe visited North America to look at farming systems in Canada and the US. In Canada Cassandra found researchers extracting protein from pulse crops for use in domestic food products, making growing pulses more valuable, while in the US her focus turned to the use of cover crops in Summe...