Cropping, tillage and pastures march 2014 (low res)

ountry News Co Reaching Australia ’s richest agricultural region

Cropping, tillage & pastures

20 014 March 2

Heading for the hills Robbie McCormick and why he wants another seeder Page 3 Frost shock warning — page 2 | Pasture is king for this Kyabram farmer — page 4 | Gearing up for sowing — page 14 & 15

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PAGE 2—‘Cropping, tillage & pastures ’, March, 2014

cropping, tillage & pastures

Hybrid helps in war on weeds xcellent early hybrid E vigour of Pioneer canola has assisted with weed

control over recent years on the property of Chris and Libby Kellock at Lake Rowan. ‘‘Hybrids within the Roundup Ready system are really working for us,’’ Mr Kellock said. ‘‘The best thing about Pioneer varieties has been their early vigour.’’

Pioneer Roundup Ready canola has been grown on the property since the second year of commercialisation and has been the only canola grown in recent seasons.

Mr Kellock said Roundup Ready canola was initially introduced in an effort to control rye-grass and wild oats in that particular phase of the rotation. ‘‘Rye-grass is a numbers game,’’ he said. ‘‘You definitely don’t want to get too many numbers. The Roundup Ready system together with good vigour has reduced our regress numbers. ‘‘You get such good shading effect from varieties with good vigour.’’

Roundup Ready canola has been grown since the demise of clethodim herbicide as a viable option.

Pioneer hybrid 46Y20 (RR) was the initial Roundup Ready canola grown on the property and in has been joined by Pioneer hybrid 43Y23 (RR) and Pioneer hybrid 45Y22 (RR).

Pioneer hybrid 45Y22 (RR) was the highest-yielding canola on the property last season and was sown relatively early, on April 18. ‘‘We had some areas reach 3 tonne/ha and it was good to harvest. It went well through the machine.’’

This year the canola will include 45Y22 (RR), 43Y23 (RR) and the newly released canola Pioneer hybrid 44Y24 (RR) which was trialled on the property during the 2013 season.

In the trial, 44Y24 (RR) produced a yield of 1.643 tonne/ha and compared favourably with 45Y22 (RR) at 1.581 tonne/ha and 43Y23 (RR) at 1.422 tonne/ha.

The trial area was affected by frost late in the season but still enabled a good comparison of commercial and experimental canola hybrids.

Mr Kellock said it was good to compare the experimental hybrids in trials and the success of 44Y24 (RR) meant it would be included in the program in 2014.

Last season the canola was sown at 1.8 kg/ha and achieved the target establishment of 40 plants per square metre. ‘‘Hybrids have yielded well and oil has stood up in a dry year. That’s what hybrids do for you.’’

The 2013 season was good for their canola, with an average yield of 2.1 tonne/ha. ‘‘Given the dry finish, the early canola performed well.’’

Roundup Ready canola is the only herbicide-tolerant type grown on the property because of its ease of use and ability to control problem weeds such as rye-grass and wild oats. ‘‘The whole program has worked really well for us. It’s been well adopted in this area because of its success.’’

Historically, canola was grown once every three years but in recent seasons that has been compressed to every second year in rotation with wheat and it has continued to perform well.

Typically paraquat plus trifulalin herbicide is used prior to planting and Rustler herbicide as a post-sowing, preemergent option.

Two applications of Roundup at 0.9 kg/ha are put on early in the life of the crop.

Chris Kellock is pleased with the way Roundup Ready canola has helped control rye-grass and wild oats on his Lake Rowan property.

Taking stock of nutrient levels after frost rain growers recovering G from last season’s frosts are being encouraged to consider

variations in nutrient removal when planning for this season.

Incitec Pivot Fertilisers technical agronomist Lee Menhenett said significant amounts of key nutrients were removed from paddocks when crops were cut for hay.

On the positive side, where frosted crops are harvested for grain, they leave higher nutrient reserves in the stubble, which can be returned to the system over time, according to Mr Menhenett.

He said the frost of October 18, 2013 would be etched into the minds of many farmers for years to come. ‘‘Within weeks of this frost event, it was apparent that significant yield losses had occurred in canola and wheat.

‘‘The decision to leave crops standing for harvest or cut them for hay was difficult because the degree of damage within paddocks varied so greatly. ‘‘In some instances, whole paddocks were wiped out and in others the damage was confined to zones.’’

Mr Menhenett said nutrient removal was higher from paddocks cut for hay compared with those harvested for grain.

An analysis of nutrient removal from a crop of frosted wheaten hay from Cowra, sampled in October 2013, showed that 86 kg of nitrogen and 12 kg of phosphorus was removed in the 6 tonne/ha of dry matter harvested. ‘‘If the value of these two major nutrient inputs is considered, with nitrogen valued at $1.40/kg and phosphorus at $3.50/kg, then this

hay crop removed $120 worth of nitrogen and $42 worth of phosphorus,’’ he said. ‘‘Unfortunately, if you have had the misfortune of having to cut crops for hay, you will also be left with a lower nutrient balance in those paddocks at the start of this season. ‘‘The nutrients removed from the farm system need to be accounted for and replaced to ensure ongoing productivity.’’

Mr Menhenett said frosted paddocks harvested for grain would have a higher residual nutrient status than those cut for hay and also those paddocks not frost-affected.

He arranged for header trash from two separate paddocks in the Shepparton district to be sampled by the Nutrient Advantage laboratory to assess the stubble nutrient load that remained

following harvest. ‘‘The stubble left behind from frosted crops harvested for grain contained up to three times more nitrogen, 50 per cent more phosphorus, two times more potassium and four times more sulphur than regular stubble,’’ he said. ‘‘The frosted stubble also contained nearly two times the amount of copper and six times as much zinc. ‘‘Burning the frost-affected stubble means losing all the nitrogen and sulphur, while the phosphorus and potassium remaining in the ash will be prone to blowing off the paddock.’’

Mr Menhenett said that if the frost-affected stubbles could be retained, they would add to nutrient reserves on the paddock for years to come. ‘‘While it is difficult to assess

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In terms of phosphorus, he said the good news was that most of the phosphorus in residues was in the orthophosphate form, which was available to plants. ‘‘Conventional tillage will increase the amount of phosphorus mineralisation for the subsequent crop, but direct drill systems will also see phosphorus available, albeit at lower rates. ‘‘When planning for this season’s crops, remember the nutrients left behind — as there may be some legacy cost or benefit from the frost. ‘‘Jack Frost took from us, but in some cases he has left something behind in the stubble for future use.’’

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‘Cropping, tillage & pastures ’, March, 2014—PAGE 3

cropping, tillage & pastures

The press wheel is shaped to a 45 degree angle which Robbie McCormick says helps with soil-seed contact.

The seeding outfit includes a New Holland or Case tractor.

So good he wants another one

hen most teenagers were W thinking about their first driving experience, Robbie

McCormick was buying his second tractor.

The agricultural contractor was 16 when he bought his first tractor, a Case, for $33 000, which satisfied him only for about a year before he decided he needed a new Case 90 hp tractor.

He was none too happy when he lost the tractor in a head-on crash with a truck on a country road.

But after 15 years in the business Mr McCormick is nothing if not resilient, and has picked himself up and grown the business to the point where he now employs a full-time driver and two casuals.

