AgLife - July 31, 2019 edition

July 31, 2019

Not a bad feeling Glenpaen Merino and Poll Merino Stud principal Rod Miller, left, still has a smile a mile wide after a clean sweep of major Merino sashes at the Australian Sheep and Wool Show at Bendigo.

He is pictured with Landmark agent Stephen Chalmers. Story, page 19.

Picture: PAUL CARRACHER

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CHAMPION: Brimpaen’s Rod Miller is pictured with his prize Merino ram at his Glenpaen Merino and Poll Merino Stud.

Picture: PAUL CARRACHER

‘In my wildest dreams’

BY COLIN MacGILLIVRAY

A

n unprecedented sweep of major Merino sashes at Bendigo’s Australian Sheep and Wool Show has helped cement the reputation of Glenpaen Merino and Poll Merino Stud.

The Brimpaen stud was in the enviable position of being unable to lose when a Poll Merino ewe and Merino ram were named grand champions of their respective classes, vying against each other for Supreme Champion Merino Sheep of the Show.

Stud principal Rod Miller said it was the first time two sheep from the same stud had competed for the title of supreme champion.

“To be in that position where you can’t lose is not a bad feeling,” he said.

“I left home thinking I had a handy team, but never in my wildest dreams did I think that would happen.”

Mr Miller said he was surprised when the judges gave the nod to the ram as supreme champion over the ewe.

“I thought the ewe might’ve won,” he said.

“I regard her as probably the best ewe

I’ve ever bred, or close to it anyway. She’s just an all-around package.

“She’s a big ewe, her wool tests are fantastic, she’s deep, she’s got staple and all that, but she still looks feminine; she still looks like a ewe, which is very important.

“With the ram, I was umming and ahing for a long time about whether to sell him, but I just thought it was a good time to put a good sheep up and lift our profile.”

Mr Miller said he was grateful he finally decided to enter the ram.

“The wool was his best feature,” he said.

“For a 17.5-micron lamb he was a big sheep, he was structurally correct, and his wool just had a special sparkle about it.”

Over the line

That sparkle was enough to captivate the judges and earn Glenpaen its first ever supreme champion sash.

“We’ve come close to taking out supreme a couple of times, but never quite got over the line,” Mr Miller said.

“I think we’ve been at Bendigo for 20 years, and before that when the show was at Melbourne, we were there for three or four years.

“I went there hoping to be competitive, and if you’re competitive and among the

top, you’re doing well, but to do what we did blew me away.”

Mr Miller said he was already sorting through his ewes trying to find next year’s show sheep.

He said picking show sheep was more of an art than a science.

“You’re looking into a bit of a crystal ball when you’re picking them out and trying to pick out all the good attributes,” he said.

“You look for structure – they’ve got to have a leg in each corner and be good on their feet.

“Then their wool has got to be right, they’ve got to be able to handle being put in the shed over the summer period to be fed up.

“Some ewes you put in thinking they’re going to be good and then you end up throwing them out.”

Mr Miller paid credit to his family and everyone at the stud for their hard work.

“Without my father starting the stud we wouldn’t be where we are, and without the sheep classes we’ve had in the past up until now we wouldn’t be where we are either,” he said.

“She’s a family affair here, and everyone puts in and helps out.”

Northern Grampians Shire municipal leaders have encouraged young farmers in the shire to apply for the State Government’s 2019 Upskill and Invest – Young Farmers Scholarships.

Cr Tony Driscoll said the shire was home to many young farmers.

“We certainly urge all of our young farmers to apply, as it is a great opportunity to not only get some financial assistance, but upskill themselves at the same time,” he said.

The government will invest $500,000 into the scholarship program during the next four years, with up to $10,000 per scholarship available to young people to help continue developing the skills they need to build successful careers in agriculture.

Each recipient can receive up to $5000 to support their training and study, followed by up to a further $5000 to put their new skills into practice.

To qualify, applicants need to be 35 years or younger, with at least two years of experience on farm and be working in a food and fibre farm business in Victoria at least three days a week for the past three months.

Applications close at 5pm on August 9.

Agriculture Minister Jaclyn Symes said young farmers needed a broad range of skills to keep up with a changing industry.

