WeedSmart Podcast

On the Regional update today Giles Kearsley from Nutrien at Cleve Ag Services joins us.

Giles is based in Eyre Peninsula on the West Coast of South Australia.

Our Southern Extension Agronomist, Chris Davey, recently went through this neck of the woods and so we thought it would be good to catch-up with Giles and see how his region is going.

Giles gives us an update on how floods in January have impacted growers, gives an overview on how pre-emergent herbicides have performed and provides some weed control tips for his region. 

Follow Giles on Twitter here.

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

On this podcast, find out about the benefits of smart phase farming. The Agronomy team at the Australian Herbicide Resistance Initiative in Perth is in the last year of a project looking at this system and there’s some great yield benefits to consider. 

We also will be getting a resistance status update from Peter Boutsalis who does work for both the University of Adelaide and runs Plant Science Consulting. 

And lastly – we have an exciting webinar coming up this month with Tom Wolf, who many of you might know as the ‘nozzle guy’ on Twitter.  Get some more details on our guests below: 

1.     Mike Ashworth – Smart phase farming

Dr Mike Ashworth who leads AHRI’s agronomy team explains what phase farming is and the benefits of this approach. This project focused on using serradella as the legume phase crop. 

2.     Peter Boutsalis – resistance status update

Dr Peter Boutsalis joins us in this interview to give an update on the GRDC funded random resistance testing results. He also gives an update on the resistance issues he’s been looking at from samples that have been sent in from farmers to his business, Plant Science Consulting. 

3.     Chris Davey – webinar overview

On June 15, we’ll be hosting a webinar with Canada’s technology expert, Tom Wolf. In this webinar, more efficient spraying application will be covered, as well as how to become more efficient at keeping the boomspray in the paddock, rather than at the depot. Follow Tom on Twitter here.

Links

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

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. 

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

In this edition of the Regional Update, we’re heading to the Northern Region to catch up with Poole Ag Consulting Agronomist, Sam Simons. Sam is based in Moree, NSW. 

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

Welcome to the WeedSmart Podcast! This week we’re focusing on the benefits of soil amelioration and the advantages of fixing sub-soil acidity. 

Our guests today include soil researcher Jason Condon from Charles Sturt University and NSW Department of Primary Industries Wagga Wagga Development Officer Helen Burns. They give some insights into research findings in the space.

We also hear from farmer and agronomist, Sandy Middleton, who has had some massive wins with fixing subsoil acidity. 

Firstly though – our tickets for our WeedSmart Week Mildura event which is happening from August 30 to September 1 are officially on sale. You can head to the events page on our website to find out more information and get your ticket.

News links

We have an article on Maximising the benefits of new pre-em chemistry. Southern Extension Agronomist Greg Condon says the wet conditions experienced last season have provided some useful insights into the new chemistries under commercial field conditions. 

 We also hear from Shane Kelly from Kelly Tillage about how tickling your soil surface to stimulate weed growth before planting can be a beneficial weed control strategy. 

 We also have an updated article running through the Big 6 principles to help you plan out what weed control strategies might work for you this year. 

Ask an Expert

Our latest Ask an Expert is Can faba bean crops outcompete sowthistle?

Dr Michael Widderick, Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Queensland, is our expert this month. 

Michael talks about how faba bean crops have the potential to significantly curb common sowthistle, a problematic weed with widespread resistance to key herbicides, such as glyphosate and chlorsulfuron.

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

East Pingelly grain farmer Lance Turner joins us on the Regional Update today. Pingelly is based in WA’s wheatbelt, and the region has had a pretty good start to the season. Lance reckons it's a great time to consider doing a double knock, with conditions lining up well. 

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

On this edition of the podcast, we’re focusing on getting spraying right. As we move from Summer to Autumn, it’s a good time to consider what spray practices are being implemented and to consider what practical changes might be worthwhile, such as switching out different nozzles. 

Nufarm Field Development Lead for Australia & New Zealand, Mark Slatter joins us on this episode. He provides an overview on correct spray application and details the new Nufarm 2,4-D product, Dropzone. 

 We also catch up with Forbes Farmer Charlie French. Charlie explains the evolution of his spraying systems and what he’s using in the Big 6 to control weeds.

Links

Webinar recording

We have a new webinar recording available for you to watch. For the first time in Western Australia, annual ryegrass from a cropped paddock was found to be resistant to glyphosate and paraquat.

Farmanco Agronomist Consultant Brent Pritchard provides context on how this resistance evolved in the field.