In the autumn he’ll be concentrating on pasture renovation and a cropping program for his regular clients.

In the winter he builds rural fences and in the spring turns to hay-making.

McCormick owns his own farm in the Euroa district so he has enough skin in the game to work out what does the job best.

Robbie McCormick likes the rugged build of the Semeato.

He mostly works in the hilly and sometimes granitic Strathbogie Ranges, as well as the lowlands around Euroa, so his equipment has to be robust.

It’s one of the features of the Semeato 420 end tow, no-till seeder that has impressed Mr McCormick so much he’s ordered a new one for this season.

‘‘When I first bought it, I wanted a machine that would fit through a standard 12-foot gate and would pack up well enough to move on the narrow roads around here. The council has turned a lot of the bridges into narrow, one lanes,’’ he said. ‘‘But when I get into the paddock I can open it up to four metres and cover some ground pretty quickly. ‘‘Because it’s a disc seeder it clears the trash well. It’ll go through stubble up to three feet high.’’

Mr McCormick is particularly impressed with the press wheel which has a 45° angle of attack. ‘‘You get good soil-seed contact for germination and it makes it harder for birds to steal the seed. ‘‘We seem to get millions of them up here,’’ he said gesturing to the flocks of cockatoos and corellas wheeling in the sky over the Strathbogies.

The terrain can be difficult in the hills, so Mr McCormick appreciates the independent discs and press wheel which give up to 600 mm of travel.

Precision engineering

‘‘The strength and weight of the machine attracted me. It’s a solid, heavy frame, but it floats well over the ground.’’

Mr McCormick doesn’t mind tinkering with his machinery. He and his father once built a selfpowered post hole driver out of a Japanese rice harvester.

In the case of the Semeato, he added a hydraulically operated guidance tine so he can easily track his last pass.

Mr McCormick is expecting the arrival of his new Semeato seeder from Shepparton Ag this month. ➤ Technical details: The machine: 4.4 m double disc seeder with cast closing wheel and long arm design to ensure uniform seed placement.

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PAGE 4—‘Cropping, tillage & pastures ’, March, 2014

cropping, tillage & pastures

Hunters ‘just love’ growing grass enovating pastures every R few years with a mix of leading rye-grass varieties

makes good sense to Kyabram dairy farmer Chris Hunter. ‘‘Pastures are such a wonderful thing. They are a great, cheap feed source for cows,’’ he said. ‘‘Every year we try to pick the best rye-grass varieties around, and any paddock that needs a bit of help gets the mix.’’

Mr Hunter and his wife Alison are passionate about pasture and have seen great results on their farm.

They use a Baker Boot renovating machine to over-sow a special mix of rye-grass varieties each season. ‘‘We just love growing grass, and over the years we’ve managed to increase our pasture utilisation figures from around 12 tonne/ha to 18 tonne/ha,’’ Mr Hunter said.

In past years the Hunters have run 600 dairy cows on a 100 ha irrigation block, which comprises clay and Lemnos loams.

The farm was developed into a fully irrigated system, primarily producing pasture for consumption by the Hunters’ dairy herd. They also continue to run stock on an irrigated dryland outblock.

Some years they cut a small amount of hay, however they tend to focus on grazing the pastures.

The late-flowering perennial rye-

Kyabram dairy farmer Chris Hunter is a pasture enthusiast. grass Bealey has been one of the varieties used in the mix since it came on the market five years ago.

The mix is planted between March and April at a rate of

21-25 kg/ha, which ensures they have good pasture growth at different stages of the season.

Mr Hunter said getting a good strike could be challenging in a pasture sod paddock but the

Baker Boot machine helped get seed-to-soil contact, which is crucial in getting the rye-grass established. ‘‘We’ve been using it (Bealey) every 2-3 years in a mix to

renovate our existing pastures and it works well,’’ Mr Hunter said.

Bealey gives high quality feed into late spring and summer, making pasture management easier. It has good tiller density, giving good persistence.

Bealey is a tetraploid rye-grass which boosts animal performance by combining the key elements of high feed quality, high yield and greater seasonal growth.

This year the Hunters will also use Shogun hybrid rye-grass in their mix for the first time. ‘‘We are always looking to try a new variety and this year will plant 45-50 ha of Shogun rye-grass in March as part of our rye-grass mix,’’ Mr Hunter said.

Shogun has very strong establishment vigour and high total forage yields.

It combines high winter growth and good summer production with quality, and has improved persistence over other hybrid ryegrass varieties.

Shogun was bred from a cross between Bealey and an elite Italian rye-grass which contains the NEA2 endophyte.

It will fit into high production dairy and lamb finishing systems as a medium term high-producing late season pasture.

It should reliably last three to four years, making it an ideal option for over-sowing run-down perennial pastures.

“Seed germination is much better with this machine than any other we’ve ever had.”

Mike Connally, ‘Woodlands’, Goornong VIC

Mike purchased an RFM CT Guidance 2340 planter in early 2010, with 33 double and RFM’s distinctive coil press wheels. He says that the machine has done the job in hard soil and that the double discs are equivalent or better than expensive hardened points.

“I’m happy with them, we used single discs before suffering from hair-pinning in trash; this alleviates it, and creates loose dirt around the seed to aid germination. They are better in wet conditions than single discs because they don’t plug up. I really like the press wheels, especially in mud.”

SELF CLEANING

‘RFM DP18 Double Discs cut through trash, are self-cleaning and have been proven in diverse soil types right across Australia. Disc adaptations are available to suit most brands of current cultivators.’

“We found that this would go through the ‘plasticiny’ stuff very well.

It handles and incorporates the stubble very well. No issues of trash building or blocking. We sowed the canola at 3kg/ha and we had good enough germination that we could have sowed lighter.”

Lawry Simpson, Oaklands, VIC Lawry’s RFM CT Guidance 3340 with coil press wheels has done one season.

SELF CLOSING

Revolutionary spring coil press wheels are designed to self-clean and squeeze further into the furrow for increased seed to soil contact and better germination.

Double discs and coil press wheels to fit nearly every tyne on the market. Just drop your shank and fit the disc leg. Then you have the best of both worlds.

For more information on how RFM double discs and coil press wheels will suit your machine and your soil contact Paul Ryan from RFM Ag on 0417 354 617 or email to paul@rfm.com.au

‘Cropping, tillage & pastures ’, March, 2014—PAGE 5

cropping, tillage & pastures

Seeder vital to brothers’ business passion for the land and a A strong focus on agriculture since their school days has

seen Callum and Michael Gleadow develop a comprehensive spraying, fertiliser spreading, hay and silage, seeding and pasture renovation contracting business for the region around Violet Town. ‘‘Our parents have 1700 acres here and my brother and I lease 600 acres nearby as a base for the contracting business we started after leaving school,’’ Callum said. ‘‘Mum and Dad have a Duncan Renovator MK3 that has seen a lot of contracting work — so much so that our recent workload required us to look at hiring a second-hand seeder. ‘‘We have a great working relationship with Bertoli Farm Machinery in Shepparton but found a hire seeder was unavailable at the time and accepted their kind offer to view a Duncan AS3500 24-run air seeder,’’ he said. ‘‘We liked what we saw, and knowing the Duncan product quality, reliability and ease of calibration, it has been a purchase decision that we are very happy about.’’

