Dry Season Resources

In this episode, we turn our attention to getting good crop establishment with early sowing.

Our guests are Glen Riethmuller, Research Scientist at the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD), and Stuart Faulkner, a mixed farmer from Beacon, WA.

Good crop establishment and rapid, early growth can improve water efficiency, increase yields and help the crop to compete against weeds. However, early sowing comes with its risks. It can increase the risk of frost during critical growth stages and haying-off in a dry finish.

Glen and Stuart give their tips for getting good crop establishment when sowing early.

The Dry Season Resources podcast is produced by the South-West WA Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub and hosted by Shannon Beattie.

• Livestock management in 2023-2024 (PDF) - DPIRD
• Climate outlooks - Bureau of Meteorology
• Maximising sowing opportunities under dry soil conditions in the high-rainfall zone - GRDC
• $8.2M national project to boost canola establishment - CSIRO
• 2024 WA Crop Sowing Guide - DPIRD
• Ten tips for early sown wheat (PDF) - GRDC
• Crop establishment and precision planting (PDF) - GRDC
• Hub news - Drought Hub

In this episode of the South-West WA Drought Hub's Dry Season Resources podcast, host Shannon Beattie discusses the role of digital technologies in agricultural businesses with Smart Farms coordinator for Stirlings to Coast Farmers, Phil Honey, Principal Research Scientist at CSIRO, Roger Lawes, and Latham farmer, Dylan Hirsch. 

A range of technologies have been developed in the agricultural industry that provide growers with new insights into their farm businesses and have potential to improve efficiencies and productivity. 

However, these technologies often have limitations and farmers often lack the time, tools and skills to process data from multiple different sources to effectively utilise them. 

Phil, Roger and Dylan took part in a SW WA Hub project funded through a Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Innovation grant aimed at understanding growers’ attitude to digital technology. They assisted growers to better understand the opportunities presented by the latest digital technologies and how they can address farming system challenges and improve in-season decision making when faced with a variable climate. 

• Emerging technologies in agriculture (PDF) - AgriFutures
• Agtech Decoded: growers critically analysing the role of new technology in on-farm decision making – what are the possibilities? - SW WA Hub
• Technology supporting SA agriculture - PIRSA
• Hub news - Drought Hub

In this episode of the South-West WA Drought Hub's Dry Season Resources podcast, host Shannon Beattie catches up with Brad Milsteed, farmer and founder of 6Bs (Blokes, BBQ’s, Bonfires, Beers, Bonding and Bullshit) and Owen Catto from the Regional Men’s Health Initiative. 

They discuss grassroots approaches to support men’s and whole of community mental health and wellbeing that operate across regional WA.

• Are You Bogged Mate? - Are you bogged mate? aims to boost awareness and start a conversation with the broader community about the rising issue of depression and suicide rates among men in rural areas.
• 10 wellbeing Tips - What are our Shock Absorbers?
• The Regional Mens Health Initiative
• 6Bs website
• Lifeline 13 11 14
• Hub newsletter subscription

In this episode of the South-West WA Drought Hub's Dry Season Resources podcast, host Shannon Beattie interviews Congellin farmer, Sandra Fowler, and Senior Field Veterinary Officer at the Department of Primary Industries & Regional Development, Anna Erikson.

They discuss the benefits of confinement feeding and deferred grazing during a dry season and things to consider when implementing this type of system.

• A guide to confinement feeding sheep and cattle in NSW (PDF) - NSW Government Local Land Services
• Managing breeding ewes in containment areas (PDF) - Meat & Livestock Australia
• Managing sheep in drought lots (PDF) - Australian Wool Innovation
• Research Report: Confinement feeding - Drought Info
• Research Report: In-depth drought lotting, site selection - Drought Info
• Supplementary feeding and feed budgeting for sheep - DPIRD
• Confinement Feeding Factsheet (PDF) - DPIRD
• Confined paddock feeding and feedlotting of sheep - DPIRD
• Hub newsletter subscription

In this episode of the South-West WA Drought Hub's Dry Season Resources podcast, host Shannon Beattie interviews spray application specialist Bill Campbell, from Campbell Ag, and Jemma Sadler, a Goomalling farmer.

They talk about managing large spray programs with the hot, dry and dusty conditions experienced this summer. 