“The program is part of our commitment to attract and support the next generation of farmers, and make sure we keep producing the agricultural talent our growing $14.1-billion industry needs,” she said.

People can find out more or apply for the scholarship via website agriculture.vic.gov.au/agriculture/food-and-fibre-industries/ young-farmers/scholarship-program.

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Vigilance call for farm safety 95 Nelson Street, Nhill CALL 03 5391 2106

The State Government is urging Victorian farmers to be vigilant about their safety practices as part of National Farm Safety Week.

The government made its call reflecting on five people who died, including two children, as a result of workplace incidents on Victorian farms in the 2018-19 financial year.

Workplace Safety Minister Jill Hennessy said National Farm Safety Week reminded farmers about what they could do to prioritise safety for themselves, their family and visitors.

She said farm safety was a focus for WorkSafe Victoria, with the watchdog having more than 2700 farm inspections in the last financial year.

Incidents involving tractors and other machinery were the leading cause of workplace deaths on Victorian farms in 2018-19, prompting renewed calls for farmers to carry out rigorous safety checks and risk assessments.

Safe Work Australia data showed 15 people died as a result of incidents involving quad bikes nationally last financial year.

Ms Hennessy said a government rebate to install rollover protection on quad bikes, or to substitute bikes for more terrain-appropriate vehicles, remained available through the Victorian Farmers Federation.

TOP TALENT: Woolclasser Kirsty Pollock and her shearer brother Josh Bone. Mr Bone has won selection in a Victorian open shearing team.

Picture: PAUL CARRACHER

The 24-year-old won selection in the Victorian open shearing team after a stellar performance at the Australian Sheep and Wool Show in Bendigo.

Mr Bone placed second in the open final at the show, earning a place in the state team alongside winner and Australian number-two ranked shearer Jason Wingfield.

He will now compete at the National Shearing Championships in Dubbo from November 28 to 30.

Mr Bone said he was determined to do his best at Dubbo.

“You’ve got to aim for the stars,” he said.

“I’ll be aiming for the final up in Dubbo, and then if I make the final I want to finish top three and get a spot in the Australian team.”

A national team berth would be a dream come true for Mr Bone, for whom shearing is a family affair.

He said his father was also a shearer and encouraged him to take up the sport.

“My old man got me into shearing,” he said.

“He was a shearer and that’s all I ever wanted to do – be like dad.

“Then I wanted to be better than dad.”

When asked if, having earned a place on the state shearing team, he had now surpassed his father, Mr Bone would not be drawn.

Wednesday, July 31, 2019

“He might say I’m better than him now, but I’d never say I was better than my old man,” he said.

Mr Bone said shearing had created a special bond between him and his family.

In addition to his father, Mr Bone’s two brothers and sister also toil alongside him in the shearing shed.

He said his partner and best friend were also part of the crew.

“Shearing is a family affair for us,” he said.

“It’s all a pretty close-knit family in the shed.”

Mr Bone’s sister, Kirsty Pollock, competed in wool handling at the Australian Sheep and Wool Show, narrowly missing out on her own berth in the Victorian team.

Mr Bone said it was ‘bad luck’ his sister would be unable to compete alongside him.

He said he had learned to control his nerves while competing against Mr Wingfield, who has won 19 of the past 22 titles at Bendigo.

He said the experience would prove valuable when he competed at the national championships.

“I was pretty nervous going up against the number two in Australia, but you can’t let them worry you – you’ve got to worry them,” he said.

Mr Bone said between now and the championships he would simply continue to work on his craft.

“We’ve got shows in between, so hopefully I’ll win a few and keep my eye in,” he said.

“Then every other day will just be in the shed going to work. I just keep trying hard every day.”

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hill shearer Josh Bone has set his sights high.

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Solidarity in groups “Like” Us On Facebook

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Y

BY CRAIG ALTMANN

ou know how there are potential new members in the area? Let’s get them along.

This was the sentiment of the closing of July’s Horsham Best Wool Best Lamb, BWBL, meeting.

Having been away for a couple of days, I chose to go home and see the family before they went to bed.

So I arrived late to the meeting, expecting to walk straight into a planning session.

I instead took a seat and listened to enthusiastic reflection and debate about a recent group trip.

