“It did happen, that's true, but it's also a pain in the neck with logistics, right? At harvest time, it's hard sending trucks different ways and shifting shifters at your own site or having some trucks going to the site and some going home. The secret sauce is getting your economy right and using these maps to inform what you're doing next time around.” 

In our second episode, we chat with Kaniva farmer Jonathan Dyer, who shares how he uses the data from his protein machine to create nitrogen maps to guide nitrogen inputs.  

The conversation covers technical set up, software, support, data handling, protein machine models as well as some of the challenges he has experience and where he looks for advice.  

About Jonathan Dyer 

Jonathan is a grain grower from Kaniva in the West Wimmera. The Dyers grow a mixture of bread and durum wheat, canola, lentils, faba beans and chickpeas in a continuous cropping rotation. Having a background in IT, Jonathan completed a Nuffield Scholarship in 2015 on ‘big data’ in agriculture. 

You can find Jonathan on: 

X: https://x.com/dyerjonathan  

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-dyer-10aa5135/  

BCG website: https://www.bcg.org.au/our-team/jonathan-dyer/  

Helpful links: 

Broden Holland on X: https://x.com/brodenholland  

Tim Rethus on X: https://x.com/TRethus  

Crop Scan: https://cropscanag.com/  

John Deere HarvestLab: https://www.deere.com.au/en/technology-products/precision-ag-technology/data-management/harvest-lab-3000/  

SMS: https://www.agleader.com/farm-management/sms-software/  

Addressing El Nino Misconceptions at Trials Review Day: https://www.bcg.org.au/addressing-el-nino-misconceptions-at-bcg-trials-review-day/  

Nitrogen Banking: https://www.bcg.org.au/research-article/investigating-nitrogen-management-using-urea-pulses-and-temporary-intercropping-2022/  

SPAA: https://www.spaa.com.au/  

Nuffield Scholarships: https://www.nuffieldscholar.org/  

 

To learn more about BCG visit www.bcg.org.au 

In the spirit of reconciliation, BCG acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea, and community. We pay our respect to their Elders past, present and emerging.  

Disclaimer: 

The Birchip Cropping Group Inc. (“BCG”) makes no warranties regarding merchantability, fitness for purpose or otherwise with respect to this podcast. Any person relying on this report does so entirely at their own risk. BCG and all persons associated with it exclude all liability (including liability for negligence) in relation to any opinion, advice or information contained in this podcast and any consequences arising from the use of such opinion, advice or information to the full extent of the law, including but not limited to consequences arising as a result of action or inaction taken by that person or any third parties in reliance on the report. Where liability cannot be lawfully extinguished, liability is limited to the re-supply of the report or payment of the cost of resupplying the report. You should seek independent professional, technical or legal (as required) advice before acting on any opinion, advice or information contained in this podcast. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“Take that challenge. Nut it out, really. Have a bit of persistence and find support from someone else to get ideas on how to fix it. What are other people doing to get through those wet conditions? How do they do that? Can I keep climbing that ladder, rather than starting back from scratch? Because, as we climb that ladder, our yields are improving. 

“We're getting way better soil health. It's better for our bottom line. We're getting way more sustainable farms.” 

In the first episode, we chat with Wimmera farmer Tim Rethus, who shares his insights into new farm tech and when to pull the trigger.  

About Tim Rethus 

Tim Rethus farms a rainfed broadacre cropping enterprise near Horsham. He has degrees in engineering and commerce from the University of Melbourne and worked in the oil industry for 11 years before returning to the family farm in 2013. Tim has been a member of the BCG Wimmera Advisory Committee since 2016 and joined the BCG Board in October 2018. He has a strong interest in agricultural innovation and data-based precision technologies. 

You can find Tim Rethus on: 

X: https://x.com/trethus 

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tim-rethus-06229787  

BCG website: https://www.bcg.org.au/our-team/tim-rethus/  

Helpful links:

Weedsmart: https://www.weedsmart.org.au/  

Follow Jonathan Dyer on X: https://x.com/dyerjonathan  

Follow Broden Holland on X: https://x.com/brodenholland  

To learn more about BCG visit www.bcg.org.au 

In the spirit of reconciliation, BCG acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea, and community. We pay our respect to their Elders past, present and emerging.  

Disclaimer: 

The Birchip Cropping Group Inc. (“BCG”) makes no warranties regarding merchantability, fitness for purpose or otherwise with respect to this podcast. Any person relying on this report does so entirely at their own risk. BCG and all persons associated with it exclude all liability (including liability for negligence) in relation to any opinion, advice or information contained in this podcast and any consequences arising from the use of such opinion, advice or information to the full extent of the law, including but not limited to consequences arising as a result of action or inaction taken by that person or any third parties in reliance on the report. Where liability cannot be lawfully extinguished, liability is limited to the re-supply of the report or payment of the cost of resupplying the report. You should seek independent professional, technical or legal (as required) advice before acting on any opinion, advice or information contained in this podcast. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome back to Shared Ag Solutions by BCG. We're thrilled to introduce our latest series, On the Horizon: Farm Tech!

In this season, BCG is on a mission to bring the latest in on-farm technology to our listeners. We'll explore topics such as protein mapping, optical spray technology and batching machines. This series will also investigate non-chemical weed management strategies, the latest in drone technology for livestock management, autonomous spray units and on-farm security.

Hosted by mixed-farmer and BCG Media and Communications Manager, Janine Batters, you can expect each episode to delve into the benefits, challenges and solutions associated with implementing new technology.

More about BCG:

www.bcg.org.au

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“One of the issues with P allocation on, say, lentils or chickpeas is that they're not that responsive in terms of yield, but they do respond, in terms of nitrogen fixation. So phosphorus will stimulate growth, which stimulates nitrogen fixation. So your pulses, and even some of the medic pastures and vetch, for example, they're usually the first things we cut phosphorus off, in our crop budget. But in fact, what happens is, by doing that, you actually reduce some of the nitrogen input from the legume nitrogen fixation.”

In the final episode in our first series of Planning for Profit, I caught up with Dr Rob Norton to hear his top tips for soil and health and profitability in 2024.

About Dr Rob Norton

Rob Norton has expertise in crop nutrition, farming systems and agronomy. For the past 40 years he has worked in education, training and research for the Australian grains industry with various organisations including The University of Melbourne, where he still holds an adjunct position. His research projects at the University of Melbourne concerned crop adaptation, soil health, plant nutrition and plant responses to high carbon dioxide and climate change.

From 2009 until 2017 he was the IPNI Regional Director (Australia New Zealand) where he led a program of applied plant nutrition research and extension projects across Australia. He has been a regular speaker at industry conferences and national and international science conferences. Following the establishment of his consulting company, Norton Agronomic, he was engaged in soil fertility projects across Africa as well as local consultancies to a range of public and private organisations.

He holds a PhD in crop agronomy and has authored 150 refereed scientific publications, as well as many more articles for industry. His work was recognised in 2017 with awards from the Grains Research and Development Corporation and Fertilizer Australia.

You can find Dr Robert Norton on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-norton-22a99547/?originalSubdomain=au

To learn more about BCG visit www.bcg.org.au

In the spirit of reconciliation, BCG acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea, and community. We pay our respect to their Elders past, present and emerging. 

 

Disclaimer:

The Birchip Cropping Group Inc. (“BCG”) makes no warranties regarding merchantability, fitness for purpose or otherwise with respect to this podcast. Any person relying on this report does so entirely at their own risk. BCG and all persons associated with it exclude all liability (including liability for negligence) in relation to any opinion, advice or information contained in this podcast and any consequences arising from the use of such opinion, advice or information to the full extent of the law, including but not limited to consequences arising as a result of action or inaction taken by that person or any third parties in reliance on the report. Where liability cannot be lawfully extinguished, liability is limited to the re-supply of the report or payment of the cost of resupplying the report. You should seek independent professional, technical or legal (as required) advice before acting on any opinion, advice or information contained in this podcast.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“…he's got individual nozzle controls, so Hawkeye, he's only spot spraying. That's all he uses the machine for. He's got a few sprayers. This is just his spot sprayer and he thinks that there is no other way to spray. He said he kicks back, watching the footy on his iPad. He's got his height controller controlling the boom. He's got his weed detect turning on and spot spraying his weeds and that's probably the best case scenario.”

In the seventh episode of our eight-part Planning for Profit series we caught up with Stephen Richards from Goldacres to learn more about brown on green and green on green spot spraying AI technology and whether it can help you be more profit in 2024.

Useful links
https://www.goldacres.com.au/
https://youtu.be/xbapksXKJxI
https://youtu.be/-5n4jEMeJkE
https://youtu.be/zoN_OLD1eU8

About Stephen Richards

Stephen began working at Goldacres full time in 1995 after completing a Diploma of Ag Science at Longerenong.

He has worked in all facets of the business mostly in parts/sales/marketing in St Arnaud where held the position of site manager.

Stephen moved to Ballarat in 2014 to become Goldacres Marketing Manager.

This program/project received funding from the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund.

https://www.agriculture.gov.au/agriculture-land/farm-food-drought/drought/future-drought-fund/extension-adoption-drought-resilience-farming-practices-grants

To learn more about BCG visit www.bcg.org.au

In the spirit of reconciliation, BCG acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea, and community. We pay our respect to their Elders past, present and emerging. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“So say 2022, where we had good starting soil water, a very good timing of the break, a very positive forecast, then Yield Profit was really gung-ho and put on by, I think it was 150 kilograms of nitrogen Curyo, which is, well, very few farmers are going to do that commercially, that's over 300 kilo's per hectare of urea, whereas the nitrogen bank treatment tends to only put on about 60, or thereabouts, kilograms per hectare of nitrogen, so about 130 kilos of urea, pretty much year in, year out, thus far as, as what it's done.

“So it kind of smooths your input and it puts the expenditure after good years."

In the sixth episode of our eight-part Planning for Profit series we caught up with Professor James Hunt who shared his nitrogen planning and decision making research and how it may help you plan your nitrogen requirements this season.

Professor James Hunt holds the William Farrer Lectureship in Agronomy at the University of Melbourne. He is an agronomist and crop physiologist specialising in water limited productivity of dry-land cropping and mixed farming systems. His research focuses on using combinations of management and genetics to increase productivity and profitability of grain-based farming systems. Prior to joining the University of Melbourne, he worked for La Trobe University for six years, CSIRO for seven years and the Birchip Cropping Group for five years. He has received awards for research excellence including the GRDC Seed of Light and the outcomes of his research have been widely adopted by grain growers across south eastern Australia.

RiskWi$e
This podcast was funded by RiskWi$e. RiskWi$e (the National Risk Management Initiative), is a five-year national initiative of approximately $30 million that will run from 2023 to 2028. It seeks to understand and improve the risk-reward outcomes for Australian grain growers by supporting grower on-farm decision-making.

Visit: https://grdc.com.au/research/trials,-programs-and-initiatives/riskwise
To learn more about BCG visit www.bcg.org.au

In the spirit of reconciliation, BCG acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea, and community. We pay our respect to their Elders past, present and emerging. 

 

Disclaimer:

The Birchip Cropping Group Inc. (“BCG”) makes no warranties regarding merchantability, fitness for purpose or otherwise with respect to this podcast. Any person relying on this report does so entirely at their own risk. BCG and all persons associated with it exclude all liability (including liability for negligence) in relation to any opinion, advice or information contained in this podcast and any consequences arising from the use of such opinion, advice or information to the full extent of the law, including but not limited to consequences arising as a result of action or inaction taken by that person or any third parties in reliance on the report. Where liability cannot be lawfully extinguished, liability is limited to the re-supply of the report or payment of the cost of resupplying the report. You should seek independent professional, technical or legal (as required) advice before acting on any opinion, advice or information contained in this podcast.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“So once you've had a reasonable population that's got through, it's just taken moisture off the predominant crop, which in this case, we're talking about wheat, and that yield loss, let's call it, uh, 400 kilos at a, you know, 300 gross value per ton. There's a big input there that they could have factored in. He's talking 120 gross return for a 30 input. It's just such a smart move. And there was a reason why we put it in the plan.”

In the fifth episode of our eight-part Planning for Profit series we caught up with Nutrien Ag Solutions’ Rik Maatman who shared his agronomic tips to plan for profit this season.

