GRDC Podcast
436 episodes - English - Latest episode: 4 days ago -Investing in RD&E to create enduring profitability for Australian grain growers
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Episodes
Financial Benchmarking, the importance of financial benchmarking and how to go about it
February 07, 2023 22:00 - 12 minutesThe economics of farming are a crucial component for all growers, and it’s not always a skill set that comes naturally. That’s why a group of Victorian growers has come together to pool their knowledge and resources around the topic of financial benchmarking. One of the tools used by the Victorian grower group is business management software (P2P Agri) made by leading farm management consultant, Michael Krause, who also previously developed the ‘Farming the Business’ manual for GRDC. Victo...
Stripe Rust Disease Ratings
January 31, 2023 22:00 - 15 minutesLast year along the east coast of Australia, stripe rust was a huge issue and experts are warning that in 2023, growers will continue to experience stripe rust pressure with wet summer conditions and significant green bridge carryover from last year, creating the perfect storm for the disease. The good news is there's a free online tool that growers can use to avoid highly susceptible varieties in their regions and develop management plans to minimise impacts. Called the NVT disease ratings t...
Solving the mystery of potassium deficiency in the Southern Region
January 24, 2023 22:00 - 10 minutesGrowers and advisers in South Australia and Victoria are increasingly reporting underperforming crops, which they believe could be attributed to a lack of potassium (K). Soil tests often show the levels are fine, but are those tests accurate for south-eastern Australia and has the grains industry relied on good K reserves in that part of the world for too long? Dr Nigel Wilhelm is from SARDI, the South Australian Research and Development Institute, the research division of the Department o...
Expanding chickpeas in the west
January 17, 2023 22:00 - 10 minutesChickpea production in Western Australia took a king hit in the early 2000s when a fungal outbreak hammered grower confidence and reduced crop coverage from 60,000 to 5,000 hectares. These days, it’s around 10,000 hectares. But with GRDC investment, Chickpea Breeding Australia (CBA) is working to firmly re-establish chickpea production into a premium and profitable product in WA through the release of new varieties. As CBA program lead Dr Kirsty Hobson explains, the team is working to improve...
Talking mental health in a tough year
January 10, 2023 22:00 - 21 minutesUnprecedented spring rainfall and flooding in 2022 has made for a particularly tough year for many growers. In this special GRDC podcast, NSW Riverina grower, Roy Hamilton, shares his experience of salvaging a soaked harvest in a season that initially held so much promise. Then ex- NRL Balmain Tigers player turned mental health speaker and educator at the Black Dog Institute, Wayne Wigham, shares his lived experience with depression and mental health recommendations in an effort to help other...
Cucumber Mosaic Virus (CMV): Minimising the impacts of CMV, particularly in lentil
December 20, 2022 22:00 - 12 minutesCucumber Mosaic Virus - also known as CMV - is a seed transmitted virus that can cause yield losses of almost 100 per cent. That’s why GRDC is investing in a project that will support industry by providing information on minimising the impact of CMV infected seed; specifically on lentil yield in the Southern region. The project also aims to promote awareness of seed health, seed transmitted viruses and yield penalties associated with different levels of virus infection. Contact: piotr.trebic...
GRDC in conversation: Yannik Heller
December 18, 2022 22:00 - 45 minutesToday's 'GRDC in Conversation' podcast interview is with Yannik Heller. Yannik grew up in the Wimmera region of western Victoria. At 16 he left school and headed to Denmark to work on a family friend's farm. A year later he was back with some unique experiences and life skills under his belt. With a view to drive big tractors, he got work on a farm in Nhill and has stuck with agriculture ever since. Now he finds himself in Tasmania working on the other side of the fence in the farm services ...
Determining the value in your crop - what to harvest first this season
December 13, 2022 22:00 - 14 minutesFor most Australian grain growers, 2022 has been a challenging year. Weather conditions across the country continue to be volatile meaning that this harvest many growers are faced with extreme circumstances. Dr Kate Burke is a former agronomist and an agri-strategist and in this podcast she shares some practical recommendations on determining where the value lies in your crop and what to harvest first. Kate also helped deliver the 'Opportunity for Profit' workshops run with the support of GRD...
