The national Hyper Yielding Crops initiative is the GRDC’s new investment to push crop yield boundaries in high yield potential grain-growing environments across Australia. The initiative will involve five centres of excellence. Attached to each centre of excellence will be five focus farms (25 farms in total) and a lead grower network aimed at taking research and development learnings from small plot to paddock scale. Grower and adviser involvement is now being sought to inform the research direction. Through the new investment, high yield potential cultivars suited to local environments will be identified and the most appropriate agronomic management tactics – including paddock selection and preparation, canopy management, disease, weed and pest control, and crop nutrition strategies – will be explored to assist grower and adviser decision making.

Delivering nitrogen to your crop is one of the more difficult decisions you make each year. Have you supplied enough, or have you supplied too much. This year you have a new friend, in the form of the Nitrogen Reference Manual for the Southern Region. The release of the manual comes at the perfect time for growers who are poised to do top up nitrogen applications. On this podcast, we hear from ag consultant Bill Long about the manual, soil scientist Cassie Schefe about what’s happening in your soil right now and grower Andrew Russell about his nitrogen program and the pleasant surprise he got this year.

Between 2017 and 2019 strategically placed wheat trials, located as far north as Central Queensland down to the Riverina region of NSW delivered data that will provide grain growers with regional information about variety adaption and recommended sowing times. The project is part of a bilateral agreement under the grains agronomy and pathology partnership between GRDC and NSW DPI, who brought Queensland’s Department of Agriculture and Fisheries onboard to work on the project.

Rhizoctonia is a fungal disease that’s causing some concern to growers in the Southern and Western regions. On this podcast we speak to SARDI scientists Alan McKay and Blake Gontar about some of the management options available to growers and, in particular, how they can lessen the presence of the disease in the soil moving in to 2021.

New research into Nitrogen applications as part of the Tactical Wheat Agronomy for the West project could challenge the way the industry thinks about what determines the timing of N applications. The research project, a WA Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development and GRDC investment, involved trials across Western Australia’s wheatbelt and revealed a key influencer of wheat yield, quality and protein level, is environment.

It’s radical. It certainly looks different. But the potential benefits could be enormous. It’s called intercropping – growing two or more crops in the same paddock at the same time. In Part 1 of this two part mini-series, we hear about the sheer scale of trials underway across Victoria and what is hoped to be achieved. Agriculture Victoria crop scientist, Garry O’Leary dreams of a future that might be, but with a big dose of realism tossed into the mix.

Yield losses from Red Leather Leaf in Oats could be significantly higher than growers have previously believed. One reason might be that the stubble borne foliar diseases is difficult to identify. On this podcast, Agriculture Victoria research scientist, Mark McLean talks about trials currently underway and why there is strong suspicion that this disease is costing farmers yield.

In this podcast, researcher Ross Ballard from the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI), the research division of Primary Industries and Regions SA, shares information on the new and existing commercial lines tested so far, including the new stand medic (Medicago littoralis) cultivar scheduled for release in 2021.

In this podcast, FAR Australia researcher Michael Straight says the gap between what is achieved and what is achievable when it comes to yield comes down to doing the little things right. We also hear from Charlie Aves from the Irrigate Cropping Council about how the pathways that will emerge from the research will be disseminated to growers.

Think of it as a new breath of fresh air for your crops. Keeping the critical growing window open longer will deliver you bigger yields. Professor Victor Sadras from the South Australian Research and Development Institute has been researching this topic and on this podcasts he speaks about what he has found, in particular the relative importance of grain weight and grain number.

Farmers in northern Queensland were left perplexed and alarmed by damage done to soybean crops by fungal disease. Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries plant pathologist explains in this podcast that crops had been hit by two fungal diseases – Target Spot and Anthracnose, with damage being compounded by Stem Fly attack.

By 2030 Asia’s demand for wheat will increase by a further 8 million tonnes and that offers Australia’s wheat industry real opportunities. Speaking at the Perth Grains Research Update the CEO of the Australian Export Grains Innovation Centre, Richard Simonaitis told delegates, Australia is well placed to win a share of the forecast increase in demand. While the topic for Richard’s Update presentation was ‘A glimpse into the future for the Western Australian Wheat Industry’, the podcast contains information highly relevant to wheat growers and industry stakeholders across Australia.

A new resource is available to help grain growers make proactive integrated pest management (IPM) decisions to control diamondback moth (DBM) in canola. It’s called the DBM best management practice guide, and in this podcast, entomologist Dr Kym Perry from the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI) the research division of Primary Industries and Regions South Australia, explores the contents of this guide.

The overuse of insecticides and evolution of resistance in redlegged earth mite (RLEM) is a significant issue for southern and western grain growers. But a new snapshot-style resource is available to help growers make sustainable integrated pest management (IPM) decisions to deal with this pest in canola. It’s called the RLEM best management practice guide, and in this podcast, entomologist Dr Paul Umina talks through the guide in more detail, including factors that influence RLEM numbers in canola and the proactive management strategies.

This podcast has been developed as part of the investment, "Supporting the sustainable use of insecticides and local on-farm implementation of IPM strategies in the GRDC southern region”. The investment aims to provide knowledge and skills to growers so they are equipped with a range of appropriate IPM strategies for their situations.

There has been some conjecture in the grains industry as to whether Yellow Leaf Spot is simply a cosmetic disease that has little impact on yield and the contrary view that yield loss can be significant. New research has found that in wet winters the disease does indeed lead to reduced tonnages. On this podcast, Agriculture Victoria plant pathologist, Grant Hollaway talks about what his research found and also some options for growers who would like to avoid the problem in the first place.

The past can teach us many valuable lessons, particularly when it comes to nature. Scientists around the world are going back in time to capture valuable new traits for modern day chickpeas. Australian scientists are using chickpea varieties collected from the harshest environments to capture strong traits for properties such as increased drought tolerance. On this podcast, Lars Kamphuis from the Centre for and Disease Management in Perth explains the Australian context of this exciting research.

Septoria Tritici Blotch has re-emerged as a disease that growers in the southern region should watch out for. Septoria Tritici Blotch is a foliar disease in wheat and was last most prevalent during wet years in the 1970’s. On this podcast, Agriculture Victoria plant pathologist, Grant Hollaway explains the management of a disease that many growers may not have seen before.

New research by CSIRO has revealed that grazing crops can add up to $1000 per hectare to a farm’s bottom line. With high livestock prices, dual purpose cropping has many advantages, both direct and indirect, including filling the winter feed gap and allowing extra spring pasture growth. On this podcast, CSIRO’s Lindsay Bell outlines those benefits.

The podcast discusses research findings arising out of the GRDC investment ‘Using soil and plant testing data to better inform nutrient management and optimise fertiliser investments for grain growers in the southern region’, which is focused on increasing growers’ use of soil and plant testing data to better inform their fertiliser decision-making.

The podcast discusses research findings arising out of the GRDC investment ‘Using soil and plant testing data to better inform nutrient management and optimise fertiliser investments for grain growers in the southern region’, which is focused on increasing growers’ use of soil and plant testing data to better inform their fertiliser decision making.

Chickpea growers have been cautioned to recognise the potential for an increased risk of Ascochyta Blight in chickpeas in 2020. NSW DPI senior plant pathologist, Kevin Moore warns that Ascochtya inoculum will still be present in chickpea residue that is several years old. A new fact sheet focusing on management options in 2020 is now available to growers and advisers.

Goomalling grower Rob Dempster is confident the production potential from yellow sandplain soils on his family’s property can be “unlocked” to become an asset – especially in dry seasons. Rob’s confidence stems from his involvement in a series of research trials on his property, investigating the impacts of a range of soil-inversion and deep-tillage tactics on crop performance. In this podcast, Rob discusses the trial findings in more detail and the deep-tillage tactics that have boosted the productivity of his yellow sandplain soils. The research was conducted by consultancy group agVivo Pty Ltd, with GRDC investment and support from the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD).

Farming is a risky business. Some risks are in the lap of the gods, but some risks are well within your control – or at least until they get out of control. On this podcast, Paul Umina from cesar has a very sober message for grain growers. The risk is getting greater that farmers will lose control of their ability to control pests in their crops, unless resistance management strategies are more widely adopted. This is a very candid interview from one of Australia’s leading crop pest experts.