Jack Collins, a partner in Bertoli Farm Machinery, said the hire machine sought by Callum and Michael was purchased by another client a day or so before Callum’s request. ‘‘Having enjoyed many years of

Andrew Gleadow flanked by sons Callum (left) and Michael, with the Duncan AS3500 air seeder that has become such an important machine in Callum and Michael’s comprehensive contracting business. good business with the Gleadow family we thought a loan of a new seeder might solve their contracting schedule; it did, and

they never returned the AS3500 to us . . . they loved it so much that they kept it,’’ Mr Collins said.

There is a wide diversity of soil

types and terrain within the 60 km radius in which Callum and Michael operate — and that means they do a lot of road

transport with the seeder.

Invariably it’s full of fertiliser so the life of a seeder can be tough. ‘‘At Violet Town we are on the edge of the divide amidst black granite soils. There is a lot of hilly country around us, but within our contracting area we are often on flat and rocky ground,’’ Michael said. ‘‘We love the AS3500 air seeder. At 3.5 m width and before we made the purchase we were initially concerned whether it might have any contour-following issues. Our fears were unfounded and despite it being a rigid machine it has proven to be ideal on contoured land. ‘‘The solid build quality means we can go into any terrain with confidence, and the Duncan calibration system is a dream to use.’’

With two Massey Ferguson tractors and a New Holland spanning the 110 to 150 hp range, the brothers handle the wideranging contract work with ease.

Bertoli Farm Machinery is also loyal to the Duncan brand. ‘‘It’s the only brand of seeder we will stock. In the eight years we have had the agency we have witnessed the integrity of the brand and the support we receive from Anthony White, Duncan Ag’s Australian sales manager,’’ Mr Collins said.

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PAGE 6—‘Cropping, tillage & pastures ’, March, 2014

cropping, tillage & pastures

Chemical resistance study s part of a major A national effort to measure stored grain

insect resistance to phosphine and other chemicals, DEPI grains industry biosecurity officer Jim Moran will be visiting farms in Victoria to collect insects in and around grain storages.

The project is funded by the National CRC for Plant Biosecurity through grain grower levies and will benchmark insect resistance distribution and

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frequency around Australia.

Mr Moran hopes to collect 100 insects of various species per farm.

Each will be tested for phosphine resistance and possibly some of the grain protectants.

There is a limit of 150 farms to have insects collected and tested throughout Victoria.

If growers would like insect samples collected from their property to test for chemical resistance, they need to contact Mr

Moran as soon as possible.

Once on site, the sampling process will be explained and the farmer will be asked questions about the commodity stored, pesticides used and about any pest problems.

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fungal disease which has developed resistance to some of the most common fungicides.

Groundbreaking research at the NSW DPI Wagga Wagga Research Institute and Charles Sturt University has identified fungicideresistant septoria tritici blotch (STB) in a number of Australian crops.

DPI research scientist Andrew Milgate said this was the first record of a wheat pathogen developing fungicide resistance in Australia. ‘‘Septoria tritici blotch is a serious disease of wheat found in all the major wheat growing regions of the world,’’ Dr Milgate said. ‘‘In Australia, the prevalence of the disease had been low due to prolonged periods of drought, however we started to see a rise in reports of disease outbreaks in 2011, particularly in south-west Victoria and Tasmania,

coinciding with improved rainfall conditions.’’

Dr Milgate said the disease was spread long distances by wind-borne spores, could result in yield losses of up to 50 per cent and survived from one season to the next on stubble. ‘‘We began to investigate recently collected samples and compared them to our historical collection for the possibility that the disease was developing resistance to certain fungicides. ‘‘What we found was that STB samples collected since 2011 had developed reduced sensitivity to a number of older and newer azole fungicides. We also confirmed that a number of these changes found in the Australian population were the same as those known to occur in the United Kingdom and Europe.’’

Dr Milgate said in Europe and the UK, STB had evolved high levels of resistance to many common forms of fungicide treatment.

NSW DPI is working closely with molecular biologist Julie Pattemore,

from CSU’s School of Agricultural and Wine Sciences in Wagga Wagga, to identify the strains which can give dramatic loss of sensitivity to commonly used fungicides. ‘‘Growers may not be aware of a significant change in their paddocks because the loss of sensitivity occurs slowly over a number of seasons, with the pathogen gradually becoming more resistant,’’ Dr Milgate said. ‘‘Our options for controlling this disease must change rapidly and we are encouraging wheat growers to be aware of the disease and recognise the potential impact of STB. ‘‘There are measures to take now, including reviewing fungicide treatments, using mixtures or alternating azole fungicides, and using recommended dosages to achieve efficient disease control.’’ ➤ A fact sheet with more information for growers is available at http://www. grdc.com.au/GRDC-FSSeptoria-tritici-blotch-wheat

‘Cropping, tillage & pastures ’, March, 2014—PAGE 7

cropping, tillage & pastures

A DF Drill from Davimac, now represented by O’Connors in Shepparton.

New home for Aussie range

Goulburn Valley dealership has A announced the addition of an Australian range of equipment suited to

the region, while the parent company celebrates its 50th anniversary.

O’Connors Farm Machinery Shepparton now represents the quality Davimac machinery range including Davimac seed drills ideal for pasture renovation and cropping, and Davimac chaser bins perfect for broadacre grain growers.

Branch manager David Collier said for many years the company had served the Goulburn Valley’s dairy farmers, broadacre grain growers and others farming both irrigation country and dryland. ‘‘The Davimac range is a perfect fit for the Goulburn Valley because it delivers the welldesigned, field-proven reliable equipment our farmers want at Australian-built competitive pricing,’’ Mr Collier said.

And with quality Australian-built equipment supplied and backed by a strong local dealer, customer support and service is right at hand — there’s no need to wait for service from a distant supplier, he said.

Established in 1982 and still familyowned, Davimac has carved out a sound and growing market position with the development of direct drills, disc planters, chaser bins, small seed boxes and a pasture seeder.

The company’s growth has been based on traditional solid Australian engineering and

construction, instilled in machines that are straightforward and reliable to operate.

It also recently began a new era for one of Australia’s most iconic tillage companies, when Davimac acquired Agroplow.

A range of high quality seeders has now been developed based on proven principles and the well known Baker Boot tine design.

Solid design and construction is standard while features (depending on series and model) include an exclusive double-dual fluted roller seed/fertiliser metering distributors, higher sowing rates, the ability to handle both large and small seeds and a wide range of fertilisers, reduced bridging and the option of convenient in-cab operation.

Davimac chaser bins feature both single and dual axle bins and are available in capacities up to 35 tonnes.

All boast typical robust construction and a durable quality finish; chassis are constructed using 10 mm and 16 mm plate and heavy duty 10-stud axles.

A clean internal design and a full-length clean-out door ensure crop hygiene.

Davimac chaser bins allow loading and unloading on-the-go aided by high capacity discharge augers and a low 3.3 m side height. ‘‘So, from a dairy block through to large scale cropping, the Davimac Machinery range now available from O’Connors really is a perfect fit for the Goulburn Valley,’’ Mr Collier said.

Making the switch hepparton district S farmer Trevor Stedman is planning to

sow 200 ha of monola this season, following his success with 25 ha of the crop in 2013.

The Caniambo farmer has been growing canola for 20 years, but monola is capturing his attention because of its attractive gross margins.

