A cohort of Legume Leaders has been established by the Grower Group Alliance in Western Australia, with investment from GRDC and the help of grower groups located from Yuna to Esperance. The Legume Leaders will be sharing their insights over a seven-part series, which will be released throughout 2024.

In this introductory episode, we’re joined by GGA project manager Daniel Kidd and DPIRD senior research scientist Mark Seymour to discuss the benefits and constraints to adoption of grain legumes in the farming system, as well as the overall aims and outputs of the project.

Download the transcript for this episode.

Contacts:

Daniel Kidd

Grower Group Alliance

[email protected]

Mark Seymour

Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development

[email protected]

More information:        

Grower Group Alliance – Closing the economic yield gap of grain legumes in WA

WA 'Legume Leaders' Gallery

GRDC Code: GGA2110-002SAX

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🎙️ Today's 'GRDC in Conversation' podcast interview is with Greg Rummary 

Greg Rummery is an agronomist at Walgett, New South Wales. He has 30+ years experience in dryland grain production and pasture management in northern and western New South Wales. In this GRDC in Conversation episode with Oli Le Lievre, Greg discusses how the area manages their variable environment, the evolution in farming practises in the area, his role in transitioning the science to practical on-farm solutions, farming resilience, innovation and technology, his involvement in the community and where he sees opportunities in the future.

Download the transcript for this episode

More Information:

Join the conversation visually and see our reactions on the video podcast on YouTube

GRDC Code: HAG2308-001SAX

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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Autumn and Winter waterlogging is relatively common in WA’s Albany and Esperance port zones, but it can severely impact grain production. But new research is giving growers greater confidence to sow late season cereal varieties or reseed in a challenging season.

The research, made possible with GRDC investment, involves Stirlings to Coast Farmers, Fitzgerald Biosphere Group and Southeast Premium Wheat Growers Association (SEPWA). In this podcast, Lizzie Von Perger from Stirlings to Coast Farmers and Dave Cook from SEPWA talk us through the research findings and the insight collected so far. 

Download the transcript for this episode

Contacts:

Lizzy Von Perger

Stirlings to Coast Framers

[email protected]

Michelle Hendley

South East Premium Wheat Growers Association (SEPWA)

[email protected]

More Information:

GRDC YouTube – Late sowing of cereals due to waterlogging

GRDC farm trials portal – Results from this investment

GRDC Codes: SCF2208-001SAX, SCF2306-005SAX

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🎙️ Today's 'GRDC in Conversation' podcast interview is with Tom Coggan.

Tom Coggan is a fifth-generation farmer at Meandarra, Queensland, with integrated enterprises of cropping, cattle and sheep. Tom has recently returned to the farm and has a Masters in Agribusiness. In this GRDC in Conversation episode with Oli Le Lievre, Tom discusses the importance of communication, his approach to managing their biggest asset being people, his aspirations in the family business, succession and evolution of the farm, balancing investments in innovation with the fundamentals of on-farm decision making, succession planning and technology adoption. 

Download the transcript for this episode

More Information:

Join the conversation visually and see our reactions on the video podcast on YouTube

GRDC Code: HAG2308-001SAX

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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Carbendazim is a broad spectrum fungicide used to control a range of diseases on pulses. But as a schedule 7 chemical with restrictions on its use, there's growing uncertainty about maximum residue limits in some international markets. 

In this podcast, GRDC ‘s Gordon Cumming and Agriculture Victoria’s Dr Joshua Fanning, discuss the current situation on Carbendazim use in Australia and alternative chemical options.  

Dr Fanning is leading national research on integrated disease management strategies to reduce the impact of Ascochyta blight and Botrytis diseases on lentil and faba bean. 

The investment is being led by Agriculture Victoria, with co-investment from GRDC and support from New South Wales Department of Primary Industries (NSW DPI), the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI), Field Applied Research Australia (FAR) and Trengove Consulting.

Download the transcript for this episode

Contact 

Gordon Cumming 

Manager Chemical Regulation 

[email protected]

Dr Joshua Fanning 

Research Leader Plant Pathology 

[email protected]

More information 

Paddock Practices – Carbendazim fungicide and its continued use in Australia

GRDC Code: DJP2304-004RTX

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🎙️ Today's 'GRDC in Conversation' podcast interview is with Anna Madden.