GRDC in conversation: Jenny Davidson
December 11, 2022 22:10 - 46 minutesToday's 'GRDC in Conversation' podcast interview is with Dr Jenny Davidson. After briefly considering medicine as a career path, Jenny decided treating sick plants was the better choice for her. As a pulse pathologist she has spent the past 3 decades with SARDI helping the grains industry, witnessing the industry change from a focus on field peas to the pulse diversity seen across Australian farms today. In 2021, she 'retired' but that didn't stop her. She spent this year travelling across S...
Pre-harvest safety: Managing people and safety during harvest season
December 06, 2022 22:05 - 15 minutesIt’s harvest time across most of Australia and for many growers this year they will have the added challenge of harvesting in water-logged conditions. Adverse weather creates greater risk around this busy time - but having procedures and processes in place can benefit growers, their employees and ultimately their businesses. Contact: https://denisemclellan.com.au/ More Information: https://denisemclellan.com.au/ https://www.peopleinag.com.au/ See Groundcover article here Project Code: ...
GRDC in conversation: Jeanette Long
December 04, 2022 22:00 - 39 minutesToday's 'GRDC in Conversation' podcast interview is with Jeanette Long. Astoundingly, until 1992, women weren't allowed to officially name their occupation as 'farmer' in Australia. It was in this era, with change emerging and an increasing recognition of women's roles in farming, that Jeanette Long began working in agriculture. Jeanette's role as facilitator, trainer, coach, business partner and farmer has seen her put people first across her varied career roles and communication with them...
Improving wheat yields through improved heat tolerance
November 29, 2022 22:00 - 12 minutesImproving wheat yield and yield stability through better heat tolerance is the focus of research being undertaken at the University of Sydney’s Plant Breeding Institute in Narrabri, New South Wales. GRDC has invested in the collaborative program between University of Sydney, Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, InterGrain and Agriculture Victoria. Professor Richard Trethowan and Dr Rebecca Thistlethwaite are part of the team of researchers and breeders. Contact: ric...
GRDC in conversation: Bill Long
November 27, 2022 22:00 - 56 minutesToday's 'GRDC in Conversation' podcast interview is with Bill Long. Bill is a farm consultant, but a farmer 'first and foremost' calling it one of the most satisfying careers anybody could ever have, despite its ups and downs. He's seen and worked with some of the best farmers in Australia and flown himself around the country in his Cessna airplane. His interest in how people make decisions led him and his wife Jeanette to develop a training program, and he's even composed a song about wild ...
Recovering waterlogged crops
November 22, 2022 22:00 - 11 minutesUnprecedented rainfall in 2022 has resulted in extensive waterlogging across many cropping regions of eastern Australia. In this podcast, Greta Duff from Southern Farming Systems (SFS) shares the latest research findings on nutrient strategies and spring sown options following a waterlogging event. Greta led a project with GRDC investment on the topic in 2021 after a wet growing season in the high rainfall zones of Victoria and Tasmania. Contact Greta Duff Senior Research and Extension Office...
GRDC in conversation: Chris Preston
November 20, 2022 22:00 - 54 minutesToday's 'GRDC in Conversation' podcast interview is with Chris Preston. In the 1980s Chris spent three years studying biofuels in the USA before returning to Australia to work in weed research at The University of Adelaide. Thirty years later, Chris is still on the job tackling the ever-evolving problem of understanding and managing herbicide resistant weeds. A challenge that has seen him explore the problem from different angles, but always with an ear close to the ground listening to what f...
National Variety Trials: how growers and agronomists use NVT data
November 15, 2022 22:00 - 6 minutesGRDC’s National Variety Trials - or NVT - program is the largest coordinated trial network in the world. Across Australia there are more than 650 trials underway at over 300 locations for ten crop species. To find out more about how the data collected at these trial sites is used - we speak to agronomist and GRDC northern panel member, Peter McKenzie as well as NVT participant and grower, Stephen Gibson. Contact NVT in your state More Information NVT home Subscribe to NVT communications Video...