AHRI Senior Research Fellow Dr Roberto Busi presents the preliminary results he obtained in recent glasshouse trials, which aimed to characterise the resistance. You can now watch it online here. 

 Articles

Ryegrass is adapted to a wide climatic range

 Once considered a winter weed of southern cropping zones of Australia, annual ryegrass is being increasingly observed in more northerly districts and in summer crops in Victoria and South Australia. This article details work done by the University of Queensland’s Centre for Crop Science. Bhagirath Chauhan and his team looked at effects of temperature, salinity, drought, light and burial depth on germination of seed collected from annual ryegrass (Lolium rigidum) populations from northern and southern NSW and Victoria.

Summer weed control in a high input cost year

This article features Pete Newman. He answers the question: with the cost of glyphosate sitting around $14 a litre, is it still worth spraying summer weeds?

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

In this edition of the Regional Update, we’re heading to the Southern Region to catch up with Growmore Agronomy Services Agronomist, Jeshua Smith. Jeshua is based in Young, NSW, which is in the High Rainfall Zone.

Farmers in Young have been dealing with an influx of ryegrass due to increase summer rain. We talk about how to get on top of this weed, as well as get a general overview of what to be considering at the moment when it comes to weed control.

Links

Make sure you sign-up for our upcoming webinar with AHRI Researcher, Dr Roberto Busi looking at WA's first case of paraquat resistance. 

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 learn about how wheat with a longer coleoptile offers some unique benefits from a crop protection standpoint. 

SLR Research CEO Michael Lamond has conducted which has found benefits for the wheat gene Rht18. 

The longer coleoptile of Rht18 wheat enables it to emerge through the furrow fill with less damage from pre-emergent herbicide. It was also found to have more vigour.  

We’re also going to find out about some exciting results from a five-year University of Adelaide weeds trial. This trial shows a triple threat strategy, rather than traditional methods has the potential to produce the best results for weed control in the Southern region.

University of Adelaide Research Agronomist, Ben Fleet, joins us to explain these findings.

Articles

“Invest in the weak link crop to avoid weed blow-out” is the latest article written by our content producer, Cindy Benjamin. Cindy caught up with Kym and Katie I’Anson who farm in the Marrabel district in South Australia.

They’ve said wheat is the weak link in their 2200 ha continuous cropping enterprise. While hay production and canola provide several opportunities to suppress weeds, ryegrass can flourish in the wheat phase if left unchecked.

They talk about how they use the WeedSmart Big 6 principles to tackle this.

Ask an Expert

Our latest Ask an Expert is: “New herbicide mode of action to help pulse growers tackle resistant grass weeds”.

The launch of a new pre-emergence herbicide this season is giving pulse growers more mix-and-rotate options to tackle resistance in key grass weeds.

Ashley Pilkington, Adama’s market development manager in South Australia, says the commercial release of Ultro® (carbetamide) brings a completely different mode of action into the weed control program for pulses.

Webinar

An exciting webinar recording is available to watch back. Kondinin Group’s Mark Saunders and Ben White provided a technical update on all things precision weed control. 

This webinar covered advances in spraying technology, green-on-green and green-on-brown camera developments, AI and robotics, drone and weed mapping, and targeted non-herbicide tools.

We'll be uploading this recording shortly and it will be available on our webinars page. 

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

This is first main WeedSmart Podcast for 2022! So welcome back and thank you for joining us for our 7th Season of the podcast!

Today we’ll be focusing on how to use the new Adama pre-emergent herbicide, Ultro properly. Bevan Addison from Adama explains the stewardship around this product which is a new product for pulse crops. 

We’ll also be talking about the ongoing supply chain issues when it comes to herbicides and fertilisers. Tony May from Bayer provides an overview for what's happening in this space.

Articles

 We have a new WeedSmart Review for you to check out. It’s all about research out of University of Adelaide, which is one of our in-kind partners.

Researchers conducted a unique, 9-year integrated weed management trial was conducted at Lake Bolac from 2012 to 2020 to investigate the effects of cultural and herbicide control strategies across a rotation on annual ryegrass populations in a high rainfall environment. Check out the article for the results here. 

We also have an article about the Birch family which describes how they bought a new property and had to form a plan around testing which herbicides they could use through resistance testing. Check it out here. 

 Ask an Expert

Our content producer, Cindy Benjamin caught up with Agronomist Greg Sefton to find out if pulse cover crops tackle multi-resistant ryegrass in irrigated systems.  Check it out here. 

