WeedSmart Podcast

This month on the Regional Update, we head to the Northern Region to chat with Peter Galea, who is a grower just north of Emerald. Peter grows both grains and cotton.

He joins host Jessica Strauss to run through his farming system and what works for him to control weeds.

Upcoming webinar

Register here for our webinar: The fate of herbicide residues in soil – why it matters and what research is telling us

Herbicide breakdown is driven by a range of microbial processes. What does this look like in intensive cropping systems?

Dr Mick Rose from NSW Department of Primary Industries (now Southern Cross University) and his team have been investigating the breakdown of different herbicides across a range of soil types and rainfall zones.

During the fallow or in-crop season, there are often several applications of herbicide, and some residues may still be present on or near the soil surface when it is time to plant the next crop. Particularly in dry years, residues may even carry over from the crop prior to the fallow.

Mick will outline the effect these residues may have on soil microbial activity and on the establishment and growth of crops following the fallow, even after the plant back period.

Learn more about WeedSmart by visiting our website. Don't forget you can follow us on Twitter too.

On this podcast episode, we talk about glyphosate resistant ryegrass with WA grower Greg Curnow and get an overview on the new pre-emergent herbicides available and the stewardship around them from Dr Chris Preston.

WeedSmart Week Dubbo

WeedSmart Week Dubbo Tickets are live at early bird prices, and you get a 10% discount if you’re in a grower or agronomist group of 5 or more.

Join us at WeedSmart Week Dubbo from the 1st to the 3rd of August 2023. WeedSmart Week is designed to engage growers and advisors on the WeedSmart Big 6 messages.

We’re excited to be bringing WeedSmart Week back to New South Wales for our 10th event and to celebrate WeedSmart’s 10th anniversary! Don’t miss the celebration.

The program consists of a Forum Day at the Dubbo Regional Theatre & Convention Centre and farm visits in the Western Plains to see how forward-thinking growers are implementing the WeedSmart Big 6 tactics to minimise the impact of herbicide resistance on their businesses. Get your early bird tickets here. 

Articles

Our content producer, Cindy Benjamin, has written WeedSmart Big 6 on Mid North, Yorke Peninsula and Lower Eyre Peninsula farms an article with our Southern Extension Agronomist Chris Davey on the WeedSmart Big 6 practices being used in the mid north, Yorke and Lower Eyre Peninsula farms. Read it here. 

There is also a write-up on 'Investigating the role of competitive wheat against three northern region weeds: Turnipweed, Mexican poppy and common sowthistle'. This is a summary on the research work done by Professor Bhagirath Chauhan and colleagues. The research work was supported by a grant (project UA00156) from Grains Research Development Corporation. Read it here.  

Learn more about WeedSmart by visiting our website. Don't forget you can follow us on Twitter too.

In this episode of the Regional Update podcast, we head to the Western region to catch up with Frankland Rural Agronomist, Tim Trezise.

Over the last few years, there has been a shift in farming systems, with canola being grown more. Historically it was a break crop, but with increased profit margins, and good growing conditions, more growers are planting it. Tim talks about this evolution in farming systems in the region and the catalysts behind it. 

Learn more about WeedSmart by visiting our website. Don't forget you can follow us on Twitter too.

In this episode, we're focusing on the Northern Region, as we get insights into two of our WeedSmart Week Dalby presenter's farming systems.

We hear from Wayne Ziesemer, whose farm we visited in Bongeen, Queensland. Wayne is passionate about strip tillage, as well as utilising his WEEDIT optical sprayer. You can get a detailed overview of his farming system in this article.

Glenn Milne presented at our Forum Day on Crop rotations and on-farm biosecurity to combat weeds. We  get a snapshot of that talk in this episode.
 
News and events
We're heading to Dubbo, NSW, for our 10th WeedSmart Week on August 1-3.  Early bird tickets will be on sale shortly. You can find out more here.

Articles
Our content producer, Cindy Benjamin, has pulled together a great article on Bec Marshall, who presented at our WeedSmart Week Mildura event last year. 