Time passed quickly with some good discussion and the meeting had adjourned for dinner, leaving me with the difficult decision of overindulging in another meal or not. I chose apple pie.

Now, I’m involved in several farmer groups in varying capacities as an observer, committee member, sponsor and presenter.

The groups that come to mind as I write this are BWBL, Perennial Pasture Systems, Grasslands SSA, Vic No-Till, Southern Farming Systems, SANTFA and BIGG. I am very grateful and feel fortunate for the opportunity to be involved with these groups, particularly the groups run from the ground up.

Personally, being a member of these

SUPPORT: Farmers at this month’s Horsham Best Wool Best Lamb, BWBL, meeting.

Picture: CRAIG ALTMANN groups has proven to be a place for developing friendships and getting my farming ‘fix’ at the grass-roots level in a non-transactional environment For the farmers in the groups, I understand there are significant benefits in the information, friendships, connections and resilience.

We can use the BWBL group as an example. On paper, there are paddock walks, guest speakers, bus trips and conferences. That’s only what’s on paper though.

Recognised, but less tangible among the

membership, is the benefit of swapping notes. In an often isolated life this must be of value – swapping notes, discussing success and opportunities to improve.

Also, when times get tough, you have a group of people looking out for you.

Finally, regarding Horsham BWBL, or any of the groups mentioned – if you’d like more information, I encourage you to call me on 0448 863 169.

• Mr Altmann is seed sales and marketing agronomist with Australian Grain and Forage Seeds.

Wimmera awareness Wimmera growers and advisers will have the opportunity to learn the ‘ABCs’ of herbicide resistance during a series of workshops in August.

Agriculture Victoria is coordinating Minyip, St Helen’s Plains and Noradjuha workshops on August 14 and 15.

The sessions aim to increase awareness and adoption of land-management practices that improve and protect the condition of Wimmera soil, biodiversity and vegetation.

Director of Plant Science Consulting and University of Adelaide herbicide resistance team research officer Dr Peter Boutsalis will present an update on ‘alphabet’ herbicide-resistance and tactics for growers.

Dr Boutsalis said paddock surveys of southern Australia showed ‘alphabet resistant’ ryegrass was becoming more prevalent in intensively cropped areas.

He said the last survey in the Wimmera-Mallee was in 2015, and the next one is planned for 2020.

“The 2015 survey showed widespread resistance to a range of post-emergent herbicides in the Wimmera-Mallee,” he said.

“In the Wimmera, only five percent of sampled paddocks contained annual ryegrass sus-

ceptible to all tested herbicides.

However, 30 percent of surveyed Wimmera paddocks contained ryegrass with resistance to one mode of action and a further 50 percent contained ryegrass resistant to two modes of action.”

Dr Boutsalis said a range of new mode-of-action herbicides would soon be available, but needed to be carefully managed to ensure their longevity.

Agriculture Victoria’s Heather Drendel said growers should use a range of tools to minimise the risk of alphabet resistance developing in weeds on their property.

“Testing weed seeds for herbicide resistance is the first step for growers in understanding the extent of resistance on their farm,” she said.

A Minyip workshop will be at Minyup Hotel from 4pm to 5.30pm on August 14.

On August 15, a workshop will be at Taylor’s Lake Hall from 9am to 10.30am, and at Noradjuha Hall from midday to 1.30pm.

People can register for the workshops online at https:// abc-weed-resistance.eventbrite. com.au, or call Heather Drendel on 0427 868 705 for more information.

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Big tick to no-till

S

omething very unusual happened recently. I went to a farm conference and most of the speakers were under the age of 40. I know! Who knew?

If you do ever attend such events, the average age is more like 60-plus, a reflection of the fact the average age of farmers in Australia is 57.

The young farmers were inspirational, their enthusiasm contagious, their courage to break the rules and challenge agricultural practices admirable.

It was the Vic No-Till conference with several hundred farmers in attendance.

Nothing too fancy, not too many speakers, just large doses of practical information and firsthand anecdotes. They were no doubt preaching to the converted, but they were also constantly proving that it’s not just less ploughing and land preparation – it’s all about soil biology.

As an avid gardener, us ‘green thumbs’ could learn a thing or too also. It’s kind of gardening on a massive scale. Always have the soil covered by other plants or mulch and you’ll not only control weeds, you’ll keep soils moist, roots won’t be exposed to temperature extremes and lots of beneficial insects will make life much easier.