We also have a new Ask an Expert on what you can do to control large feather top Rhode’s grass in fallow with Bhagirath Chauhan from our in-kind partner, University of Queensland.  Read it here. 

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

The WeedSmart Podcast is back! This is our first episode of 2022. This podcast is a Regional update with Jim Hunt who is an Agronomist with Hunt Ag Solutions in Gunnedah, NSW. 

Our Regional Update Podcasts were so popular over 2020 and 2021, that we have decided to keep them. They originally served as a way to connect with the regions when COVID-19 restrictions prevented us from visiting places in person.  

The Regional Update is now cemented itself as a staple in the WeedSmart calendar and we'll bring you a new Update each month, alternating between the Northern, Southern and Western regions. 

Our guest Jim explains how widespread flooding has been devastating for some people in his region, but for others the additional rainfall has been quite positive. He also talks to us about issues with the supply chain for herbicides and provides some tips on how to best control weeds in his patch. 

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 last podcast of 2021, so thank you for joining us! On this episode we're focusing on diverse crop rotations and dealing with resistance. We hope there’s some helpful tips for you to take away. 

CSIRO Chief Research Scientist for Farming Systems, Dr John Kirkegaard, joins us to tell us about current trial work he is leading looking at the impact of rotations on soil water, nitrogen, and profit in the face of variable climatic conditions.

Wimmera Farmer Tim Rethus joins us to update us on how he's keeping his weed seed banks as low as possible. Tim was one of our farm hosts back in 2019 at Horsham WeedSmart Week. We’re going to find out what’s changed for Tim with his farming system and how he’s going to approach his summer weed control program.

And last, but not least, Tim Frazer, who farms in Chinchilla Queensland, has a chat with us about how he’s managing Group A (Group 1) and Group M (Group 24) resistance.

Webinar recording

 Our last webinar for the year was on Metolachlor usage in the northern region, presented by Rob Battalia from Syngenta, with WeedSmart Northern Extension Agronomist Paul McInstosh hosting. You can now watch it online here.

Case Studies

We have two new case studies for you to check out!

Jamie and Susie Grant, Jimbour Qld, over the years have adopted controlled traffic, minimum tillage, cover cropping and vigilant weed management as key strategies to maximise water infiltration and minimise losses to run-off, evaporation and wasted evapotranspiration throughout the year. Learn all about their farming system in this case study here. 

Peter and Kylie Bach from Pittsworth Qld, are aiming for 130% utilisation of their cropping land through the year. Peter and Kylie Bach have developed a farming system that extracts full value from barley stubble and minimises weed pressure. Learn all about their farming system here.

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

In this Regional Update, we catch up with Nutrien Agronomist, Bernie Quade who is based in Wyalkatchem, Western Australia.

Bernie talks to us about how frost has affected his region and provides some tips on Summer weed control.

This is our last Western Region Update for the year! Thanks to Bernie for coming on and having a chat with us!  Give Bernie a follow on Twitter here. 

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

On this edition of the podcast, we’re looking at how to best use residual herbicides after harvest.  

 We hear from ICAN’s Mark Congreve on this. 

Northern Grower Alliance CEO Richard Daniel also joins us to talk about summer weed control how using an optical spray can maximise your use of residual herbicides. 

We also hear from Frankland based Agronomist, Tim Trezise, who had a query on the challenges around crop topping weeds at the dough stage and whether you still get good control by using higher rates of paraquat or glyphosate. Pete answers this question in the podcast!

Links

• Podcast: Why crop topping is a great tool to prevent weed seed set
• Podcast: Richard Daniel explains results from Northern Grower Alliance survey on optical spraying
• GRDC: Consider Consider plant back implications after herbicide use
• Webinar: Register for our webinar “Metolachlor usage in the northern region” 

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

This is our last Southern Regional Update for the year! Our WeedSmart High Rainfall Zone Agronomist, Jana Dixon, joins us to provide a regional update on Clare, SA and surrounds.

We also chat about what growers need to think about when it comes to planning around potential chemical shortages. 

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

On this edition of the podcast, we’re looking at strategies to control late season ryegrass. 

 After a good couple of years in much of the Southern Region for rainfall, there is late season weeds coming through the crop. 

 In this episode, we hear from our Southern Region Agronomist, Greg Condon, who provides a great overview of the tools available to growers. 

 Elders Agronomist, Jason McClure talks to us about his experience with his clients in Naracoorte and surrounds in South Australia with windrowing to control ryegrass. 