Increasing herbicide resistance in annual ryegrass has thrown up some challenges for Bec and Ash Marshall on their 3300-hectare farm at Normanville, Victoria, and led to a new approach to their farming system.

Hay, crop competition and a focus on mixing and rotating modes of action at every opportunity are some of the key tactics they’ve taken on board. Read about it here. 

We’ve got a really fascinating Case Study this month, with Simon Burgess from Conara Tasmania. It looks at managing weeds through property development. 

Giving weed management a high priority during significant property developments at Vaucluse, on the South Esk River in Tasmania’s midlands, has paid dividends.

Proterra’s Vaucluse Agricultural Company purchased Vaucluse in 2015 and added neighbouring Glen Esk in 2016, taking the total area to 4400 ha. Between 2016 and 2022, the company undertook a major redevelopment of the mixed farming operation, focusing on new irrigation infrastructure.

Operating partner Simon Burgess says reconfiguring paddocks for pivot and hard hose travelling irrigators brought up many issues related to previous management and land use, not the least of which were weeds. Read about it here. 

Videos
If you couldn’t get to WeedSmart Week Dalby, we have uploaded videos of all of the presentations for you to watch in your own time. You can find the playlist and also a gallery of photos from the event here. 

Learn more about WeedSmart by visiting our website. Don't forget you can follow us on Twitter too.

On this edition of the Regional Update, we catch up with Nutrien Cummins Ag Services Agronomist, Mark Habner. 

Mark is based in the Lower Eyre Peninsula in South Australia. There has been an increase in the adoption of weed seed impact mills, so we chat about what’s happening in that space. 

We also get a general overview of what’s happening in the region at the moment, focusing on upcoming seeding and issues with powdery mildew.

You can follow Mark on Twitter here. 

Learn more about WeedSmart by visiting our website. Don't forget you can follow us on Twitter too.

Welcome to the WeedSmart Podcast! This is our first longer episode back. In this episode, we’ll be getting a recap from our extension agronomists on how harvest went. Greg Condon will give an overview of the Southern Region and Paul McIntosh will share what’s happening in the north. 

My co-host, Peter Newman will give an update on the Western region. 

WeedSmart Week Dubbo

Our next event is in Dubbo! It'll be happening from August 1-3. You can learn more about the event here.  This event is eligible to for funding from a GRDC study tour grant. Find out how to apply here. 

Webinars

If you didn’t get to come to our webinar last year on crop competition with Dr Michael Widderick and WeedSmart Northern Extension Agronomist, Paul McIntosh, the recording is now available on the website. Watch Faba beans pack a punch against sowthistle. 

Articles

Our content producer, Cindy Benjamin, has pulled together a great article on strengthening your pulse phase to combat weeds. This is An Ask an Expert with Dr Jason Brand, who is based in Horsham, working for Agriculture Victoria Research. 

Jason says for pulses to be effective in a weed management program, they need as much attention as other major crops. Without attention to detail, the pulse phase can result in a weed blowout.

Read it here. 

Videos

If you couldn’t get to WeedSmart Week Dalby, in the next few weeks we’ll be editing and uploading the forum day presentations for you to view. In the meantime, you can check out the entire playlist of our forum day presentations from WeedSmart Week Mildura is available to watch online here. 

Learn more about WeedSmart by visiting our website. Don't forget you can follow us on Twitter too.

The WeedSmart Podcast is back for its 8th season! 

In this Regional Update episode, we catch up with our Northern Extension Agronomist, Paul McIntosh, about what to expect at our upcoming event WeedSmart Week Dalby, which is happening on February 7-8.

We also speak with local grower Jordan Anderson.  Jordan farms 2000 hectares with his brother Regan and their wives in and around Theodore. They also have a contract harvest and haulage enterprise which takes them from the Central Highlands of Queensland down to the Riverina in NSW. Jordan will be on our Forum Day panel ‘Diverse rotations to disrupt weed cycles and drive profit’ on February 7. 

Get your ticket to WeedSmart Week Dalby here.

Learn more about WeedSmart by visiting our website. Don't forget you can follow us on Twitter too.

Welcome to the last WeedSmart Podcast of 2022. On this episode, we catch-up with an expert from each cropping region in the eastern states to get insights on dealing with a wet harvest. 

We hear from Agronomist Peter McKenzie from the Northern Region and our High Rainfall Zone Agronomist Jana Dixon who is based in Clare, South Australia, and Greg Condon, who is our Southern Extension Agronomist based in Junee, NSW.

Wet conditions have resulted in difficult and delayed harvests for many regions. The additional moisture also means more summer weeds. The agronomists provide regional tips on how to best tackle this looming problem.

WeedSmart Week Dalby

WeedSmart Week brings together a wealth of knowledge and experience from local and interstate growers, agronomists, and technology experts – putting the spotlight on herbicide resistance and weed control.

Join us at WeedSmart Week Dalby from the 7th to the 8th of February 2023. WeedSmart Week is designed to engage growers and advisors on the WeedSmart Big 6 messages.

Get your tickets and check out the program here. 

Articles

Our content producer, Cindy Benjamin, has been very busy this month. There's a stack of new articles on the WeedSmart website for you to check out. 

Some highlights include an article which talks about how caution is required when retaining rain-affected seed. Dr Greg Rebetzke from CSIRO provides valuable information on this. Take a read here. 

We also have comprehensive article looking at how the WeedSmart Big 6 can be implemented for Mallee farms in NSW, Victoria and South Australia. Our Southern Extension Agronomists Chris Davey and Greg Condon provide insights into this. You can read it here. 

We’ve also got a brand-new farmer Case Study with Michael Nichols from Sisters Creek in Tasmania. 

The Nichols family has a passion for soil health and biodiversity. Their Redbank Farming operation at Sisters Creek, northwest of Launceston, is an intense and multifaceted business.

Michael and his wife Rochelle lease the 385-ha farm from the family trust. The 170 ha of arable land is divided into six 27 ha blocks, on uniform red basalt clay to loam soil and can be irrigated in six days.

Grain production from wheat, barley and canola provides an effective break from intense horticultural cropping. Their six-year crop rotation centres on potatoes for French fries, onions, and poppies in rotation with a wide variety of cereal and horticultural crops. 

Thank you

Thank you for listening in 2022 for our 7th season of the WeedSmart podcast. We're looking forward Season 8 in 2023! 

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from podcast hosts, Jessica Strauss and Peter Newman, and the whole WeedSmart Team!

Learn more about WeedSmart by visiting our website. Don't forget you can follow us on Twitter too.

On the Regional Update this month, we catch up with Nutrien Cummins Ag Agronomist, Marty Chandler, who is based in the Lower Eyre Peninsula in South Australia.

Marty provides an overview of how harvest is going, particularly with the wet conditions that have been present.

He also provides some management tips on dealing with summer weeds, which will likely be a big issue for many people with high soil moisture. 

Learn more about WeedSmart by visiting our website. Don't forget you can follow us on Twitter too.

On this podcast episode, hosts Jessica Strauss and Peter Newman, welcome our latest WeedSmart Partner, Hardi! We catch up with Hardi Innovation Manager, Heath Thompson to discuss the partnership, as well as find out about the the stewardship around their GeoSelect site-specific spraying system.

We also hear from our Southern Extension Agronomist, Chris Davey, to get some insights on why resistance testing is such a success with his clients.

Webinars

If you didn’t get to come to our latest webinar on crop competition with Dr Michael Widderick and WeedSmart Northern Extension Agronomist, Paul McIntosh, the recording is now available on the website. Check it out here: Faba beans pack a punch against sowthistle.

You might also like to check out the webinar we did with Roberto Busi from AHRI on velocity resistance. Check it out here: Combat Velocity® resistant wild radish with the WeedSmart Big 6.

Articles

Our content producer, Cindy Benjamin, has pulled together a great article on testing for herbicide resistance, accompanied by some great video resources too. Take a look here. 

We also have an article with Peter Broley from Primary Sales, looking at whether  collecting weed seeds can make you money at harvest. Read it here. 

Videos

Also, the entire playlist of our forum day presentations from WeedSmart Week Mildura is available to watch online. Check it out here. 

Learn more about WeedSmart by visiting our website. Don't forget you can follow us on Twitter too.

Today on the podcast we catch up with Jake Hamilton, who is a farmer from Condamine in Queensland.

Jake will be involved in our WeedSmart Week Dalby on December 6 and 7 talking about how he’s getting residuals to work in his farming system.

We catch up with him to find out about how things are at his place and what he'll be sharing as part of our WeedSmart Week event.

WeedSmart Week Tickets

We're so excited to be bringing WeedSmart Week to Dalby. Day one is a Forum Day with local and interstate speakers on the latest in weed control and growing a profitable crop. Day two we will have a Machinery Expo with the latest weed control machinery and we'll also have farm visits. Get your ticket today here.

WeedSmart Evaluation Survey

Can you believe WeedSmart has been around for nearly 10 years? We want to ensure we keep serving you with the best possible information on weed control solutions. We'd be delighted if you took 10 minutes to complete our survey. It will help shap the future of WeedSmart. Take the survey here. 

Learn more about WeedSmart by visiting our website. Don't forget you can follow us on Twitter too.

On this podcast episode, we catch up with some of our WeedSmart Extension Agronomists to chat about stopping weed seed set ahead of harvest.

Southern Extension Agronomist, Greg Condon co-hosts on this episode. 

We hear from our Southern Extension Agronomist Chris Davey, who focuses on 2,4-D application. Our Northern Extension Agronomist, Paul McIntosh, provides an update on how harvest is going in his region and what the additional rain has meant for weed control in the north.

Western Extension Agronomist, Peter Newman also joins us to give an overview of desiccation and crop topping in the west. 

Resources 

• GRDC Pre-harvest Herbicide Use fact sheet
• GRDC Spray Application Manual 
• 2021 crop topping podcast – this one is a bit more technical compared to the one we did for this episode. 

WeedSmart Week Dalby

• Dec 6 & 7 at Dalby Showgrounds
• Forum Day, farm visits and Machinery Expo

Get your tickets here before Oct 23 for a discounted rate. 

Crop Protection Forum

• November 16 at Riverina Playhouse Theatre in Wagga Wagga 
• Focusing on research updates and practical solutions for weeds, diseases and pests
• This event is targeting agronomists primarily 

Get your tickets here. 

Learn more about WeedSmart by visiting our website. Don't forget you can follow us on Twitter too.

In this regional update, we're heading to the Western Region to catch up with Northampton farmer, Karl Suckling.

Karl has just finished an expansive soil amelioration project on his farm, which has been very successful, but it's meant he's had to take a break from growing lupins. He explains his approach and expands on what he'll be considering in the future for weed control at his place.

Soil amelioration resources

• Article: How does renovating non-wetting sands help weed control?
• Podcast: How soil amelioration saved the day for Warakirri’s Condingup enterprise
• Podcast: Soil amelioration changed the game for Esperance farming family
• Podcast: Upwards of 90% weed seed burial with some soil amelioration approaches

Learn more about WeedSmart by visiting our website. Don't forget you can follow us on Twitter too.

Professor Chris Preston, University of Adelaide joins us on this episode to talk about what growers should consider when planting the new Titan AX Barley.

This new variety can be used as a strategic tool for controlling brome, barley grass and volunteer cereals. Chris explains how this variety came about and explains how to use this variety effectively.

Also, we recap WeedSmart Week Mildura! We hear from attendees: Tyler Nelson, Kate Finger and Ash Teasedale.

New content

Take a read of our recap article on WeedSmart Week Mildura and watch Kevin Morthorpe's acceptance speech for his WeedSmart Legend Award.

Watch our latest webinar with Eric Koetz on weed control in cotton. We've also got the recap article with all the highlights on the same page. Check it out here. 

Learn more about WeedSmart by visiting our website. Don't forget you can follow us on Twitter too.

In this Regional Update Podcast, we catch up with mixed farmer, Adam Morgan.

Adam farms in Geranium, South Australia and recently attended WeedSmart Week Mildura.

We hear about Adam's experience at the event and hear about the weed pressures on his farm.

The region Adam farms in didn't receive rainfall over summer and so it was very dry coming into seeding, with little subsoil moisture, but things are looking more positive now, with some significant rainfall events throughout the growing season.

Adam uses quite a few of the WeedSmart Big 6, including double knocking, spray topping and cutting hay, but he's looking to potentially get a mill in the future for harvest weed seed control.  

Take a listen to hear more about Adam's farming system and the weed pressures he's facing in Geranium, SA.

Learn more about WeedSmart by visiting our website. Don't forget you can follow us on Twitter too.

In this podcast,  we’re finding out what gives faba beans the competitive edge when it comes to out-competing sowthistle. Department of Agriculture and Fisheries Queensland Principal Research Scientist, Michael Widderick, joins us to share research results he and his team have been working on over the last 5 years.

We also review how seeding went this year and consider the effectiveness of pre-emergent herbicides. Bayer Market Development Agronomist, Gus MacLennan joins us to discuss this topic, as well as some trial work he is managing in this space.

We also discuss AHRI's Dr Roberto Busi's latest research which has shown Velocity® resistant wild radish.

WeedSmart Week Mildura - it's next week!

It's not too late to get your ticket to WeedSmart Week Mildura. It’s happening next week from August 30 to September 1 and we'd love to see you there. You can find out more and register here.

New content on the WeedSmart website 

If you missed yesterday’s webinar with our Northern Extension agronomist, Paul McIntosh and Eric Koetz from NSW DPI on weed control in cotton, you can now watch the recording on our website.

 Articles

Our content producer, Cindy Benjamin, has produced some great new articles this month.  

We have a brand new Ask an Expert with Dr Tom Wolf, Agrimetrix Research & Training (Saskatchewan). It’s entitled How can I gain more spray efficiency? 

Most growers would know that efficiency is not all about speed. When it comes to spray application efficiency the keys to success are firstly hitting the target with the right product at the right time, and secondly, maximising the time the sprayer is in the field rather than refilling. 

We also have a news article on a recent GRDC survey of 1200 grain growers. In response to a growing awareness of herbicide resistance in weeds, Australian grain growers are increasing the diversity of their cropping programs and implementing more cultural weed control tactics. To learn more about the findings, check out the article.  

Learn more about WeedSmart by visiting our website. Don't forget you can follow us on Twitter too.

There's lots going on in the Northern region, so our Northern Extension Agronomist, Paul McIntosh, joins us for an update.

Ryegrass is now present in the Northern region. Paul provides an update on this and what growers need to do to keep on top of it.

Paul is also hosting a webinar with Department of Primary Industry NSW Research Agronomist Eric Koetz on August 23. Paul and Eric will provide practical information on how to control weeds and fight herbicide resistance in cotton crops. You can register here.

We also discuss the upcoming WeedSmart Week Mildura event which is happening August 30 to September 1. You can still get your ticket here. 

Learn more about WeedSmart by visiting our website. Don't forget you can follow us on Twitter too.

On this episode of the WeedSmart Podcast, we’re getting a preview of WeedSmart Week Mildura. Early bird tickets are on sale until July 31 – so make sure you get yours in the next couple of days so you don’t miss out on the discounted price! 

We hear from farmers Bec Marshall and Alistair Murdoch who will be presenting at WeedSmart Week Mildura. Nutrien Agronomist Andrew McMahen who is on our organising committee and will also be presenting, gives an overview of the issues in the region. We also catch up with Kondinin Group Research Engineer, Ben White, who will be facilitating our Machinery expo.

WeedSmart Week Mildura is happening from August 30 to September 1. You can head to the events page on our website to find out more information and get your ticket.

 Today's guests

 Andrew McMahen 

Andrew is on our organising committee and provides an overview of the key weed issues in the Mallee. Andrew will be on our “Applying the Big 6 in the Mallee” panel session on forum day.

Bec Marshall 

Bec will be presenting on our Forum Day on stopping weed seed set.

Alistair Murdoch 

We’ll be visiting Alistair’s farm on Day 2 of WeedSmart Week, before the machinery expo.

Ben White 

Kondinin Group Research Engineer Ben White will be once again hosting our machinery expo. Ben did an amazing job in Esperance and we’re so excited to be bringing this event to Mildura. The machinery expo will include:

• John Deere – See & Spray
• Kelly Tillage – Kelly Diamond: 4012 machine
• Goldacres – Self-propelled unit with Bilberry weed detection system
• Croplands – Weed-IT trailing display
• Seed Terminator – Seed Terminator unit
• iHSD – iHSD (static display)
• Redekop – static display - Redekop mill on John Deere combine (Hoiseworth JD dealer)

News and links

Webinars

On August 23, Research Agronomist Eric Koetz (NSW DPI) and WeedSmart Northern Extension Agronomist Paul McIntosh will discuss key weed control challenges cotton growers are facing. Register here. 

 Articles

We have an article related to upcoming WeedSmart Week Mildura event. Our content producer, Cindy Benjamin spoke with Agrivision General Manager, Ed Nixon, about the challenges northern Mallee growers are facing when it comes to preserving herbicide chemistry long-term.

Case Studies 

Make sure you check out our Case Studies – our content producer, Cindy Benjamin, catches up with farmers from all over Australia to find out about their farming systems. Our latest Case Study features Warren Treasure, from Moonyoonooka in Western Australia. Warren talks about how using an iHSD over five seasons has had a significant impact on lowering his weed seed bank.

Learn more about WeedSmart by visiting our website. Don't forget you can follow us on Twitter too.

Nutrien Agronomist Phil Smyth joins us on the Regional Update this week. Phil is based in Coorow, Western Australia and farmers in his region have had a good start to the season this year.

They're hopeful of some more rain, but they were able to get in a double knock this year, which many farmers haven't been able to do for four years.

Phil talks about crop rotations and quite a few of the WeedSmart Big 6 tactics. You can learn more about these control solutions here. 

Learn more about WeedSmart by visiting our website. Don't forget you can follow us on Twitter too.

In this episode, we talk about dealing with the stress of high farm input costs and labour shortages. Owen Catto from The Regional Men’s Health Initiative joins us to share some tips.

We also get an update on resistance testing in Western Australia. Agvivo Agronomist Tim Boyes has embraced resistance testing with his WA based clients and coordinated closely with Dr Roberto Busi who runs University of Western Australia’s resistance testing service. Tim shares what impact resistance testing has had on his client’s farming programs.

Our Southern Extension Agronomist, Greg Condon, joins Jessica Strauss for this podcast.

Links

Tickets for our WeedSmart Week Mildura event which is happening from August 30 to September 1 are on sale. We have also just released the program. You can head to the events page on our website to find out more information and get your ticket.

Webinar

Our Southern Extension Agronomist, Chris Dave recently hosted a webinar with Canada’s technology expert, Tom Wolf. In this webinar, they covered efficient spraying application and how to become more efficient at keeping the boomspray in the paddock, rather than at the depot.

Articles

We have an article related to our podcast interview with Mike Ashworth. Dr Yaseen Khalil who managed this project explains how effective a legume pasture phase for ryegrass control is.

Case Studies 

Make sure you check out our Case Studies – our content producer, Cindy Benjamin, catches up with farmers from all over Australia to find out about their farming systems. Our latest Case Study features Warren Treasure, from Moonyoonooka in Western Australia. Warren talks about how using an iHSD over five seasons has had a significant impact on lowering his weed seed bank.

Mental Health Services

Regional Men's Health Initiative - WA
MensLine - national phone and online chat service

Learn more about WeedSmart by visiting our website. Don't forget you can follow us on Twitter too.