About Rik Maatmann

Rik is an agronomist with Nutrien Ag Solutions in Birchip. He grew up on a dairy farm and studied agriculture and business at La Trobe University. He has worked extensively throughout the district as well as spending time in Esperance and Northern Queensland.

To connect with Rik: [email protected] or 0437 168 167

To learn more about BCG visit www.bcg.org.au

In the spirit of reconciliation, BCG acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea, and community. We pay our respect to their Elders past, present and emerging. 

 

Disclaimer:

The Birchip Cropping Group Inc. (“BCG”) makes no warranties regarding merchantability, fitness for purpose or otherwise with respect to this podcast. Any person relying on this report does so entirely at their own risk. BCG and all persons associated with it exclude all liability (including liability for negligence) in relation to any opinion, advice or information contained in this podcast and any consequences arising from the use of such opinion, advice or information to the full extent of the law, including but not limited to consequences arising as a result of action or inaction taken by that person or any third parties in reliance on the report. Where liability cannot be lawfully extinguished, liability is limited to the re-supply of the report or payment of the cost of resupplying the report. You should seek independent professional, technical or legal (as required) advice before acting on any opinion, advice or information contained in this podcast.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“It's not something that you implement and then you're finished with. You have to keep thinking about it… keep talking about it. It's a marathon, not a sprint, and you probably are going to have to change the tactics along the way. It's about that re-evaluation process,” - BCG CEO Fiona Best.

In the fourth episode of our eight-part Planning for Profit series we caught up with BCG's Fiona Best to learn how we can better prepare our farm business (and ourselves) for the next inevitable drought.

About Fiona Best

In her position as BCG CEO, Fiona works to bring relevant agricultural research and extension opportunities to farming communities by attracting investments to improve the prosperity of broadacre farming locally, regionally and nationally. Fiona is excited to lead BCG because of the large part the organisation plays in the community and its role supporting farmers to be viable and prosperous. She is proud of BCG’s achievements and contributions over the last 31 years and has a strong desire to contribute positively to the ongoing journey and evolution of the group.

Fiona is also Regional Director, Victoria Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub (Australian Government Future Drought Fund) and is committed to enhancing the drought preparedness and resilience of Victoria’s agricultural industries, the environment and regional communities, encompassing broader agricultural innovation. Engaging with a range of industry and community stakeholders.

After growing up on her mixed enterprise family farm, cropping and producing sheep, Fiona studied a Bachelor of Agricultural Science (Honours) and Bachelor of Commerce at the University of Melbourne.

Victoria Drought Hub

Led by the University of Melbourne and with headquarters at UM’s Dookie Campus, the Vic Hub is a Partnership between five farming organisations (Birchip Cropping Group, Food & Fibre Gippsland, Mallee Regional Innovation Centre, Riverine Plains and Southern Farming Systems), four universities (UM, Deakin, Federation and La Trobe), and the State Government (through Agriculture Victoria).  

One of eight hubs established nationally under the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund (FDF), the Vic Hub works to enhance the drought preparedness and resilience of Victoria’s agricultural industries, the environment and regional communities, encompassing broader agricultural innovation. Engaging with a range of industry and community stakeholders, the Vic Hub links research with community needs for sustainable outcomes.

Other useful resources:

Victoria Drought Hub
https://www.bcg.org.au/research-results/drought-hub/
https://vicdroughthub.org.au/

Ross Kingwell, UWA School of Agriculture and Environment paper:
How drought affects the financial characteristics of Australian farm businesses
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1467-8489.12195

BCG staff contacts
https://www.bcg.org.au/about/team/
To learn more about BCG visit www.bcg.org.au
This program/project received funding from the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund.
https://www.agriculture.gov.au/agriculture-land/farm-food-drought/drought/future-drought-fund/extension-adoption-drought-resilience-farming-practices-grants

In the spirit of reconciliation, BCG acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea, and community. We pay our respect to their Elders past, present and emerging. 