• Water Smart farming manual (PDF) - GRDC
• Conserving and managing soil moisture - GRDC
• Summer weed control in a high input cost year - WeedSmart
• Sustainable weed management and the use of genetically engineered, herbicide tolerant crops (PDF) - Nuffield report by Jemma Sadler
• Using Delta T for Assessing Spray Conditions - Crop Smart
• How do you manage summer weeds without spraying at night? - WeedSmart
• Residual herbicides: carryover and behaviour in dry conditions - DPIRD
• Summer weeds - DPIRD
• Soil behaviour of pre-emergent herbicides in Australian farming systems (PDF) - GRDC
• Hub news - Drought Hub

In the first episode of Season 2 of the South-West WA Hub's Dry Season Resources podcast, host Shannon Beattie chats with Cameron Weeks from Planfarm and Cam Nicholson from Nicon Rural Services about making risky decisions.

They discuss knowing about the extremes, and then managing the risks (both good and bad) around those extremes - using head, heart and gut.

• myFARMSMART: Smart decision making with intuitive agritech - evokeAG
• WaterSmart Farming Manual - GRDC
• Season 2024: information for WA farmers - DPIRD
• Farm decision making - GRDC
• Insights from the Grain and Graze program - GRDC
• Processes help to guide good farm decision-making - GRDC
• Farm decision making - how does your risk profile affect your business decision making? - GRDC
• Planfarm resources
• Hub news - Drought Hub

In episode six, the final instalment of Season 1 the South-West WA Drought Hub's Dry Season Resources podcast, host Shannon Beattie turns listeners' attention toward livestock. Guests Dean Hubbard, Michael Longford and Ashley Herbert talk about the impact of the dry season on livestock operations on WA farms.

The three experts talk at depth on current markets for sheep and cattle, the seasonal conditions farmers and pastoralists are facing right now and the decision making around managing ground cover, animal welfare and classes of stock to hold or sell.  

Key to all these decisions is objective information, particularly around the carrying capacity of the land and how much feed is on hand and its cost. Spending the time working through a feed budget and management plan, and put simply, the earlier we make plans the more options we have. 

• Hub news - Drought Hub
• DPIRD Strategies and tactics for sheep producers in a poor season
• DPIRD Seasonal Climate Outlook November 2023
• DPIRD livestock management in 2023-24 (PDF)
• BOM outlook

In episode five of the South-West WA Drought Hub's Dry Season Resources podcast series Host Shannon Beattie and CSBP senior agronomist James Easton discuss considerations for growers when it comes to nitrogen bank and the possibility of retained nutrition after a low crop year.

James discusses a range of considerations, highlighting the need to soil test to know your N bank balance after a dry year; and some interesting trial results from Mullewa in 2023 where banded N up front was a clear winner, even in a dry year. 

He explores the different options growers can take to offset nitrogen investment from one year to the next, and reiterates that it all comes down to understanding your soils. 

• Hub news - Drought Hub
• Nutrition decisions following a dry season - GRDC
• RiskWi$e - GRDC
• Trials | N Placement and Timing on Wheat | Research + Agronomy (csbpresults.com.au)

Episode four of the South-West WA Drought Hub's Dry Season Resources podcast series takes listeners back in time to the drought of 2006-07. DPIRD research scientists Chad Reynolds and Wayne Parker explore the challenges facing growers in the northern-ag region and share some key dry season learnings.

The pair talk about their respective families’ experiences in the 2006-07 dry season.  They explore the region’s key learnings from the challenges faced at the time and share how farmers adapted their practices after two consecutive years of drought. 

Wayne delves into the department’s effort to get into the community, and the decision-making process that they facilitated to support growers for future dry season challenges. 

They go on to discuss how the farming systems have changed over the last 15 years around dry sowing, time of sowing, strategic tillage, and the flow on effects these practices have on overcoming soil constraints and accessing the water.

• DPIRD Comparison of tillage methods for lime incorporation, Tardun 2016 trial report
• Hub news - Drought Hub

In episode three of the South-West WA Hub's Dry Season Resources podcast series, host Shannon Beattie delves into the challenges facing growers in the northern agricultural region and explores some key dry season learning with local agronomy consultant, Grant Thompson. 

Grant talks about the impact that the low decile season has had on growers in the north. He explores the challenges of crop health, the opportunity to incorporate N up against low, infrequent rainfall, and unseasonably hot August days coupled with a warm dry end of the season. 

Grant’s key takeaways from the 2023 dry season emphasise varietal choice time of sowing. He gives his tips on recommended wheat and canola variety types, paddock preparation, and the importance of planning ahead and having multiple plans (A, B, C) to combat the changing climate. 

• Maximising Crop Potential in a Drying Environment - GRDC
• Hub news - Drought Hub
• 2023 Western Australian Crop Sowing Guide