GRDC in conversation: Peter Hayman
November 13, 2022 22:00 - 59 minutesToday's 'GRDC in Conversation' podcast interview is with Peter Hayman. As Principal Scientist, Climate Applications, at the South Australian Research and Development Institute of the Department of Primary Industries and Regions, Peter works to identify climate risks to agriculture and develop R&D partnerships to help. From growing up in Japan, to studying ag science in Sydney, Peter's career path is an interesting one that has seen him seek to make science useful at the centre. GRDC in Conver...
Agtech and logistics hub accelerator
November 08, 2022 22:00 - 11 minutesGRDC continues to support grains focussed innovators to develop and bring their technology to growers. One way of doing that is by partnering with accelerators like the ‘Agtech and Logistics Hub’, which has recently launched a program designed to fast track innovation in the agri-food sector. The program is called GroundUp and we spoke to Agtech and Logistics Hub director, Thomas Hall to find out how it all works and how growers will ultimately benefit. Contact: [email protected]...
GRDC in conversation: Mark Merrett
November 06, 2022 22:00 - 27 minutesToday's 'GRDC in Conversation' podcast interview is with Mark Merrett. Mark is a sixth-generation farmer from Kaniva in western Victoria where his family runs a mixed operation of winter cropping and sheep. Mark always wanted to become a farmer but he's also a natural communicator. His Merrett Contracting YouTube videos have been viewed thousands of times and they're helping to connect people from around the world with farm life. GRDC in Conversation is a limited series of the GRDC Podcast. I...
Breeding high yielding, disease resistant faba beans
November 01, 2022 22:00 - 10 minutesMore information: Australia is the world's largest exporter of faba beans, to help growers stay on top, breeders are developing new varieties suited to local conditions. Harnessing the expertise of different partners, GRDC has invested in research to address faba bean diseases including Ascochyta blight while maintaining a focus on higher yields. In this podcast, Adelaide University faba bean breeder Sam Catt and SARDI pulse pathologist Sara Blake talk about progress towards new and improved...
GRDC in conversation: Kate Burke
October 30, 2022 22:00 - 48 minutesToday's 'GRDC in Conversation' podcast interview is with Kate Burke. Kate’s working career has seen her in roles as an agronomist, a commercial manager, author and a cereal chemist. Living in Echuca, Victoria, she now runs her own consulting business Think Agri, providing corporate investors access to astute, experience-based advice when considering agri-investment decisions. GRDC in Conversation is a limited series of the GRDC Podcast. It features in depth, long-form interviews with growers ...
Grain storage during a wet harvest
October 25, 2022 22:00 - 9 minutesAfter a wet 2021, growers across Australia’s northern and southern grain growing regions are again bracing for widespread, heavy rainfalls at harvest this year. While the weather forecast poses significant challenges for getting crops off the paddock, getting your silos ready to store damp grain now is one way to help reduce headaches down the track. In this podcast, GRDC National, Grain Storage Extension Project Coordinator, Chris Warrick, shares his tips on preparing silos for harvest, stor...
GRDC in conversation: Barry Mudge
October 24, 2022 10:00 - 46 minutesGRDC in Conversation is a limited series of the GRDC Podcast. It features in depth, long-form interviews with growers and other experts in the grains industry. It aims to help growers explore research outcomes and ideas through a different perspective. Barry's 45-year career has seen him combine his on-farm experience with his business acumen to help farm businesses build resilience in risky environments. His work has taken him from his family farm in Port Germein, SA, to working to support t...
Dual paraquat and glyphosate resistance in annual ryegrass
October 18, 2022 22:00 - 15 minutesFor the first time in WA, there’s been a confirmed case of glyphosate and paraquat resistance in annual ryegrass. The discovery has prompted University of Western Australia weed researcher, Dr Roberto Busi, to research alternative double knock solutions. As Roberto explains, the findings have been a quantum leap forward in understanding how these resistant ryegrass populations can be effectively controlled with paraquat and pre-emergent herbicide combinations. Contact Dr Roberto Busi roberto...
Stripe rust insights from a high-pressure year
October 11, 2022 22:00 - 13 minutesWheat growers in the northern grain growing region are currently experiencing one of the worst stripe rust epidemics in recent memory. To help growers tackle the challenging season, Grain Orana Alliance (GOA) have been conducting trials to provide a stripe rust early warning system for the central north region of the New South Wales cropping belt. The trials, supported by GRDC, are focused on identifying and communicating local dominant stripe rust pathogens to help growers and advisers make ...
Lupin seed integrity and establishment
October 04, 2022 21:00 - 8 minutesLupin seed integrity and establishment With split seed resulting in yield penalties higher than 70% in some areas, a new GRDC investment is looking at how growers can manage their handling of lupin seed to ensure better germination of seed in the following seasons. A benchmark study of 27 WA growers looked at germination impacts for lupins, focusing on reducing the incidence of split seed through harvest activities such as machinery impacts, and manganese deficiency. The study which started i...
Farmers2Founders (F2F): How F2F is supporting innovators to solve challenges in the grains industry with technology.
September 27, 2022 23:00 - 16 minutesGRDC has a history of working with different business accelerators to deliver grains focussed, start-up accelerator programs across Australia. Farmers2Founders is one such programme - set up to help put producers at the centre of innovation by supporting them to have more involvement in the innovation process… leading to solutions that will solve real problems for grains growers on farm. To find out more, we spoke to Skye Raward, co-founder and general manager of Farmers to Founders and Tegan...
Grower insights on managing ironstone gravel soil
September 20, 2022 22:57 - 20 minutesGravel soils account for 24 per cent of land used for crop production in southern Western Australia, and are also characteristic of major production regions in South Australia and Victoria. In this podcast, two growers share their experience managing this challenging soil type. They have distinctly different approaches but share a desire to get the most of their crops in a high rainfall environment. Murdoch University’s Dr Francesca Brailsford also shares an update on the significant GRDC ...
National Grower Network
September 13, 2022 23:00 - 13 minutesThe National Grower Network is a GRDC initiative set up to directly communicate with growers and help progress locally relevant research, development and extension investments. Growers are encouraged to become involved and there are many ways to do that. To find out more about the National Grower Network, we speak to Grower Relations Manager, Vicki Green and Graham Spackman who is on the GRDC’s northern panel. Contacts: Vicki Green Grower Relations Manager [email protected] Graham Spa...
Guide - Machinery investment and replacement for Australian grain growers
September 07, 2022 00:00 - 12 minutesGrain growers around Australia have a new tool, in the form of a comprehensive guide, to support informed decision making around machinery purchases. The guide, titled “Machinery investment and replacement for Australian grain growers”, is the result of a two-year GRDC initiated project to assist growers to evaluate decisions around machinery investment. The information has been gathered from contributions from more than 450 grain growers around Australia, who shared their machinery purchase...
Flaxleaf fleabane rust fungus
August 31, 2022 04:23 - 16 minutesFor the first time in Australia, there is a biocontrol option to help tackle flaxleaf fleabane. A rust fungus from fleabane’s country of origin, Colombia, has been rigorously tested by a research team at the CSIRO and approved for release by the Australian regulator. This new tool will be available to help growers bolster their integrated weed management strategy. This research is part of a project called Underpinning agricultural productivity and biosecurity by weed biological control, led b...
Growing community trust
August 23, 2022 22:40 - 12 minutesHow much does the general public trust the grains industry? Recent community survey work, made possible through GRDC investment, has painted a clear picture – and the results are surprising. Dr Kieren Moffat and his team have been surveying a diverse cross-section of the community to examine areas of uncertainty such as chemical usage and GMO cropping. It’s all part of a the larger Community Trust in Rural Industries project being driven by a number of Rural Research and Development Corpor...
WeedSmart, science backed weed control solutions for growers
August 17, 2022 00:29 - 14 minutesWeeds are one of the largest costs to Australian growers - affecting management, yields and input costs. That’s why GRDC is a platinum partner in WeedSmart - an industry led initiative designed to deliver weed control solutions. WeedSmart is the united industry voice delivering science backed weed control solutions to growers and advisors for long term productivity in Australian agriculture. To see the full list of financial, in-kind and international in-kind; and research partners visit th...
