GRDC Podcast

Ian Longson reflects on his incredible career in the grains sector spanning 55 years, servicing farmers and agriculture businesses and passionately advocating for the industry. Through various roles in economics and policy, he’s developed a deep respect for grain farmers; not just for the value they bring to the nation’s economy, but the contribution they make to the social fabric of regional areas.

In this episode of GRDC In Conversation, host Oli Le Lievre chats to Ian about his childhood visits to his uncle’s dairy farm sparking a lifelong love for farming, the rapid pace of change in the grains industry and how he’s witnessed farmers move with the times and rapidly adopt the technology available to them.

More information

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

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

According to a survey done by the Primary Industries Education Foundation Australia (PIEFA), 75 per cent of surveyed students say they know nothing or little about the grains industry - despite it being one of Australia’s largest exports.  

In this episode, PIEFA CEO Luciano Mesiti outlines one of their key aims; to

Contact: 

Luciano Mesiti, CEO Primary Industries Education Foundation Australia (PIEFA)

[email protected]

More information:

https://grdc.com.au/resources-and-publications/all-publications/educational

https://www.Primezone.edu.au

https://www.careerharvest.com.au

https://www.piefa.edu.au/

https://groundcover.grdc.com.au/innovation/industry-insights/lessons-awaken-students-interest-in-grains

https://groundcover.grdc.com.au/agronomy/soil-and-nutrition/opportunities-abound-in-a-growing-industry

Project Investment code:  

PIE2408-001SAX

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

GRDC has a rigorous process in and around how it invests. GRDC is constantly engaging with growers and looking for opportunitiesto take an idea, ground truth it and find out if there is a way to invest that will lead to a positive impact for growers. In this podcast GRDC southern panel Chair, Andrew Russell and senior regional manager for the southern region, Courtney Ramsey take us through GRDC’s process - from idea to investment.

Contacts:            
Courtney Ramsey

Senior Regional Manager - South

Rebecca Raymond

Senior Regional Manager - North

[email protected]

Peter Bird

Senior Regional Manager - West

[email protected]

More Information: 

GRDC investments

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It doesn’t get much more marginal than Yilgarn, on the eastern fringe of WA’s wheatbelt, and it takes a certain kind of farmer to remain profitable and up for the challenge of a drying climate. Fourth generation grain farmer Clint Della Bosca has made some strategic decisions in recent years to steer his business in a more positive direction, as the next generation emerges.

In this episode of GRDC In Conversation, host Oli Le Lievre chats with Clint about the evolution of this farming practices - why he’s removed livestock from his system to focus on his cropping program and how new technology like variable rate is dramatically improving soil health and crop yields. Like many farmers, Clint is pinning his hopes on automation to help with labour shortages, but he explains the need for more technically skilled staff in the industry to keep up with changing farming operations.

More information:

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:

HAG2507-001SAX

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Many growers are currently facing the challenges that come with paddocks that are split. Some nearly ready for harvest, others showing significant regrowth. In this episode, we talk about the ins and outs of managing regrowth in crop during harvest and hear from Matthew Sparke, an agronomist with Sparke Agricultural and Associates based in Victoria, and harvest specialist, Kassie Van Der Westhuizen.

Contacts:    

Matthew Sparke

Sparke Agriculture

[email protected]

Kassie Van Der Westhuizen

One Shot Harvest

[email protected]

More Information:  

GRDC Harvester Guide

GRDC website

Project Investment Code: 

PRS2005-001SAX

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Permanent tramlines in a controlled-traffic farming system offer a range

In this episode, we’re joined by Bindi Isbister from the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) and grower Cameron Johnson as part of a GRDC series looking at managing soil constraints in Western Australia. Together, we talk about the process of renovating these tramlines to keep them flat and even, as well as the different machinery options to get the job done.

Contact:

Bindi Isbister

DPIRD (WA)

[email protected]

More information:     

Permanent tramlines in CTF systems need maintenance    

Renovating to prevent tramline erosion is now a key

Developing a controlled traffic (tramline) farming system

Project Code:

PLT2409-001SAX

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Much like mechanics might have cars in a less-than-ideal state, agronomists often have the messiest crops, with their attention going to their customers first. Kojonup grain farmer and agronomist Courtney Piesse isn’t too worried though, as his own agronomy business keeps the bills paid and his mind connected to the people and innovation alive in the industry.

In this episode of GRDC In Conversation, host Oli Le Lievre chats with Courtney about pivoting from his dream of being a fighter pilot to returning to ag, and his love of applying agronomy skills to care for different crops across the vast state of WA, from wheat in the Great Southern to irrigated horticulture in the far north.

More information:

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:

HAG2507-001SAX

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Vibrant, colourful blooms and an attractive daisy-like appearance make them a popular choice for gardens and landscaping. But unfortunately, quick growing gazanias are actually a weed, one that's jumped the fence and is now invading the paddocks of grain growers. GRDC has identified gazania as a weed threat and is responding by investing in research to determine its distribution and abundance, review current control methods, and inform management strategies for the grains industry. In this podcast we hear from Dr Ali Bajwa, senior lecturer in weed science and agronomy at Melbourne's La Trobe University and South Australian grower Robin Schaefer on this episode.

Contact:     

Dr Ali Bajwa, La Trobe University

[email protected]

Robin Schaefer, Bulla Burra Grower

[email protected]

More Information:

Garden beauty turns into paddock pain

Project Investment Code:  

ULA2402-002RTX

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices