Rural

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BIOSECURITY STRATEGY VITAL FOR FUTURE

The state’s peak agricultural body is calling for an urgent boost to biosecurity systems to protect Australia from imported viruses and pests.

In a submission to the National Biosecurity Strategy Consultation, NSW Farmers outlined the failings of Australia’s biosecurity system, calling for more urgency to develop a modern system with from government.

“The recently released National Biosecurity Strategy is a good start, but strategies alone don’t get things done,” NSW Farmers President James Jackson said.

“Every footy team has a game plan before but what matters is whether the players put that into action.

“The same goes for biosecurity, we know what we need to do, but as a nation we’re still not doing it well enough and we need to start action now with greater urgency.”

Mr Jackson said the Federal Government’s focus this week on boosting traceability was important, but it was only one aspect of the biosecurity continuum. One of the most alarming biosecurity failings, he said, came just prior to the arrival of COVID-19 – almost half of all imported found to harbour a disease that could wipe out Australia’s wine industry if left unchecked.

Mr Jackson said a modern biosecurity system needed better detection and tracking to pick up all potential incursions.

“Our key priority is for the Federal Government to implement a sustainable funding model – we must have longer term certainty of biosecurity that is beyond the budget cycle,” Mr Jackson said. “Greater investment in biosecurity research and development will minimise the impact of risks and challenges.

“The outcome of increased investment will be a stronger biosecurity system, which in turn strengthens agriculture’s sustainability and broader economy.”

Federal and state governments must have the capacity to effectively respond to incursions of exotic pests and disease, Mr Jackson said.

25TH DPI WINTER CROP VARIETY SOWING GUIDE RELEASED

The ever-popular NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) Winter Crop Variety Sowing Guide has today been released to help grain growers and agronomists make strategic cropping decisions.

DPI Technical Specialist - Grain Services, Peter Matthews, said this year’s guide, which celebrates its 25th year, is more comprehensive than ever and has all the information farmers need for a successful winter crop.

“Guides such as this highlight the DPI’s impressive history of delivering quality agricultural research and development to increase productivity and resilience across the state’s agricultural sectors and the environment,” Mr Matthews said.

“This publication is key in assisting NSW’s cropping industry, which had an output of $8 billion in 20202021.”

The guide provides everything from the latest yield performance for crop varieties, grain quality, disease tolerance, new variety characteristics, weed management practices, to rotations and crop nutrition.

This information is based on research and development results from DPI, other research providers and the National Variety Testing program.

“There are three new spring milling wheats, three long-season feed wheats, three barley varieties, 13 canola varieties, one faba bean variety, two one narrow leaf lupin variety available for growers this season,” Mr Matthews said.

“Lentils have also been added to this year’s guide in recognition of the growing opportunity for this crop in southern and central NSW; it’s well suited to the farming system in these regions and one of the highest value pulse crops.”

Those armed with the Guide can make can make informed and cost-effective decisions based on the information and research provided.

Rising prices of inputs such as diesel, herbicides, and fertiliser mean crop establishment failures would be costly this season. With the high price of nitrogen-based products such as urea, growers are advised to create nitrogen budgets and target paddocks that will give them the highest return on investment if it becomes a limited resource.

“Targeting the right variety and sowing time can maximise the chance of a high yielding crop, and minimise frost risk or heat stress during grain

“For example, growers should consider growing pulse crops to build up soil nitrogen levels for 2023 crops while taking advantage of high pulse grain prices crop in 2022.

“They should select a pulse crop that suits their soil types, a variety that matches their growing season, and varieties with the best available disease resistances against the main foliar diseases.

“Fortunately, we’ve taken the guesswork out of these decisions by providing all the available information in this Guide.”

The 2022 Winter Crop Variety Sowing Guide is available to download from the DPI website and hard copies will be available at local agribusiness stores, Local Land Services or

Farmers ask for future focus

The NSW Government has been given a list of budget requests that will unlock the future of agriculture.

NSW Farmers President James Jackson says the prebudget submission outlines a number of opportunities to invest in a bigger, stronger future for the sector.

“Despite all of the challenges farmers have faced over the past couple of years, we have demonstrated our ability to grow and succeed,” Mr Jackson said.

“There is enormous potential to grow agriculture and repair the economy, but we are now reaching the point where we need investment in projects and opportunities to unlock that potential.

“This is why NSW Farmers has given the state government a number of budget requests, so we can get on with setting our sector up for a brighter future.”

The requests in the prebudget submission from the state’s peak advocacy body range from continuing the highly successful Young Farmers program to investing in research and development and putting an end to costly Jackson said sorting out the sometimes-messy land use space was critical as the race was on to develop more housing and renewable energy.

“Everyone seems to have gotten the message that the country is a lovely place to live, but we need to make sure we don’t lose precious agricultural land in the ‘tree change’,” Mr Jackson said.

“Once you put houses or power lines or solar panels on a piece of farming land it ceases to be productive agricultural land, and since they’re not making any more dirt, we can’t afford to waste it.

“We’ve been pretty clear in our representations to the state government about sorting this out, we’ve got a plan and a solution and we’re willing to lead the way.

“We’re keen to work with anyone who has the vision to lead and ‘unleash the beast’ of agriculture.”