But there’s more! President of Vic No-Till, Pine Grove farmer Grant Simms, told the story of travelling in the United States to do the good old, ‘compare and contrast’ no-till farming and was shocked to learn of the gains being made by putting livestock back into the no-till system.

He had to make a hurried call home to tell the earth movers on his farm to stop flattening all the dams and to instead clear out the ones already filled.

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“We found in some of our poorer soils we had problems growing the diversity of grain crops, so then when we put the multi-species pastures in, they seemed to grow well,” Grant said.

“We could convert that into live weight gains and we’re finding they really are priming the pump.”

The cattle not only eat the pastures, they knock it down to make mulch, cooked to perfection by their fertile cow pats, which then become home to a multitude of worms, dung beetles and other creepy crawlies that add to the soil structure.

Another of the younger speakers was Tim Rethus who farms near Horsham.

He studied engineering and sees technology as the next quantum gain for no-till farming.

“If you’re looking for innovation, if you’re looking to improve your farm and make it more sustainable, you’re always looking for that next thing,” he said.

“Now what we want to know is where we’re going to leap off. I think a large part of it is the digital side of things, such as spatial data.”

As we’ve heard many times in the past fortnight, ‘one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind’.

LEARNING: Farmers discuss water reticulation at a recent workshop run by Agriculture Victoria and the Barrabool Hills Landcare group.

Water reticulation workshops Agriculture Victoria will host farm water reticulation workshops at Ararat, Tatyoon and Willaura next month to ensure farmers can reap the benefits of a new East Grampians rural pipeline.

Agriculture Victoria farm water specialist Clem Sturmfels said planning an efficient and effective farm water reticulation system could be a complicated process.

“It is essential to select the correct mix of pipeline components in order to minimise costs and ensure an adequate supply of water is provided to all parts of the farm,” he said.

“The workshops have been

designed to assist landholders plan effective and reliable water reticulation systems.

“They are primarily aimed at landholders who have expressed interest in joining the East Grampians rural pipeline, however, they are relevant to any landholder interested in upgrading their existing farm water supply.”

The workshops will involve a mix of theory and practical exercises and will cover topics such as farm water planning, siting tanks and pipelines, basic hydraulics and pipe friction calculations.

They will be from 9.30am to 3.30pm at Ararat on Mon-

day, August 12, Tatyoon on Wednesday, August 14, and Willaura on Friday, August 16.

Mr Sturmfels listed the advantages of reticulating farm water supplies as: a significant reduction in losses of water from evaporation; improved quality of stock water; and improved paddock utilisation and productivity.

Morning tea and lunch will be provided.

Landholders interested in attending can call Sarah Tottenham from GWMWater on 0409 345 558 or Mr Sturmfels on 0429 018 879.

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ABC of Herbicide Resistance in the Wimmera Growers and advisers are invited to join with Dr Peter Boutsalis and learn the ‘ABC’ of herbicide resistance during a series of co-ordinated workshops across the Wimmera.

PRESENTER Dr Peter Boutsalis has been involved in herbicide resistance research for 30 years, both internationally and in Australia. He is currently employed as a research scientist with the University of Adelaide, working predominantly on a GRDC project monitoring herbicide resistance in South Australia and Victoria. Dr Boutsalis also operates Plant Science Consulting, an Adelaidebased company specialising in commercial herbicide resistance testing and trialling new mode of action herbicides.

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Wednesday 14 August – 4pm - 5.30pm Minyip Hotel, 35 Main St, Minyip Thursday 15 August – 9am - 10.30am Taylor’s Lake Hall, 2032 Horsham-Lubeck Road, St Helens Plains

COST:

FREE, RSVP for catering please

REGISTRATIONS https://abc-weed-resistance.eventbrite.com.au Enquires to Heather Drendel, Agriculture Victoria, heather.drendel@ecodev.vic.gov.au or 0427 868 705

Thursday 15 August – 12pm - 1.30pm Noradjuha Hall, Noradjuha-Tooan East Road, Noradjuha

This activity is supported by the Wimmera CMA through funding from the Australian Government’s National Landcare Program

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Wednesday, July 31, 2019

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Making the most of data collection

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hatever you call it – Agtech, precision agriculture, digital agriculture, agricultural internet of things – it seems to be everywhere.

