GRDC Podcast

Ash Wiese is a farmer, food producer and agribusiness innovator from Western Australia. In this episode of GRDC In Conversation, host Oli Le Lievre sits down with Ash to explore his fascinating journey from studying accounting to returning to his family farm and revolutionising the way grains are marketed. Ash shares insights from his Nuffield Australia Scholarship, highlighting lessons learned from global agricultural leaders and how he applies them to his own farming enterprise. 

Throughout the conversation, Ash discusses his transition from bulk commodity production to more value-added, consumer-connected approaches, particularly through his work in the quinoa and oat industries. He talks about the importance of fostering direct relationships with processors and consumers, creating more sustainable and profitable markets and the challenges of navigating the global food industry. 

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

We know Brolga and Kookaburra are great Australian birds but they are also the names of two new, game changing varieties of mungbeans. To find out how growers can access these higher yielding mungbean varieties, we speak to Queensland Department of Primary Industries principal plant breeder, Dr Merrill Ryan. Also during this podcast we talk to Allora grower, Tim Thorne, who is considering the varieties for his next rotation. 

Contact:

Dr Merrill Ryan, Principal Scientist: Crop Genetics 

QLD Department of Primary Industries 

[email protected] 

More  Information: 

Flying high with two new mugbean varieties brolga and kookaburra

Variety Management Packages

Setting up your mungbean crop for success

Project Investment Code:

DAQ2201-004RTX 

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

Kate Witham is a research agronomist in Western Australia and has a passion for broad acre cropping. She’s also the 2025 recipient of GRDC'S “Emerging Leader Award” in the West.

So far, Kate’s career highlight has been her role as the SLR lead working on GRDC’s Long Coleoptile Wheat project, led by CSIRO. She's a dynamic operator in the industry, helping growers reap the benefits of her ongoing research across agricultural regions of Western Australia, and around the country.

Contact: 

Kate Witham

Research Agronomist, SLR Agriculture

[email protected]

More information: 

Western Seed of Light, Emerging Leader announced at GRDC Update

Visit https://groundcover.grdc.com.au/grdc/awardsscholarships/western-seed-of-light,-emerging-leader-announced-at-grdc-update

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

In this episode of GRDC In Conversation, host Oli Le Lievre sits down with Brad Egan, a forward-thinking grain grower from Esperance, Western Australia. Brad shares insights into the evolution of his family farm, the challenges of farming in a changing climate, and how data-driven decision-making is helping to improve productivity despite declining rainfall. 

From using drones to optimise spraying efficiency to a long-term soil amelioration project that has transformed low-performing soils into some of the best on the farm, Brad discusses the power of innovation in agriculture. He also highlights the importance of precision agriculture, farm data management, and the role of technology in the future of farming. 

Additionally, Brad talks about his involvement in supplying barley to Lucky Bay Brewery, bringing local produce to craft beer, and the potential of AI and automation in shaping the next generation of Australian farming. 

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

Precision weed management is where optical sensors and remote and sensor weed mapping systems are used to target weeds and therefore cut herbicide costs. The technology is becoming more widely available, which is why GRDC is investing in a series of case studies, to explore the benefits and costs related to these technologies. With green on brown systems, weeds can be detected in a fallow field. And now there's also green on green technology, which uses an algorithm to differentiate between weeds and crops. Tim Rethus operates a zero till cropping business in Horsham in Victoria's Wimmera region. Tim's invested in both green on brown and green on green technology. We caught up with Tim to find out more about his decision to integrate these systems into his farming practices, and whether he thinks the return on investment has been worth it. 

Contact:

Tim Rethus, Grower 

[email protected] 

More in Precision weed management series:  

Video, Green on green case study 

Podcast, Green on brown case study 

Video, Green on brown case study 

Podcast, Drone weed mapping case study 

Video, Drone weed mapping case study 

Project Investment Code:

SRE2310-001SAX 

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

In Australian canola crops, turnip yellows virus is the one of the most widespread and economically damaging viruses, and over the past decade, epidemics have commonly occurred in different regions causing considerable losses.  

Turnip yellows virus is particularly challenging to manage because it is transmitted by green peach aphid and needs just a few aphids per plant to cause substantial spread. 

A GRDC investment led by the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development in Western Australia has been looking at management options and developed new data and guidelines around seed treatments and foliar insecticides. 

In this episode, we’re joined by senior research scientist Ben Congdon to find out more. 

Contact: 

Ben Congdon, DPIRD 

[email protected] 

More information:  

Turnip yellows virus and its vector, the green peach aphid, in canola: the 2024 epidemic in southern New South Wales and management options

Green peach aphid - best management practice guide 

Project Codes:  

DAW2305-003RTX

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

In this episode of GRDC In Conversation, host Oli Le Lievre sits down with Callum Wesley, a third-generation farmer from Southern Cross, WA. They discuss Callum’s innovative approach to farming in a low-rainfall zone and his journey collaborating with researchers that has led to a nationwide research project which could revolutionise seeding strategies for dryland farmers across Australia.

Callum shares his journey from working in agricultural research to returning home and implementing cutting-edge techniques that maximise water use efficiency and improve productivity in challenging conditions.

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

GRDC, CSIRO and University of South Australia have done a lot of work on how to deal with the sandy soil situation. Hot off the back of a huge investment, culminating in a series of workshops in 2023, they're scaling up, taking the machines and expertise to more than 20 farms across the southern region. It's a project with a great deal of grower involvement and targeted to making that sandy stuff work for growers, not against them. In this podcast we speak to CSIRO research team leader, Therese McBeath and South Australian grower Andrew Thomas. 

Contact:

Therese McBeath, CSIRO

[email protected] 

More  Information:

Practical guidelines for sustained productivity in sandy soils  

Project Investment Code:

CSP2403-017RTX 

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

A passion for pulses and in particular a love of lentils has inspired the career of research scientist Dr Audrey Delahunty. Growers are already benefiting from Dr Delahunty’s research into genetic solutions for heat tolerance in lentils, and now she's extending into frost quality technology and other pulses. Meantime, Dr Delahunty is also the recipient of this year’s GRDC “Emerging Leader Award” in the South.    

Contact:

Dr Audrey Delahunty

[email protected] 

More  Information:  

Victorian agronomist and scientist each win grains award 

GRDC awards  

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

Gemma Walker is a mover and shaker in the Western Australian grains industry, literally! If she isn’t moving from a board meeting in one city to the next, she’s flying back home to the family sheep and wool property in Munglinup. Gemma is at the forefront of WA’s ag industry, promoting sustainable practices for the future as well as getting her hands dirty on the farm.

In this episode of GRDC In Conversation, host Oli Le Lievre speaks with Gemma about her passion for the grains industry. The conversation explores the importance of innovation, community and leadership in agriculture, as well as the value of collaboration across different industries. Gemma emphasises the need for nurturing the next generation of leaders and the significance of vulnerability in leadership roles. 

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