Anna Madden and her husband Steve own and operate an irrigated farm in Wee Waa, New South Wales. While studying Rural Science, a lecturer told Anna about the role plants will play in feeding the world's growing population, and so her career projection pivoted from the livestock industry into plants and she hasn’t looked back. In this GRDC in Conversation episode with Oli Le Lievre, Anna discusses her career progression, mentors, the balance between environment and production, their business in using biologicals to reduce the need for synthetics, learnings from overseas travel, the evolution of women’s influence in agronomy and inspiring the next generation.

Anna is the brother to previous In Conversation guest, Mark Swift.

This episode of GRDC in Conversation is available as a podcast and a video:

Join the conversation visually and see our reactions on the video podcast

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.

Download the transcript for this episode

GRDC Code: HOA2202-001SAX

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The Australian Synchrotron in Melbourne is a super high-tech operation that produces powerful beams of light a million times brighter than the sun.

In a partnership between GRDC, the University of South Australia and the University of Queensland, researchers have been given access to the Australian Synchrotron and it's giving them a perspective on soil they've never had before. They're using the Synchrotron's imaging and medical beamline to produce high-quality 3D imagery of roots growing directly into large, undisturbed soil cores. To find out more, we caught up with the University of South Australia's Dr Casey Doolette and Dr Peter Kopittke from the University of Queensland. 

Download the transcript for this episode

Contacts:

Dr Peter Kopittke

University of Queensland

[email protected]

Dr Casey Doolette

University of South Australia

[email protected]

More Information:

GRDC YouTube – Crop root research taken to the next level

GroundCover – Synchrotron looks deep into wheat’s nutritional value

GroundCover – Synchrotron technology sheds light on root distribution

GRDC Code: UOQ1910-003RTX

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Tammin grower was an early adapter of the SwarmBot technology from SwarmFarm. GRDC’s GrainInnovate program has played a key role in supporting SwarmFarm’s progress and with Brad only the third person in WA to bring a bot on-farm, he has been able to harness the power of this innovation to streamline his farming operations, reduce costs, and minimise environmental impact. 

We spoke to Brad at a field day held on his farm as part of the 2023 Australian Precision Agriculture Symposium, hosted by SPAA and supported by GRDC.  

Download the transcript for this episode

Contact:

Brad Jones 

Tammin grower 

[email protected] 

More Information:

GRDC YouTube – Precision Ag in Practice: Brad Jones | Adapting technology with bots

GroundCover – Bots on the ground – farming’s new army

GroundCover – Hope springs from GrainInnovate pipeline

GroundCover – Clocking up a week’s work in just one day

GroundCover – Grower insights bolster variable rate technology workshops

GRDC Code: SPA2308-001AWX, ART1903-001OPX

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This summer has seen high numbers of fall armyworm (FAW) across Queensland and Northern New South Wales. In some late sown crops, FAW has had a disastrous impact and caught many growers and advisers off-guard.

Dr Melina Miles, Principal Entomologist at the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, shares her insights on what can be done to manage this pest in such a challenging season, and what it means for future plantings. 

Download the transcript for this episode.

Contact:

Dr Melina Miles

Department of Agriculture and Fisheries Queensland

[email protected]

More information

The Beatsheet – Fall armyworm

GRDC Resources – Fall armyworm

GRDC Webinar – Fall armyworm management tips and tactics

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Net form of net blotch is an important foliar fungal disease of barley and its impact on yield and decreased profitability has prompted a new GRDC co-investment: Integrated management strategies for net form net blotch in low, medium, and high rainfall zones. This investment aims to develop and deliver cost effective integrated disease management strategies across the northern and southern regions. Nick Poole from FAR Australia gives an insight into the disease and the new research development and extension surrounding it.

Download the transcript for this episode

Contact:

Nick Poole 

FAR Australia 

[email protected]

More Information:

Fungicide resistance in barley fact sheet

FAR Australia

GRDC YouTube – Net form net blotch: Integrated disease management in barley

GRDC Code: DAQ2304-008RTX

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Raising the bar on crop nutrition in northern New South Wales is the aim of a new partnership between Outlook Ag and GRDC. Field trials have been established to help combat very area-specific problems and improve yield in a range of crops. In this episode, we speak with three of the lead consultants from Outlook Ag – Mitch Cuell in Narrabri, Greg Giblett on the Liverpool Plains, and Greg Rummery in the Northwest.  

Download the transcript for this episode

Content:

Mitch Cuell

Outlook Ag

[email protected]

Greg Rummery

Outlook Ag 

[email protected]

Greg Giblett

Outlook Ag 

[email protected]

More information:

Outlook Ag

GRDC Code: OAG2305-001RTX

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