But few people seem to be able explain exactly what it does or how it can be used by farmers to make better decisions and ultimately more money.

Birchip Cropping Group, with support from the State Government, is running a series of one-day introductory workshops next month to help growers identify the right precision-agriculture solutions to help make their farm businesses more productive, profitable and sustainable.

BCG chief executive Chris Sounness said while precision agriculture and data collected from various pieces of machinery could potentially help growers make better decisions, the industry was still in its infancy. And, like any infant, there was still a lot of trial and error required to learn the best ways to do things.

“Most farmers already have the core PA technologies in place, it’s just that nobody has explained the capabilities of that equipment to them, the value of the data generated or how they or their agronomist can use that data to make a difference on farm,” he said.

One-day workshops will help reduce the trial and error required to implement effective PA practices on farms.

Wednesday, July 31, 2019

A series of more advanced two-day PA clinics will be in mid-September.

Adrian Roles, leading digital agronomist, Tocal College lecturer and farmer from Young in NSW, and BCG’s Cameron Taylor will deliver one-day introductory PA workshops in Birchip, August 13; St Arnaud, August 15; Hopetoun, August 20; Kaniva, August 21; Longerenong, August 22; and Ararat, August 23.

Topics covered will include – • An introduction to PA – what is it and why should you care?

• The benefits of PA – digging through the vendor hype to find the gold.

• What do I have and what do I need? Undertaking a PA audit of your farm business.

• It does what now? – how to gain more value from tech you already have.

• Planting the seed – developing a PA plan that makes money for you.

• Getting agro – working with your agronomist to build PA into your farming system.

• Machinery, soil and other data – you’re collecting it, now find out how to use it.

• The future of PA and how to prepare for it.

People can visit BCG website www.bcg.org. au/events to register, or contact Phillip Guthrie, Innovation Projects and Partners leader on 0422 570 071 or email phillip.guthrie@bcg.org.au for more information. Spaces are limited so register early to avoid disappointment.

Fresh face in technology trial roll out 95 Nelson Street, Nhill CALL 03 5391 2106

Regional farmers involved in a trial aimed at discovering benefits of Internet of Things technology on broadacre cropping farms will have support from a fresh face at Horsham’s Grains Innovation Park.

Agriculture Victoria grain technology coordinator Mark Gould was appointed to support farmers in Victoria’s On-Farm Internet of Things Trial as it prepares to start in Birchip, Tatura, Serpentine and Maffra areas.

Mr Gould said the trial would support grain growers to test the technology and it was his job to ensure farmers taking part in the trial had a close point of contact to help them select technologies best matched to their businesses’ needs.

“The trial will allow us to work together to investigate how well Internet of Things technology works in the practical day-to-day running of a farm business,” he said.

“To ensure a lack of access to a reliable network coverage isn’t a barrier to farmers participating in the trial, the Victorian Government is also funding the delivery of Internet of Things network connectivity to each trial region.

“We’re now calling for up to 25 broadacre cropping farmers in the Buloke government area to express their interest to take part in the trial and access up to $30,000 to invest in the technology.”

Mr Gould spent 15 years as an advisory systems engineer with Melbourne’s Dell Technologies before joining Agriculture Victoria’s team.

“I moved to the Wimmera about 18 months ago,” he said.

“Agriculture is the core industry in this part of Victoria, so I developed an interest in bringing my many years of technology experience to

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NEW START: Agriculture Victoria grain technology coordinator Mark Gould will support farmers taking part in Victoria’s OnFarm Internet of Things Trial. farmers to enable them to be more efficient and profitable.

“I can’t wait to see the smile on farmers’ faces when they see what they always thought was true is now backed up by data, and they can spend a lot less time touring the farm to make informed decisions.”

Farmers interested in taking part in Victoria’s On-Farm Internet of Things Trial can submit an expression of interest at agriculture.vic.gov.au/ digitalag until August 2.

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Opportunity to learn about ‘Big 6’ 95 Nelson Street, Nhill CALL 03 5391 2106

W

eed management moves to a whole new level when you add the word ‘integrated’.