This year crushers such as Riverland Oilseeds are offering premium payments of $95/tonne for triazine-tolerant monola varieties and $65/tonne for Roundup

Ready monola to encourage more farmers to grow the varieties.

Developed by global seed company Nuseed over the past decade, monola is gaining momentum in the food industry as a healthy alternative to cooking oils containing high levels of saturated and trans fats. ‘‘Last season’s crop of Monola 413TT performed well, averaging 2.4 tonne/ ha and comparing quite well with canola crops of Gem and a new triazine-

tolerant hybrid,’’ Mr Stedman said. ‘‘With the bonus payments for monola, it makes it quite worthwhile.’’

Mr Stedman grows around 1200 ha of wheat and 600 ha of canola each year and runs a handful of sheep.

After first hearing about monola, he was encouraged to try the crop

by Tony Kelly, an agronomist with Advanced Ag in Shepparton.

This season, Mr Stedman plans to expand his monola crop to 200 ha.

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PAGE 8—‘Cropping, tillage & pastures ’, March, 2014

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among the key issues discussed by grain growers, agronomists and advisers at research updates hosted by the Grains Research and Development Corporation this year. ‘‘No matter who you talk to right across the southern region, whether you’re in the high rainfall zone or you’re in the Mallee, herbicide resistance is creating serious challenges,’’ GRDC Southern Regional Panel chair Keith Pengilley said. ‘‘The other key issue in 2014 is nitrogen management; how do we manage, on one hand, risk in a dry year, compared with trying to maximise production in high rainfall areas, with nitrogen? ‘‘Combined with those two major challenges, there are the constant year-inyear-out issues of how we manage new varieties, what varieties are becoming available and what are the associated agronomy packages, how we can maximise yield and productivity and new information and changes for disease statuses like blackleg in canola.’’

GRDC Updates for growers and advisers early in the year are aimed at giving them the latest advice based on a broad range of research initiatives, to prepare them for the coming season. ‘‘The Update series we run across the region are the key events for the season,’’ Mr Pengilley said ‘‘They’re how we get the latest research information from the research industry and our research partners, from the latest GRDC-

he worst weed T hampering Western Australian crops has

evolved resistance to the most common herbicide, it has been revealed.

Research by the Australian Herbicide Resistance Initiative at the University of Western Australia has confirmed glyphosate resistance in three populations of wild radish, all at different locations in the state’s far northern grain belt.

Wild radish, which causes economic losses in 45 crop species in 65

countries, has evolved resistance to many other selective herbicides in WA and other cropping regions.

AHRI’s Mike Ashworth said two populations were believed to have been exposed to at least one and often two applications of glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup, annually over two decades.

Mr Ashworth said herbicides alone should not be used to control wild radish.

Research funded by the Grains Research and Development Corporation

has proven the effectiveness of nonherbicide tools including crop competition and controlling weed seeds at harvest as part of a multipronged weed management program. ‘‘Growers and agronomists should use a range of tactics to control wild radish populations,’’ Mr Ashworth said. ‘‘The aim should be to control weed survivors, eliminate weed seed set and maximise diversity of control strategies.’’

‘Cropping, tillage & pastures ’, March, 2014—PAGE 9

cropping, tillage & pastures

Tackling herbicide resistance orward thinking grain F growers in NSW have recognised the serious nature

of herbicide resistance in weeds and are determined to meet the challenge head-on.

In the past two or three years Hermiston Ag Enterprises assistant manager Mitchell Hughes has witnessed an increase in the number of weeds surviving herbicide applications on the company’s farms across the Riverina.

Mr Hughes manages Hermiston Ag Enterprises’ dryland cropping and prime lamb operations at Mulwala and said their continuous cropping system with stubble retention and a chemical fallow had increased their risk of weeds becoming herbicide-resistant. ‘‘We have Group A and Group B resistance suspected in rye-grass and wild oats and are noticing an increase in fleabane and wild radish in some years,’’ he said. ‘‘We started tackling the problem by using Roundup Ready canola to allow us to treat ryegrass in-crop but we recognise that this is a short-term fix. ‘‘We are keen to adopt other strategies that can reduce the size of the herbicide-resistant populations of weeds in our paddocks.’’

Mr Hughes went to one of the recent Integrated Weed Management workshops featuring researchers and growers from Western Australia who have been developing strategies to combat

Mitchell Hughes is looking to increase crop competitiveness and use narrow windrow burning to drive down the weed seed bank on the dryland cropping farms he manages for Hermiston Ag Enterprises. herbicide resistance for decades.

Discussion leaders at the workshops included ICAN Rural’s John Cameron, NSW DPI’s Tony Cook, Australian Herbicide Resistance Initiative’s Peter Newman and WA grower Ray Harrington.

Local growers Tom Murphy and Murray Scholz, and grower and researcher Maurie Street, were also on hand to discuss their personal experience managing resistant weeds, each having trialled several strategies as they look for the most effective mix of

tactics to meet the herbicide resistance challenge.

NSW DPI extension officer Tony Cook said the cost of inaction was enormous, as WA growers knew all too well.

Now Mr Hughes is ready to

implement several new strategies at Mulwala. ‘‘Some of the tactics explained at the workshop are easy to adopt,’’ he said. ‘‘In the first place we plan to do everything we can to increase the competitiveness of our winter crops this year. ‘‘We also plan to windrow burn in our worst paddocks to start the process of reducing the weed seed bank. ‘‘To increase crop competition the researchers recommended increasing the sowing rate, paying more attention to crop nutrition and planting east-west. ‘‘These are all things we can implement immediately. ‘‘Another suggestion is to reduce row spacing, and while we are open to trying that it will not be something we could change straight away.’’

Stubble burning has been used on Hermiston Ag Enterprises farms in the past as a management tool, particularly on the higher rainfall country.

Mr Hughes said these were the farms with the greatest weed problems and so were the best place to trial narrow windrow burning. ‘‘Narrow windrow burning can kill 90 per cent of the weed seed present after harvest.’’ ➤ See www.weedsmart.org.au for more information.

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PAGE 10—‘Cropping, tillage & pastures ’, March, 2014

cropping, tillage & pastures

Victory from the jaws of defeat growing problem with A herbicide-resistant ryegrass, which culminated in the

total failure of a lupin crop 10 years ago, forced Murray and Emma Scholz to take action.

Today, after implementing a range of measures, they have reduced the threat to their profitability and sustainability and have their weeds firmly under control.

Mr Scholz said getting on top of herbicide resistance was an ongoing battle and meant taking daily steps to reduce the impact. ‘‘You have got to be constantly planning two or three years out what you are going to do and you need to have strategies,’’ Mr Scholz said. ‘‘It is not as simple as selecting herbicides, where you can just drive to town and buy a solution.’’

Mr and Mrs Scholz grow wheat, canola, lupins and some barley on 1670 ha which is mostly red soils with 600 mm annual rainfall at Culcairn, NSW, along with beef cattle on their non-arable country.

As a result of tackling resistant weeds, Mr Scholz has been chosen as a WeedSmart Champion.

WeedSmart is an industry-led initiative managed by the Australian Herbicide Resistance Initiative aimed at enhancing onfarm practices and promoting the long-term sustainability of herbicide use in Australian agriculture.