 Farm Manager of Viridis Ag in Junee, Andrew Wilson, NSW, also joins us to share his experience with adopting tools like soil amelioration, diverse crop rotations and chaff decks to get on top of ryegrass.

Links

• We’ve updated Harvest Weed Seed Control 101! Our Communications Officer Jessica Scholle worked hard on this, with yourself and Dr Michael Walsh from University of Sydney. Register to do the freshly updated and free course here. 
• Our webinar recording on intercropping is now available for you to watch online. Our Southern Extension Agronomist Greg Condon hosts, with guest presenter Dr Andrew Fletcher, who is a farming systems scientist at CSIRO. In this webinar, the principles of mixing different crops together and how this can potentially provide weed management options for growers is outlined. Watch it here.  
• We also have a new WeedSmart Shorts video out with our Southern Extension Agronomist Chris Davey and Uni of Adelaide’s Dr Chris Preston on what the herbicide resistant hot spots are in the most recent ryegrass survey. Watch 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, we're heading to the Northern Region to catch up with Peter McKenzie, who is Principal Agronomist and Director at Agricultural Consulting & Extension Services. 

Peter talks to us in this episode about how with there likely to be some difficulties in acquiring agricultural chemicals, it's important to check in with what you need for your program down the track so you don't get caught out. 

He's also got some great advice on weed control solutions for his region and gives a general overview of where people are at in and around his region in Quirindi, NSW. 

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

On this edition of the podcast, we’re looking at how giving the soil a light tickle can help with uniform weed control with Shane Kelly from Kelly Tillage.

Kelly Tillage has just come on board as a Silver Partner of WeedSmart, so we're really excited to introduce them to you in this podcast. 

We’re also going to have a chat with Tom Woods from Woods Group based in Goondiwindi about seed cleaning and what growers need to look out for across the entire chain to ensure the best quality seed is planted at seeding time. 

 News & Links

• Dr Mechelle Owens research on seed cleaning: what works best? 
• Webinar:  Can intercropping help with weed management?
  Our Southern Extension Agronomist Greg Condon is hosting with guest presenter Dr Andrew Fletcher, who is a farming systems scientist at CSIRO. Andrew is passionate about the emerging role of diverse cropping systems. In this webinar, we’ll outline the principles of mixing different crops together and how this can potentially provide weed management options for growers.  Register here. 
• Ask an Expert: What can I do at harvest to reduce my future weed burden? 
  Western Extension  Agronomist Peter Newman fills us in on what people can do at harvest to reduce their future weed burden. 

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

We had a small hiatus for the Regional Update due to school holidays, but we're back!

We head to the Western Region in this episode and catch up with Today WA farmer, Alex Davies. Alex is based in York and has a continuous cropping farming system and also runs sheep.

Alex also shares with us his experience about how the last three seasons have gone with having a Harrington Seed Destructor and the positive impact it has had on helping in reducing weed burdens on his farm.

You can follow Alex on Twitter here. 

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

It's hard to believe that harvest is just around the corner! In light of this fast approaching reality, we wanted to talk about crop topping and spray topping.  

Each of our WeedSmart Extension Agronomists provide a rundown on what to look out for in their cropping regions in regards to crop topping, swathing and desiccation. 

• Paul McIntosh, Northern Region: crop topping or swathing/windrowing winter pulses, e.g. faba beans - jump to listen at 18:00
• Jana Dixon, High Rainfall Zone:  crop topping barley and spray topping pastures - jump to listen at 30:00
• Chris Davey – desiccation and crop topping pulses - jump to listen at 41:30
• Greg Condon – crop topping canola - jump to listen at 55:00

Dr Chris Preston, University of Adelaide, also joins us to explain the mode of action classification system changes from a letters system to numbers system and what it’ll mean for growers. 

Helpful links

GRDC Pre-Harvest Herbicide Use Fact Sheet
Global Herbicide Classification Look-Up

Recent WeedSmart Content

• News Article: Chaff carts were made for feeding livestock
• Ask an Expert Article: How can I set up my summer crops to help manage weeds?  Our expert is Belinda Chase, who is an Agronomist with Dalby Rural Supplies
• Webinar recording: Mixed farming – does it really help control resistant weeds? Greg Condon hosts and Agronomist Craig Drum is our guest presenter. 

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

Angus Dalgliesh, grower and agronomist with Nutrien Ag Solutions, joins us on the Regional Update today.

Angus recently presented on our webinar What’s next in the North for weed control?

Today he provides an update on what to be looking out for with weeds at the moment and into the near future.

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