Reducing the impact of blackleg in canola
August 10, 2022 00:17 - 10 minutesAustralia’s canola industry continues to grow from strength to strength - despite the presence of blackleg, a common disease that has the potential to cause more than 90 per cent yield loss. This success story is thanks, in part, to decades of targeted GRDC investment into blackleg management – delivering significant genetic and agronomic advancements to help canola growers reduce the impact of this serious pathogen. Marcroft Grains Pathology Principal Dr Steve Marcroft has been at the fore...
Investing in water use efficiency yields results
August 03, 2022 05:51 - 17 minutesOne of the greatest barriers to improving farm productivity in Australia is water. Over the past ten years, GRDC investment in water use efficiency (WUE) research has resulted in significant yield gains and underpinned an evolution in the management of summer fallows and farming sequences across Australia’s southern and western cropping regions. Southern NSW agronomist Greg Condon has been involved with WUE research projects for more than 12 years, and in this podcast he delves into the res...
Predicting Nitrogen cycling and losses in Australian cropping systems
July 20, 2022 01:43 - 20 minutesExcessive rainfall has hit northern growers over the past six months. With water logging across paddocks, growers are at heightened risk of losing nitrogen from denitrification, and it’s an issue GRDC is keen to understand better. Recent research supported by GRDC and led by Senior Research scientist at the New South Wales Department of Primary Industries, Dr Graeme Schwenke, found that on average, paddocks with waterlogging could lose 28 per cent of nitrogen from denitrification. To ge...
Improving crop establishment with long coleoptile wheat
July 13, 2022 00:00 - 25 minutesLong coleoptile wheat is getting a lot of grower interest and some new research been delivering some exciting results. This genetic approach is focused on wheat lines that produce a long first shoot, or a coleoptile, allowing for deeper sowing into soil with residual moisture. After successful paddock-scale trials, the research is helping growers mitigate the risk of poor or failed establishment because of unpredictable summer rain and sowing breaks. Led by CSIRO plant geneticist, Dr. Greg ...
New agronomy insights for irrigated grains
July 05, 2022 23:13 - 21 minutesWhen it comes to maximising the productivity of irrigated crops, research is proving it isn’t as simple as adding water and lots of nitrogen fertiliser. The Optimising Irrigated Grains project team have two seasons of impressive agronomy data under their belt –helped along by back-to-back mild spring conditions which has seen them achieve some pretty exceptional yields Contact Nick Poole Managing Director FAR Australia [email protected] More information - Optimising irrigated ...
Summer chickpeas show red-hot promise
June 29, 2022 00:16 - 11 minutesA 90-day summer chickpea crop could soon be a reality for the north, giving growers a pulse option to plant in February and harvest in June. Researchers involved in the summer chickpea project, made possible through GRDC investment, have spent the summer assessing the performance of 20 chickpea lines across five different locations. As project lead Dr Angela Pattison from the University of Sydney explains, the trial results and yield potential of the system are showing real promise. Contac...
Setting up your mungbean crop for success
June 22, 2022 01:38 - 11 minutesWhat does it take to optimise mungbean yields in Australia’s northern growing region? It's the focus of a significant GRDC investment underway with Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries. In this podcast, project participant Paul McIntosh from Pulse Australia shares the latest agronomy research findings on maximising productivity in mungbean systems. Contact Paul McIntosh Pulse Australia industry development manager [email protected] More information · Mungbean agronomy vid...
Managing fusarium wilt in mungbeans
June 15, 2022 02:46 - 9 minutesFusarium wilt is significant mungbean disease that can result in up to 80 per cent yield loss. In an effort to arm growers with information about this costly disease, the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (DAF) in Queensland has set up a variety of tolerance trials across the state as part of a wider GRDC and DAF co-investment on optimising mungbean yield in the northern region. In this podcast, DAF Extension Officer, Jayne Gentry, shares the latest research findings and her recommendat...
A new era for oat breeding
June 08, 2022 01:29 - 10 minutesThe National Oat Breeding Program, backed by joint $5.4 million investment from AgriFutures Australia and GRDC, is being propelled into a new era under the leadership of commercial breeding company, InterGrain. In this podcast, Intergrain’s Dr Allan Rattey shares all the details of the new program and how it will increase the genetic gain per dollar invested. The program is strengthened by significant collaboration with oat pre-breeding investments across Australia. This national research n...