Mr Scholz has completely

Murray Scholz used herbicide — and persistence — to eradicate weeds in a paddock that had seen total crop failure. eradicated herbicide-resistant weeds in the paddock that suffered a total crop failure 10 years ago, simply by not allowing seed set for two years in a row. ‘‘It means taking a paddock out of production for two years, and that’s very expensive,’’ he said. ‘‘But we did that 10 years ago on that paddock and it is still free of rye-grass.’’

Across the rest of his farm he has adopted other less drastic

measures to keep the problem at bay, including wide-scale windrow burning.

By fitting a low-cost chute on the back of his harvester he concentrates all of the straw and chaff into narrow rows, about 45 cm wide and 30 cm high, for slow burning. ‘‘We are aiming to get those high 400 C to 500 C temperatures that you get when a windrow burns for about 10

seconds, making any seeds in that row unviable. ‘‘We are not getting every seed but even if we remove 80 or 90 per cent these are populations of plants that I do not need to hit with herbicide, so it is a very costeffective method.’’

Mr Scholz also cuts silage and said he was happy to go into a paddock and cut the rye-grass patches to get either silage or hay from it.

‘‘That has been a very good technique when you have only got a small area in a paddock. It stops the harvester picking up those ryegrass seeds and spreading them across the paddock.’’

In addition, he practises ‘‘brown manuring’’, a process involving planting a crop of lupins without any inputs and then in the spring spraying it out with glyphosate before a double knock with paraquat. ‘‘We let that rot down. It’s a great way of taking weeds out in the springtime and it has the added bonus that although there is no income that year, you get a lot of nitrogen which means a fertiliser bonus in the following year.’’

Crop competition through high sowing rates and strategic fertiliser application, where he places urea beneath the plant at sowing to make sure the crop gets the boost and not the weeds, further add to his armoury of weed management tactics.

Mr Scholz also does variable rate pH mapping to ensure the right application of lime is spread across the whole paddock, often finding some areas only need half a tonne of lime while other areas need two or three tonnes. ‘‘By putting that three tonne of lime in the soil it lifts the crop’s ability to compete as rye-grass appears to be a lot more tolerant of acid soils than wheat is.’’

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PAGE 12—‘Cropping, tillage & pastures ’, March, 2014

cropping, tillage & pastures

Best track for range of options ase IH’s Steiger Rowtrac C was unveiled for the first time in Australia at Moree, in

northern NSW, late last year providing farmers with the opportunity to view one of the highest horsepower, tracked row-crop tractors on the market. ‘‘Case IH extends its track technology leadership with the new Steiger Rowtrac, proving again that four tracks are superior to two in row-crop applications,’’ Case IH business manager Pete McCann said. ‘‘The Case IH four-track positive-drive system is the only factory-integrated drive system of its kind in the world,’’ he said. ‘‘It puts more power to the ground, improves traction and simplifies transport, allowing users to cover more ground in less time, even when field conditions are less than optimum.’’

Mr McCann said four tracks transferred more power to the ground than two, and the Steiger Rowtrac would provide more options and greater flexibility for customers. With equal-sized, independent, oscillating drives on all four corners, farmers can get in to the paddock sooner, especially in adverse paddock conditions.

The wheelbase has been extended from 3.9 m to just over 4 m, so each track has more ground contact, resulting in better transfer of power to the ground. ‘‘Better traction helps reduce compaction by minimising

The unique design of Case IH’s Steiger Rowtrac delivers less ground pressure, better traction and is claimed to provide the most comfortable ride in the industry. slippage on the soil surface,’’ Mr McCann said. ‘‘Compared with two-track systems, operators will see no ridging or berming in turns. ‘‘Each track drive oscillates up and down up to 10 degrees to maintain consistent ground

contact no matter what the conditions — not only will farmers be able to plant seed sooner, but the seed will have a better environment in which to germinate and develop strong root systems.’’

The Steiger Rowtrac has a narrower track width, with

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It has all the advantages of Quadtrac technology for primary and secondary tillage and field applications including planting, side-dressing, fertilising and specialty applications.

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Rubber ‘donuts’ act like shock absorbers and keep the suspension from shifting from side to side, which helps the tractor remain accurate on the row.

Like other Steiger models, the Rowtrac machines have Power Boost to provide extra power when needed for hydraulics, PTO, during transport and in other challenging conditions.

New features provide even more flexibility: the 428 litre/minute parallel flow hydraulic system for use with a three-point hitch and PTO offers increased efficiency and adaptability for more planting and chaser bin applications.

The Steiger Rowtrac also features factory-installed Advanced Farming Systems (AFS) AccuGuide auto-guidance to increase efficiency and accuracy in terms of field applications. ‘‘Factory-installed AFS AccuGuide is available for fully automated guidance in both forward and reverse,’’ Mr McCann said. ➤ The new Case IH Rowtrac tractor can be viewed by prospective buyers at O’Connors Shepparton and Echuca CIH.

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AGIC Singapore conference organiser Rosemary Richards, Grain Trade Australia chief executive officer Geoff Honey, Australian Oilseeds Federation executive officer Nick Goddard and Pulse Australia chief executive officer Tim Edgecombe.

Asian focus for grain

he Australian Grain T Industry is rising to the challenge of expanding Asian markets and will explore hosting a regular international industry event in Singapore.

The inaugural event held earlier this month, AGIC Singapore, was designed to complement the Australian Grains Industry Conference in Melbourne in July.

The Singapore conference focused on the quality requirements for grains and oilseeds of end users in critical Australian markets across Asia.

The conference was hosted by Grain Trade Australia, the Australian Oilseeds Federation and Pulse Australia.

GTA’s Geoff Honey said that with Asia such a high

priority destination for Australian grain, AGIC Singapore provided an opportunity for customers, processors and marketers of Australian grain to gain an update on Australian crop prospects, quality and logistics. ‘‘It provides the Australian industry with an opportunity to hear firsthand from its customers,’’ Mr Honey said. ‘‘Based on the positive feedback from delegates, the industry is hoping to now make this a regular event.’’

One-hundred-and-fifty delegates from across the domestic and international grain supply chain were told markets in Asia would continue to expand over the next 10 to 15 years, but

Australia would need to utilise all available quality, R&D and market information to capitalise on these opportunities.

Oilseeds were a key focus of the conference, with speakers highlighting the quality aspects of Australian canola and the market opportunities in Asia.

ANZ agribusiness research director Michael Whitehead said Australia would need to lift grain production to 35 million tonnes by 2030 to maintain its Asian market share.

About 50 per cent of Australian grain exports go to five key Asian markets — Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam and India. ➤ See www.ausgrainsconf.com to download the proceedings from AGIC2014 Singapore.

‘Cropping, tillage & pastures ’, March, 2014—PAGE 13

cropping, tillage & pastures

Managing nitrogen is ‘critical’ esearchers are a step closer R to developing improved tools to help dairy farmers

predict production and response to nitrogen fertiliser on-farm.

DEPI project leader Cameron Gourley said Australian dairy farmers spent $200 million a year on nitrogen fertiliser. ‘‘However, the conversion of this nitrogen fertiliser into extra feed is often low and with the uncertainty around the extra pasture produced, it is often difficult to say whether nitrogen fertiliser decisions will pay,’’ Dr Gourley said. ‘‘Eventually we expect dairy farmers will be able to increase profitability without wasting nitrogen fertiliser. ‘‘There can be many hundreds of tonnes of nitrogen applied and recycled on a dairy farm each year, yet it is also the most frequently deficient of all nutrients. ‘‘Managing nitrogen on dairy farms is therefore critical to dairy farm productivity, profitability and reducing environmental impacts.’’