This is the driving force behind a WeedSmart Big 6 approach, which suggests that growers implement as many of these six key tactics as possible into their crop-management programs.

Farming in the Wimmera, the Rethus and Ruwoldt families have been working hard to build an integrated weed-management system that suits their farms.

In doing so they are ticking off many of the ‘Big 6’ tactics each season.

These tactics are summarised as: 1.

Crop and pasture rotation; 2. Double knock to protect glyphosate; 3. Mix and rotate herbicide groups; 4. Stop weed seed set; 5. Crop competition; 6.

Harvest weed seed control.

In 2018 Tim Rethus and Ian Ruwoldt attended WeedSmart Week in Narrabri and this year they are backing WeedSmart Week in their own backyard.

This practical event in Horsham from August 27 to 29 also has the backing of the Birchip Cropping Group.

Tim and his brother Luke farm with their father Geoff and long-time worker Glenn in the central and southern Wimmera, where they are contending with Wimmera annual ryegrass, brome, wild oats, vetch, bifora, sow thistle and prickly lettuce.

WEEDSMART: Tim Rethus has encouraged other Wimmera and Mallee growers to attend the first Victorian WeedSmart Week, which will be in Horsham across three days from August 27.

“Our approach to weed control centres on keeping weed germination levels low and using diverse farming practices,” Tim said.

“Dad was an early adopter of minimum tillage back in the early 1980s and we have progressively moved to farming systems that involve less disturbance. One of the major benefits is that we are leaving the weed seeds on the soil surface where they are exposed to the weather and don’t have the soil contact they need, and this really reduces weed-seed germination.”

A key element to the Rethus’ success is their determination to achieve near-zero disturbance at planting.

When they adopted a 40-foot CTF system in 2008 their min-till single-disc seeder did a good job and reduced soil throw.

Ten years on, the soil in the cropping beds has responded to the removal of machinery traffic, and the single discs were often stalling in the softer soil and the depth control was no longer adequate.

This led the Rethus’ to invest in a zero-till precision planter to provide more precision at planting, including inter-row sowing for lentils, and to make best use of the newest chemistry available.

“This precision seeder was a good

unit but it was complex and didn’t suit all our crops,” Tim said.

“So, we decided to combine the precision row units with twin-disc openers on a new 80-foot NDF frame but use an air-seeder to deliver the seed.”

To further reduce soil throw, residue managers are not used. Instead ‘PTT Sabre-tooth’ discs are used to cut through the residue and reduce pinning.

“Adding side-shifting rams to the toolbar means we can also inter-row sow our lentils and we have a seeder that meets all our requirements, especially in terms of maintaining low weed-seed germination at seeding while still sowing at 15-inch row spacing,” Tim said.

The Rethus family practices a diverse crop rotation of wheat, barley, durum, canola, lentils, beans and oats, and use shielded spraying, hay production, brown manuring, spray topping and diverse herbicide strategies to minimise weed-seed set.

Tim said the reality of herbicide resistance meant non-chemical tools were important to maintain low weed numbers and this was one of the driving forces behind their efforts to fully integrate hay production into their CTF system.

Kewell

Farming at Kewell, Ian Ruwoldt and his brother Greg also have several strategies in place to manage rye-

grass, bedstraw, marshmallow, vetch and bifora.

Ian found the WeedSmart event to be comprehensive and a good opportunity to think through tactics that could help solve their weed problems.

“We currently use oaten hay, chemical rotation, imidazolinone chemistry with canola and a chaff deck on the harvester to keep weed numbers low,” he said.

“Thinking about the WeedSmart Big 6 helps to formulate a plan to manage weeds through the year and through the rotation.

“The forum covers a lot of topics and the discussions are practical and relevant to the region, so this year’s event will focus on the weed issues facing Wimmera and Mallee farmers.”

Attendees will have several opportunities to see and discuss cutting-edge technologies such as optical sprayers, robots and emerging ‘green-on-green’ spray sensors. They will also find out how other growers in the region are implementing the Big 6.

Growers, agronomists and researchers speaking and participating in expert panels at the forum will spark important discussions about herbicide resistance and how the Big 6 tactics can target weed species and farming systems in the southern cropping region.

People can register for the threeday event at weedsmart.org.au/ weedsmart-week-horsham/.

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