Optimising irrigated grains
May 31, 2022 23:20 - 13 minutesMost irrigated crop research involves wheat or cotton - but the Optimising Irrigated Grains project is different. It’s focused on the agronomic and amelioration levers for maize, chickpeas, faba beans, canola, barley and durum. The three-year irrigation project has delivered some impressive results so far. Contact Ben Morris FAR Australia [email protected] More information · Optimising irrigated grains video · Optimising irrigated grains research report · WaterCan Profit cal...
The versatility of vetch
May 25, 2022 01:09 - 13 minutesVetch got a bad rap back in the 1990s when a variety that looked like red lentils was substituted for the higher priced commodity and sold into export markets. Since then, this versatile crop has gone from strength to strength, thanks largely to the National Vetch Breeding Program. In this podcast, program leader Stuart Nagel explores the history of vetch and its adaptability in cropping and mixed farming systems. The breeding program has been trialling and releasing new varieties suited to...
Slug control across southern Australia
May 17, 2022 22:59 - 12 minutesAs many southern growers know, good growing conditions for crops also means good ground conditions for slugs. After favourable springs in both 2020 and 2021, slug populations are on the rise and sliding into regions that don’t normally see them. As Dr Michael Nash explains, it’s about being proactive, understanding the risk factors and making informed management choices for the different species. Contact Dr Michael Nash [email protected] Ruth Peek [email protected] Learn more abo...
Grower insights on grazing crops under irrigation
May 11, 2022 00:14 - 23 minutesDual-purpose crops under irrigation offer an attractive graze and grain return. But what's the best set-up to maximise potential at the paddock level? In this GRDC podcast, we hear from three growers who put forward paddocks in an ambitious effort to answer just that, as part of the Optimising Irrigated Grains investment. Contact Kate Coffey Riverine Plains [email protected] More information · Optimising irrigated grains video · Optimising irrigated grains research report Learn ...
Area wide management for cropping systems weeds
May 04, 2022 00:57 - 16 minutesWeed seeds and herbicide resistant genes have the potential to move across farm boundaries and between different land uses. A collaborative project, called area wide management for cropping systems weeds, is taking a unique approach to traditional weed control by collaborating beyond fence lines with varying land users across three pilot regions - the Sunraysia, the Darling Downs and the Murrumbidgee irrigation area. In this podcast, we hear from CSIRO's Dr Rick Llewellyn, and Mallee Sustaina...
Mouse control in Western Australia
April 26, 2022 23:37 - 14 minutesAcross Western Australia’s grain growing regions, farmers are reporting increased mouse activity, sparking new concern about risks heading into the 2022 season. To help growers keep ahead of this issue, the CSIRO’s Steve Henry and Dr Wendy Ruscoe delivered GRDC mouse control workshops over 21 locations and 4 days across WA’s grain belt in March, speaking with 245 growers and advisers. In this podcast, Steve Henry shares key insights and recommendations from the workshops. Contact: Steve ...
Beat the heat with late winter sown sorghum
April 19, 2022 23:22 - 15 minutesThe main summer grain crop in the northern grains region, sorghum is ordinarily planted between September and January. But for the past two years, scientists from the Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation at the University of Queensland have been trailing sowing the summer crop in winter. And while the trials have taken place in cool conditions, the results have proved to be red hot. Contact: Professor Daniel Rodriguez [email protected] More information: · Video: B...
Annual ryegrass resistance to pre-emergent herbicides snapshot
April 13, 2022 00:33 - 16 minutesFor the first time ever, a national survey on herbicide resistance has been conducted as part of a GRDC investment. As Dr Peter Boutsalis from the University of Adelaide explains, there's good news on the resistance status of annual ryegrass to pre-emergent herbicides. Contact Dr Peter Boutsalis The University of Adelaide [email protected] More information Annual ryegrass weed management and paraquat resistance GRDC project code UCS2008-001RTX - Determining the incidence of...