 

Disclaimer:

The Birchip Cropping Group Inc. (“BCG”) makes no warranties regarding merchantability, fitness for purpose or otherwise with respect to this podcast. Any person relying on this report does so entirely at their own risk. BCG and all persons associated with it exclude all liability (including liability for negligence) in relation to any opinion, advice or information contained in this podcast and any consequences arising from the use of such opinion, advice or information to the full extent of the law, including but not limited to consequences arising as a result of action or inaction taken by that person or any third parties in reliance on the report. Where liability cannot be lawfully extinguished, liability is limited to the re-supply of the report or payment of the cost of resupplying the report. You should seek independent professional, technical or legal (as required) advice before acting on any opinion, advice or information contained in this podcast.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“In terms of profitability and working more hours to make more profit. The first thing I tell people is at what point do you reach maximum? You max out pretty quickly because you can only work a certain number of days in a row at a certain number of hours before you just collapse from physical exhaustion. So you reach maximum pretty quickly. Now, if you're talking about making good decisions, you don't max out. And that essentially is where you make more money.”

Is there such a thing as work-life balance? If, so how do you achieve it? I caught up with AgriFocused’s Carmen Quade recently who shares some of her insights into some of the simple things you can do right now to get the balance more in your favour.

Read the blog on the same topic: https://agrifocused.com.au/why-is-work-life-balance-so-hard/

About Carmen

Carmen Quade runs AgriFocused, a training business specialising in farm business skills. She has worked as a University lecturer in Accounting and Agribusiness and enjoys working with people to improve their business skills. She also has extensive experience in Local Government, both in economic and community development as well as corporate governance. Together with her husband and other family members, she is a partner in a mixed farming business at Tallimba, in the Northern Riverina. She works her magic in the office, not the paddock. Carmen holds a Bachelor of Business (Agricultural Commerce), a Master of Professional Accounting and a Cert IV in Training Small Groups.

You can learn more about Carmen by visiting her website: https://agrifocused.com.au/ and following her on X @AgriFocussed or Instagram @AgriFocused

To find out more about BCG visit www.bcg.org.au

In the spirit of reconciliation, BCG acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea, and community. We pay our respect to their Elders past, present and emerging. 

 

Disclaimer:

The Birchip Cropping Group Inc. (“BCG”) makes no warranties regarding merchantability, fitness for purpose or otherwise with respect to this podcast. Any person relying on this report does so entirely at their own risk. BCG and all persons associated with it exclude all liability (including liability for negligence) in relation to any opinion, advice or information contained in this podcast and any consequences arising from the use of such opinion, advice or information to the full extent of the law, including but not limited to consequences arising as a result of action or inaction taken by that person or any third parties in reliance on the report. Where liability cannot be lawfully extinguished, liability is limited to the re-supply of the report or payment of the cost of resupplying the report. You should seek independent professional, technical or legal (as required) advice before acting on any opinion, advice or information contained in this podcast.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Are you focusing on what you need as a business in terms of labour? Do you know specifically what tasks a prospective employee might be undertaking and have you thought about how much farm culture can affect your staff and long-term profitability? In this podcast we caught up with people and safety expert Denise McLellan who shares her insights on how to attract and retain good employees and how they directly relate to running a profitable business.

https://denisemclellan.com.au/resources

You can learn more about Denise by visiting her website: https://denisemclellan.com.au/ and following her on X @DeniseAMcLellan or Instagram @denise.mclellan

To find out more about BCG visit www.bcg.org.au

In the spirit of reconciliation, BCG acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea, and community. We pay our respect to their Elders past, present and emerging. 

 

Disclaimer:

The Birchip Cropping Group Inc. (“BCG”) makes no warranties regarding merchantability, fitness for purpose or otherwise with respect to this podcast. Any person relying on this report does so entirely at their own risk. BCG and all persons associated with it exclude all liability (including liability for negligence) in relation to any opinion, advice or information contained in this podcast and any consequences arising from the use of such opinion, advice or information to the full extent of the law, including but not limited to consequences arising as a result of action or inaction taken by that person or any third parties in reliance on the report. Where liability cannot be lawfully extinguished, liability is limited to the re-supply of the report or payment of the cost of resupplying the report. You should seek independent professional, technical or legal (as required) advice before acting on any opinion, advice or information contained in this podcast.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.