DEPI agricultural research executive director Ron Prestidge said the project was a good example of DEPI working with industry on research to boost productivity and profitability. ‘‘The future of Victoria’s agricultural sector will be shaped by opportunities in global export markets, particularly Asia,’’ Dr Prestidge said.

Currently, nitrogen fertiliser is

Tailor-made nitrogen plans for dairy farms are a step closer. primarily used on dairy pastures at average rates of about 200 kg/ha per year, a rapid increase during the past two decades.

However, according to Dr Gourley, this average value can be misleading.

‘‘Some farms do not apply any nitrogen fertiliser, while others are applying more than 400 kg/ha per year,’’ he said.

The project, conducted at DEPI’s Ellinbank research centre, used previous research findings to

improve national predictions of the extra pasture growth achieved from nitrogen fertiliser applications.

More than 19 000 experimental results were collected and analysed.

‘‘The on-farm research component of this project involved field studies on commercial dairy farms, covering a range of pasture types, soils, irrigation and climate zones,’’ Dr Gourley said. ‘‘The economic, production and environmental aspects of each dairy farm are being monitored and pasture production responses to nitrogen fertiliser applications measured at the paddock scale. ‘‘While we are still in the early stages of research, our newly derived model appears to be accurately predicting pasture yield response to applied nitrogen.’’

The final stage of this work will be to make available a simple nitrogen fertiliser decision calculator based on the potential pasture yield response (including variation) and profitability of nitrogen fertiliser decisions, at the individual farm and paddock scale. ‘‘Australian farmers will be more confident applying nitrogen fertiliser knowing their specific pasture and farm characteristics has been considered and the best available scientific information applied,’’ Dr Gourley said.

The project has support from the Gardiner Foundation, DEPI Victoria, Department of Agriculture and Food WA, Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture, the Fertiliser Industry Federation of Australia, Incitec-Pivot, Murray Goulburn Ltd and Fonterra.

PAGE 14—‘Cropping, tillage & pastures ’, March, 2014

cropping, tillage & pastures

Get autumn hen looking towards the W autumn sowing season it’s always good to review a few

key points to help make sure this season leads to a successful germinating pasture that is ready to be productive into the future. ➤ Timing: Because most crop and pasture seeds are sown at a depth of about 1-2 cm, a few days of extremely hot temperatures (over 30ºC) can destroy many seeds.

Avoid dry sowing before the autumn break — particularly if planning on sowing in late February and early March — as the potential for high temperatures is still quite likely. ➤ Ensure good seed/soil contact: Whatever sowing method is used, it is crucial that the seed has soil around it to access moisture and nutrients.

Grass clumps or small clods around or over the seed will usually result in seedlings not surviving. Having a fine seed bed plus rolling before and/or after sowing assists with good seed-tosoil contact.

Harrows, chains or press wheels can assist in covering seed when drilling.

Direct drilling into uncultivated soil or cultivated summer crop areas allows grazing to occur when the plants have passed the ‘twist and pluck’ test.

Be aware that direct drilling into moist soils with high clay content

Timing is crucial to get good pasture strike rates.

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‘Cropping, tillage & pastures ’, March, 2014—PAGE 15

cropping, tillage & pastures

sowing right for the best pasture If spraying is delayed too long into autumn the summer grass weeds will be slowing significantly so spraying will be much less effective, allowing a carryover of dormant weeds to next summer.

If spraying out and revamping poor pastures, an option some farmers use is to sow just before the autumn break which allows these seeds — at least initially — to outgrow those sown after the break.

This usually means sowing without a pre-germination weed control which then necessitates a post-germination spray as these are usually broad-leaved weeds that tend to grow faster and cover more ground than new seedlings — therefore early weed control is essential.

If some hard-to-control grass weeds such as bent grass or kikuyu are still present in late summer/early autumn, they will have very slow growth and reduced chemical uptake which will limit the effectiveness of the autumn spray control.

This is why bent grass is usually best controlled over at least two years with sprays and crops.

Most pugged paddocks, not treated to date, will need a full renovation. They may need a spray out before working to knock off the pug hillocks.

If smudging or using a roterra only, both of which tend to kill many remaining rye-grass clumps, follow this up by planting some seed into the worst affected areas.

Research has shown there is no advantage in making double passes when sowing.

If over-sowing to thicken up pasture density without using a knock-down spray, graze the remnant pastures as hard as possible then direct drill the seed with DAP or MAP. When the new plants are at such a height as to be unaffected by a second grazing (2-4 cm) re-graze hard again to minimise competition from the established pastures.

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This will increase survival rates due to reduced shading. ➤ Single or double pass?

Research from New Zealand has shown that there is no advantage of cross-drilling over a single pass (160 mm). Cross-drilling involves halving the sowing and fertiliser rates and diamond drilling at a 30° to 45° angle or square drilling at 90°.

The expense of extra time, fuel

and wear and tear is better spent in seed bed preparation, weed control or fertiliser.

Many pasture drills now have a 100 mm spacing, negating the need for cross-drilling. ➤ Insect pests: Red-legged earth mite, lucerne flea and slugs are of particular concern and it is important to regularly inspect newly sown pasture to make sure they don’t

get a stranglehold.

If you have used a seed treatment which protects young seedlings against insect pests for several weeks, it is still worthwhile inspecting seed drill rows within a week or so of sowing.

Continue to monitor plants regularly from germination onwards to make sure that you are able to control these pests.

— DEPI

PAGE 16â&#x20AC;&#x201D;â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Cropping, tillage & pastures â&#x20AC;&#x2122;, March, 2014

cropping, tillage & pastures

Chemical safety a priority armers Jonathon and Karen F Schoff and their children, from Walla Walla in NSW, are all

committed fans of initiatives that improve safety, sustainability and productivity on the land.

The fourth generation grain and oilseed producers from the Riverina have been part of a national movement among grain and cereal growers to promote chemical safety on the family farm.

Like almost all of their peers, they have gone from intensive weed control ploughing and

cultivation programs used 20 years ago, to low till/no till production today.

This work involves far greater use of herbicides and some pesticides.

With increased use of a broad range of chemicals, comes greater risk to human and animal safety as well as crop vitality. Spray drift is a key concern for all AgVet chemical users and can have devastating effects on neighbouring producers if it occurs.

Mr Schoff undertook a ChemCert chemical risk management refresher course in his region late

last year.

He said over the years he had benefited from improved knowledge, more efficient and safer use of chemicals and greater yield productivity.

Mrs Schoff said chemical certification regulations that required a refresher course every five years were of great benefit to farm producers and their families. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Five-year refresher courses allow farmers to catch up on any changes within the industry and allows them to consolidate their knowledge,â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;&#x2122; she said.

NSW DPI plant pathologist Kurt Lindbeck.

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number of disease issues including blackspot of field pea developed in 2013, due to the trend toward using more pulse crops as manure in southern NSW and northern Victoria, NSW DPI plant pathologist Kurt Lindbeck said.

