Groundbreaking innovation tends to happen through multidisciplinary approaches and a range of expertise. That statement has never been truer than in a new national project bringing together precision technologies, remote sensing, and modern machine capabilities with knowledge of weed ecology and population dynamics to predict the emergence of weed patches across paddocks. This project is part of the Grain Automate

Contact:      

Dr Mike Ashworth 

Tom Giles 

Grower and GRDC western panel member

More Information:

Machinery innovations to revolutionise weed control
Partenerships and vision are key to an autonomous future

Geco Agriculture

InFarm

Bayer Crop Science

Project Investment Code:      

UWA2307-005RTX

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Shannen Davies’ idyllic childhood in Geraldton gave her a deep connection to the regions, and an appreciation for the innovation and growth happening in the farming space. Knowing agriculture has an incredible story to tell, Shannen uses her role as Communications Manager at InterGrain to ensure the groundbreaking research and innovation is given the platform it deserves.

In this episode of GRDC In Conversation, host Oli Le Lievre chats with Shannen about her life-changing Nuffield scholarship journey and her infectious excitement for the grains industry, which she says is on the cusp of the next breeding revolution.

GRDC in Conversation is a limited series GRDC Podcast. It features in-depth interviews with growers and other experts in the grains industry who share their expertise, knowledge and experiences by exploring their personal stories, history, influences and motivations. The views expressed in this podcast are solely those of the interviewee and do not necessarily reflect the views of GRDC, the interviewees’ employer, institution or other associated parties.

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Have you ever wondered how to collect the perfect sample of cereal rust? This is the episode for you. Listen as Matthew Williams and Margarita Paatelainen from the Australian Cereal Rust survey team at the University of Sydney’s Plant Breeding Institute give a detailed description on how to gather and prepare rust samples from the paddock for postage. You’ll also hear from Dr Mumta Chhetri who leads the project. They analyse up to 1700 rust samples per year sent by growers and their agronomists from all over Australia, a vital GRDC investment.

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This episode explores the rise in fungicide resistance in Australian crops like wheat and barley by discussing work being done at Horsham Smart Farm in the Wimmera region of Victoria. Scientists from the Australian Fungicide Resistance Extension Network (AFREN) including plant pathology research leader Dr Joshua Fanning and research scientist Melissa Cook are intentionally creating conditions to attract diseases to help decipher which varieties are more susceptible to disease.

The Australian Fungicide Resistance Extension

Contact:         

Dr Joshua Fanning

Plant Pathology Research Leader, Agriculture Victoria

[email protected]

More information:      

AFREN website

Horsham Smart Farm

Groundcover article - Finding strategies to preserve disease resistance

GRDC - Wheat disease update- rust and Septoria

Project Code:

CUR2302-002RTX

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With farming roots deep in the south coast of WA, Julianne Hill’s career path has taken many twists and turns. Supporting farmers to reach their full potential has always been her focus, and that’s helped greatly by the long-term relationships she’s built over many rides in headers and cups of tea around kitchen tables. Having led the GRDC grower networks for more than a decade, she knows the impact meaningful research can have on on-farm outcomes. 

In this episode of GRDC In Conversation, host Oli Le Lievre chats with Julianne about the challenges of starting farming from scratch, the loss of identity she felt after selling her farm and what life after farming looks like for Julianne, which is just as energised as ever! 

GRDC in Conversation is a limited series GRDC Podcast. It features in-depth interviews with growers and other experts in the grains industry who share their expertise, knowledge and experiences by exploring their personal stories, history, influences and motivations. The views expressed in this podcast are solely those of the interviewee and do not necessarily reflect the views of GRDC, the interviewees’ employer, institution or other associated parties. 

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Think twice when it comes to prophylactic spraying. That's the advice to southern growers this season. When disease pressure is low, reducing spraying means reducing costs. But just how should growers make the often-risky decision not to spray? To find out more we spoke to Nick Poole from FAR Australia and the Australian Fungicide Resistance Network, otherwise known as AFREN. 

Contact:

Nick Poole 

FAR Australia & AFREN 

[email protected]

More Information:  

AFREN

FAR Australia

Project Investment Code:

UR2302-002RTX

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Growers in Western Australia need to be on the lookout for barley scald as it is increasing in prevalence and severity, including virulence onto varieties that have previously been rated as resistant. In this podcast we talk to senior research scientists at WA's Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD), Andrea Hills and Dr Kithsiri Jayasena about what growers can do to combat barley scald in the season ahead. 

AFREN is a GRDC initiative to empower growers to mitigate the impact of fungicide resistance in Australian crops. WA DPIRD is a partner in this network, which is coordinated by the CCDM at Curtin University.

Contacts:  

Andrea Hills, DPRID 

[email protected]

Dr Kithsiri Jayasena, DPIRD 

[email protected]

More Information:  

AFREN

AFREN Management Guide

Understanding Funcicide Resistance

Fungicide resistance in barley

Project Investment Code:      

CUR2302-002RTX

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Fritz Bolten is so dedicated to making agriculture work in Western Australia’s rugged Kimberley region he’s tried growing more than 26 different crops. He owns Oasis Farms, a 573 ha irrigated cropping enterprise in the Ord Valley growing chia, corn, chickpeas,

In this episode of GRDC In Conversation, host Oli Le Lievre chats with Fritz about why he’s transitioning to an exclusively cotton and corn rotation. His ‘have a go’ approach to farming has led to some big wins, but also some losses along the way, as he navigates the extreme monsoon weather conditions, logistical hurdles and limited infrastructure of the vast subtropical north.

GRDC in Conversation is a limited series GRDC Podcast. It features in-depth interviews with growers and other experts in the grains industry who share their expertise, knowledge and experiences by exploring their personal stories, history, influences and motivations. The views expressed in this podcast are solely those of the interviewee and do not necessarily reflect the views of GRDC, the interviewees’ employer, institution or other associated parties.

GRDC Project Code:

HAG2308-001SAX

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It’s an ever-present challenge for Australian grain growers, but understanding how fungicide resistance develops, and what can be done to manage it, is key to protecting crops, and keeping disease pressure low. In this episode at the Centre for Crop and Disease Management (CCDM) at Curtin University, Dr Nola D’Souza explains how her team detects and tracks fungicide resistance in the lab, the role of AFREN, and the practical steps growers can take to slow its spread. 

The Australian Fungicide Resistance Extension Network (AFREN) is a GRDC investment, led by Curtin University. CCDM is a partnership between GRDC and Curtin University. 

Contact:

Dr Nola D’Souza 
Centre for Crop and Disease Management (CCDM), Curtin University   

[email protected] 

More Information:

AFREN
CCDM  

Project Investment Code:

CUR2302-002RTX

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Growers in Western Australia are well aware of the benefits of growing legumes in their rotation, but often have concerns about their reliability and can lack confidence in their production. A GRDC investment with the Grower Group Alliance is aiming to change that, and in a four-part series, we'll be tackling the agronomy, profitability, marketing, and harvesting of growing legumes in WA. In this episode, we tackle the first part of that equation: how to grow them. Joined by agVivo agronomist, and Moora grower, Erin Cahill, listen to how he grows lentils and lupins, plus some agronomic advice for growing other key legumes.  

Contact:

Erin Cahill 

agVivo 

[email protected] 

More Information:

Profitable legumes becoming a reality

Project Investment Code:

GGA2110-002SAX

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