At a Grains Research and Development Corporation Update last month in Corowa, he said for pulse crops to be successfully used for manuring purposes, the balance had to be made between dry matter production and disease management, including sowing time. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Essentially, many pulse crop species have not been developed as manure crops and the agronomy and disease management packages which accompany these crops traditionally focus on grain production,â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Mr Lindbeck said.

He said the high levels of blackspot or ascochyta blight observed in field pea manure crops in several districts in southern NSW last year were due to a combination of factors that favoured the diseaseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s development, including crops sown extremely early, field pea crops sown next to the previous seasonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s field pea stubble, and dry conditions during summer that did not allow any spore maturation or release to happen before sowing. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Do not be tempted to sow crops early outside of the recommended sowing window for your district,â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Mr Lindbeck said.

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Early sowing will expose crops to early season spore showers (from old field pea stubble) and allow crops to develop a dense canopy by mid to late winter that further favours disease development. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Early sown crops are also more prone to bacterial blight by increasing exposure to frost events.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;â&#x20AC;&#x2122; He said primary blackspot infections could be reduced if field pea crops were sown after the majority of blackspot spores had been released from infected stubble.

Growers have generally been advised to sow pea crops two to three weeks after opening rains so newly emerging crops can avoid these spores, but the spore release varies depending on summer and autumn seasonal conditions.

Mr Lindbeck said the Department of Agriculture and Food Western Australiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s computer-modelled Blackspot Manager was a useful tool that predicted the best time to sow to avoid disease.

It uses rainfall and temperature data to calculate the timing of spore release from old stubble and considers agronomic factors and other production issues such as frost and yield penalties from late sowing to predict the best week to sow field peas.

Mr Lindbeck said given data from southern NSW had been supplied to its researchers for the past two years, he hoped the service would also be available for this region as well as WA, South Australia and Victoria this season.

Blackspot prevention: The pathogens that cause blackspot can survive between seasons on seed, in soil and on stubble, which means an integrated approach must be taken to manage this disease, including: â&#x17E;¤ Use a fungicidal seed dressing to reduce seed transmission of the disease and provide early seedling protection. â&#x17E;¤ Have a crop rotation that

includes a break of at least three years to ensure adequate time between field pea crops for soil-borne spore populations to die. â&#x17E;¤ Choose to sow on a paddock that is at least 500 m away from last yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s stubble that will release air-borne spores. â&#x17E;¤ Follow sowing timing advice.

‘Cropping, tillage & pastures ’, March, 2014—PAGE 17

cropping, tillage & pastures

Double-knock skittles weeds reventing weeds from P setting seed is a central tenet of

integrated weed management.

The double-knock principle helps achieve this by using one tactic to kill the bulk of the weeds present and a different tactic to kill any survivors.

Weeds research scientist Michael Widderick is a proponent of the doubleknock principle, which he said originally used herbicide as the first tactic, followed by cultivation. ‘‘Cultivation was phased out with the advent of zero till farming and replaced with a second herbicide application,’’ said Dr Widderick, who is based in Queensland. ‘‘Now the first knock is a translocated herbicide, followed with the second knock contact herbicide. ‘‘While the tactic involves two herbicides, it is essential that they have different modes of action. ‘‘Two applications of the same chemical is not a double-knock and is actually likely to increase selection pressure, hastening the development of herbicide resistance.’’

The key to implementing the double-knock strategy is to understand that it is a two-phase tactic targeting weeds of the same generation. Therefore the double-knock tactic can be used several times during a fallow period, targeting different generations of weeds. ‘‘Rainfall events are usually the trigger for a double-knock,’’ Dr Widderick said. ‘‘Soon after rain a new generation of weeds will germinate and the first knock application should occur while the weeds are small. ‘‘The optimal time between the first and second knock depends largely on the weed or weeds being targeted. ‘‘The optimal timing can be as short as two days but is generally within one or two weeks of the first knock application.’’

Glyphosate remains an effective first knock herbicide, however with the increasing number of glyphosate-resistant weeds being identified, research is under way to investigate the efficacy of alternative chemistry. ‘‘Group A herbicides are being tested as an alternative first knock treatment for summer grass species, either on their own or mixed with glyphosate,’’ Dr Widderick said. ‘‘The risk of Group A resistance developing is

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Michael Widderick leads the DAFF weed science team, which is dedicated to identifying improved weed control tactics, such as the double-knock, to treat summer grass species. high, so if these chemicals were introduced for fallow weed control it would be vital for any survivors to be controlled.’’

For the second knock the options are limited to diquat for broadleaf weeds and paraquat or glufosinate for grasses. ‘‘The double-knock tactic works well and can achieve very high levels of control when implemented correctly,’’ Dr Widderick said. ‘‘Success hinges on the tactic being applied when the weeds are small. ‘‘We have found that the first knock needs to achieve at least 70 per cent control so that the second knock does not have to work too hard — and this is best achieved when the weeds are small. ‘‘If the first knock is applied to large weeds the rate of control is likely to be low and then it is hard to achieve adequate coverage of the large survivors with the contact herbicide, making the second knock ineffective.’’

If some large weeds are present, Dr Widderick suggested looking for a nonchemical option for the second knock. ‘‘Chipping or strategic cultivation is likely to be more effective in removing large survivors than applying contact herbicide.’’

Dr Widderick said herbicide resistance was commonly seen following regular use of glyphosate

over a period of 15 years or more. ‘‘If a grower has relied heavily on glyphosate in the past, I would recommend they consider replacing one or two of their fallow sprays with a double-knock application. ‘‘For some weed species the first emergence in the fallow is the biggest and so this would be the best generation to target with the double-knock.’’

If glyphosate resistance has been identified, using glyphosate on its own is no longer an option in the affected paddock.

Double-knock using a different mode of action for the first knock can be highly effective and some minor use permits are in place for alternative herbicides, provided they are applied as part of a double-knock treatment. ‘‘The use of residual herbicides as a mix partner for either the first or second knock is currently being investigated,’’ Dr Widderick said. ‘‘If applied at the end of the fallow, a residual does not usually reduce the knockdown efficacy of the tactic and can provide useful residual control during the fallow and even into the following crop.

However, careful planning would be required to ensure the residual did not affect future planting options.’’ ➤ For information, go to www.weedsmart.org.au

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PAGE 18—‘Cropping, tillage & pastures ’, March, 2014

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‘‘Our hay season was pretty good last year, and at the moment we are selling a lot of multidiscs to dairy farmers and some annual Top 15 Lely Dealer Conference in broadacre farmers,’’ he said.

Melbourne last week.

Lely International managing director Tony McCurry, who was Lely Australia’s Neils Havermans highlighted the achievements of Lely throughout the world. managing director for 30 of those years, said although the company nearly did not He told the crowd about the brand’s new get off the ground, it was now a successful international headquarters in the supplier of hay and forage equipment and Netherlands, one of the most sustainably robotic milking systems. designed business premises in Europe.

The conference was a great opportunity New products — including the Lely Tigo to recognise recent successes with PR range of loader wagons and the managing director Clive Edwards Hibiscus 715 central delivery rake — were presenting the top national dealer awards. also presented at the conference.

O’Connors Farm Machinery’s Jeroen Bosmans, export sales manager Shepparton branch made the top 10 in of Peeters Landbouwmachines, eighth place. manufacturers of the popular Tulip range of Branch manager David Collier said it machines distributed by Lely Australia, meant a lot to be so highly ranked of the announced several new developments in about 100 Lely dealers in Australia. the Tulip Centerliner range of fertiliser Mr Collier said the branch had been well spreaders as well as in the Tulip Multidisc supported by Lely staff. range of disc harrows.

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‘‘These reports highlight the importance of innovations coming from the confirmed the benefits of plant science sector in plant biotechnology for addressing the current and farmers, according to the future challenges faced by chemical and plant science farmers worldwide,’’ CropLife body, CropLife.

Australia chief executive officer Matthew Cossey said.

The International Food Policy Research Institute and ‘‘They reaffirm that modern the International Service for farming using the latest crop the Acquisition of Agriprotection and biotechnology Biotech Applications have innovations will play a crucial noted the potential role in food and fibre assistance to farmers in production in Australia and mitigating and adapting to globally in the coming the risks of climate change decades. conditions in 2050. ‘‘These reports highlight The IFPRI report measured how important it is that the impacts of agricultural Australian farmers be able to innovation on farm use new, innovative and safe productivity, prices, hunger, technologies to remain and trade flows to 2050 and globally competitive, meet identified practices that the requirements of could significantly benefit increased food demand, and developing nations. farm sustainably on limited arable land.’’

Using a first-of-its-kind data model, IFPRI pinpointed The ISAAA report said the agricultural technologies more than 18 million farmers and practices that could in 27 countries planted most significantly reduce biotech crops in 2013. food prices and food Global biotech crop insecurity in developing acreage has increased from nations.

1.7 million ha in 1996 to The study profiled 11 more than 174 million ha in agricultural innovations 2013. During this 18-year including crop protection, period, more than a 100-fold drought tolerance, heat increase of commercial tolerance, no-till farming and biotech crop acreage has water harvesting. been reported.

The report also highlights that biotech crops have reduced the need for 497 million kg of pesticides, cut CO2 emissions by 27 billion kg in 2012 alone (equivalent to removing 12 million cars from the road for one year), have conserved biodiversity by saving 123 million ha of land from being placed in agricultural production, and alleviated poverty for 16.5 million small farmers and farm families, totalling more than 65 million people.

In Australia, 607 000 ha of genetically modified cotton and canola were planted in 2013. Last year, planting of GM canola in Western Australia went up 38 per cent from 2012.

Last week, suppliers notified GM canola growers in Western Australia that unprecedented demand meant orders for the latest high performance seed varieties had already been exceeded. ‘‘Australian farmers, like farmers all around the world, recognise the enormous economic and environmental benefits that come with the use of agricultural biotechnology innovations,’’ Mr Cossey said.

‘Cropping, tillage & pastures ’, March, 2014—PAGE 19

cropping, tillage & pastures

Profit is up and inputs are down orthern Victorian grain grower Murray N Gilby has slashed his fertiliser bill in half and increased grain yield after switching to a soil rejuvenator.

Mr Gilby, of Kotupna, has also been able to reduce screenings in cereal crops and cut fungicides and insecticides from the agronomic program after using the organically certified TM Agricultural. ‘‘We are on a mission to reduce inputs by as much as we can,’’ Mr Gilby said. ‘‘There has been a huge saving in fertiliser. Up front, the bill this year is $25 500 — down from $67 000.’’

Murray, his wife Denise and son Colin farm Jubilee Park, 1200 ha of oilseed, cereal and pulse crops at Kotupna, east of Echuca.

Bordering the Wakiti Creek, the property is in a 450 mm rainfall zone, comprises selfmulching grey and red loams, and carries a 296 Ml irrigation entitlement.

For the past six years, the family has used TM Ag, which uses plant extracts to stimulate indigenous soil microbes.

Last year, average grain yields on dryland wheat and barley crops were up by one tonne/ha on just 215 mm of growing season rainfall. Screenings were less than one per cent.

The TM Ag is applied pre- and post-sowing at 250 ml/ha in conjunction with topdressed liquid nitrogen.

Single super is applied at 50 kg/ha on barley, 80 kg/ha on canola and 60 kg/ha on wheat. ‘‘We have gone from using pickles and infurrow fungicides in the wheat and barley to none,’’ Mr Gilby said. ‘‘We have pushed our fertiliser inputs back to 50 per cent or less and reduced nitrogen top dressing by 25 per cent.’’

During the 1990s, high input crops were consuming up to 120 kg/ha of DAP and MAP, while 100 litres/ha UAN was applied through the boom in two passes. ‘‘We were getting the yields but then they plateaued, and I began asking myself questions,’’ Mr Gilby said. ‘‘I knew there was something going on below the ground but wasn’t sure what. Soil tests were telling us there were massive amounts of phosphorous locked up and there was a trace element imbalance.’’

Mr Gilby had switched from conventional to no-till practices in 1989 by modifying the undercarriage of a G-series John Shearer combine set on a 35 cm row spacing and trailing harrows.

Through stubble retention, he was able to shift organic soil carbon from less than one per cent to two per cent in three years.

Mr Gilby spent almost four years visiting field days to find the answers on the soil deficiencies.

He rejected various alternatives as they were unable to be tank-mixed. Six years ago, he and Colin came across Best Environmental Technologies and the TM Ag product at the Henty Machinery Field Days.

‘

We have seen remarkable differences. At sowing the soil conditions are good, fuel usage has reduced, there is better seed and soil contact, and soil flows around the tines.

Murray Gilby

’

‘‘I was impressed by the fact TM Ag was a natural product which could be tankmixed with a herbicide,’’ Mr Gilby said. ‘‘I have done away with fungicides and insecticides to protect the beneficial insects so it appealed to me. ‘‘We started on a big scale, treating 160 ha of barley, wheat and canola with pre- and post-sowing applications of 250 ml/ha — half the paddock had TM Ag applied and the balance was the control. ‘‘At harvest we saw a yield increase of 200-300 kg/ha in cereal crops and 200 kg/ha in canola in a dry year.’’

Protein in the barley was one to 1.5 per cent less, just making malt grade, while neighboring crops went 13.5 per cent or higher. ‘‘We have seen remarkable differences.

At sowing the soil conditions are good, fuel usage has reduced by five to 10 litres/hour, there is better seed and soil contact, and soil flows around the tines rather than cracking,’’ Mr Gilby said. ‘‘The biggest thing is none of the wheat and barley exceeded one per cent screenings, and there is none going out the back of the header either.’’

The Gilbys use a Horwood Bagshaw scaribar with press wheels and set on a 30 cm row spacing in a zero-till system with full stubble retention.

This year, they will sow 120 ha of Sturt TT and ATR Stingray canola; 450 ha of Ventura, Young and Scout wheat; 300 ha of Commander and Hindmarsh barley; and 330 ha of Kasper field peas.

Mr Gilby is out in the paddocks regularly with a shovel in hand checking soil structure.

He said moisture infiltration and rooting depth had improved. ‘‘The hard pan has softened, reducing wear and tear on the machinery. ‘‘We are decreasing our carbon footprint, which may open potential for future carbon trading. ‘‘We may have no livestock on top of the ground but we have now got biology by the millions more than ever in the soil — it’s about sustainability and profitability.’’

— Kim Woods

Murray Gilby checks soil structure under wheat stubble on his Kotupna farm.

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PAGE 20—‘Cropping, tillage & pastures ’, March, 2014

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