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In this episode, we delve into the world of spot spray technology. Rob Price, from South Australia, and Jake Hamilton, from Queensland, use Bilberry and John Deere See and Spray tech respectively. They explain their motivations for using the tech, and discuss the opportunities and challenges they have faced when incorporating the latest camera/optical spray equipment into their cropping program. NEWS and LINKS Webinar: Spot Spray technology – opportunities & challenges incorporating the latest camera/optical spray equipment: On March 6, Join Weedsmart Extension Agronomists, Peter Newman and Greg Condon as they explore the current spot spray technologies on offer and the opportunities and challenges with incorporating the latest spot (camera/optical) spray equipment. Millers/McIntosh Tech specialist Scott Jamieson and John Deere’s Anton Kowalenko provide their insights into how farmers/spray contractors can address the challenges and opportunities with utilising this technology. Learn more about WeedSmart by visiting our website. Don't forget you can follow us on Twitter too.

Welcome back to the WeedSmart Podcast for 2024. This week on the Regional Update, we are joined by grower and agronomist Matt Elliott. Matt farms with his family near Nandaly in the Mallee region of Victoria, and is also an agronomist with Dodgshun Medlin. They crop mainly wheat barley, lentils, and export hay, and run their operation on a "take no prisoners" basis when it comes to weed control. After a couple of wet years and a decent amount of summer rain, Matt is excited for what 2024 might bring. Learn more about WeedSmart by visiting our website. Don't forget you can follow us on Twitter too.

In this episode, we wrap up the 2023 season by talking with our WeedSmart Extension Agronomists. Together, Northern Extension Agronomist Paul McIntosh, Southern Extension Agronomists Greg Condon and Chris Davey, and Western Extension Agronomist Peter Newman take us through the year that was in their various parts of the country. The talk about the season itself, how harvest has panned out, and of course the weed control tactics that have proved most beneficial in 2023. NEWS and LINKS Webinar: Biological control of grains weeds – development of novel tools and approaches for integration: Discover the pioneering work of CSIRO researchers Dr Ben Gooden and Dr Michelle Rafter on using biocontrol agents to control crop weeds. They will discuss their work conducting exploratory surveys of biocontrol agents and host-testing with pathogens and insects. Articles 1. Testing optical sprayer technology return on investment: Machinery prices have sky-rocketed in recent years, leaving many growers wondering whether new technologies, like optical spot sprayers, can pay their way. Peter Newman, Planfarm farm business consultant and WeedSmart western extension agronomist, has run some figures for his clients to help them with boomspray purchase decisions, and found that the benefits often outweigh the upfront cost of weed detection technology. 2. Measuring the value of weed control expenses: Weed control is expensive, and it is often hard to measure the return on your investment. WeedSmart’s southern extension agronomist, Chris Davey, is determined to show that his advice to growers will put money back in their pockets through improved crop yield and fewer weeds to control in future seasons. Learn more about WeedSmart by visiting our website. Don't forget you can follow us on Twitter too.

This week on the Regional Update, we are joined by grower Katrina (Treen) Swift. Treen farms with her family near Parkes, NSW, where they grow summer and winter crops in incredibly variable conditions. They have 13 different crops in their toolbox, including but not limited to, sorghum, mungbeans, cotton, lentils, chickpeas, lupins, vetch, canola, wheat, barley, and ancient grains. The idea is that gives them options for weed and insect management by not being set in a very short and strict rotations. Learn more about WeedSmart by visiting our website. Don't forget you can follow us on Twitter too.

In this episode, we talk about crop rotations with two researchers from CSIRO. CSIRO senior experimental scientist, Tony Swan, discusses the importance of diverse crop rotations, the benefits of a double break, and how well-planned crop rotations can help nitrogen management.   CSIRO farming systems scientist, Lindsay Bell, talks about rotations from a northern perspective, covering the importance of weed control during fallow, how soil water is a driver of decisions, and including legumes in crop diversification.   NEWS and LINKS Upcoming webinar: Biological control of grains weeds – development of novel tools and approaches for integration Discover the pioneering work of CSIRO researchers Dr Ben Gooden and Dr Michelle Rafter on using biocontrol agents to control crop weeds. They will discuss their work conducting exploratory surveys of biocontrol agents and host-testing with pathogens and insects. Articles 1. Investment in holistic weed management pays off: An independent evaluation noted that WeedSmart has found a ‘real sweet spot to take a holistic approach to problems and develop viable solutions without bias’. Growers commented that WeedSmart has helped them be more aware of potential risks with farm management, crop rotations and chemical use, and keeping weed management front of mind when making all decisions. 2. By-pass mode can extend impact mill life: High rainfall region growers Stewart and Jessica Wallace (Esperance, WA) swapped their chaff carts for a weed seed impact mill to avoid burning the chaff heaps and retain all the crop residues on the paddock while driving down the weed seed bank. CSIRO Links 1. Break crops and rotations for wheat: This review quantifies the yield increase, based on >900 comparisons of wheat growing after a break crop with wheat after wheat. 2. Herbicide-resistant annual ryegrass: Diverse systems and strategies to cost-effectively manage herbicide-resistant annual ryegrass in no-till wheat-based cropping sequences in south-eastern Australia. Learn more about WeedSmart by visiting our website. Don't forget you can follow us on Twitter too.

This week on the Regional Update, we are joined by grower and Nutrien agronomist Dan Skerman.  Dan farms with his family near Dalby, Qld, on 2000 ha. They grow cotton, sorghum and mungbean in summer and wheat, barley and chickpeas in winter. He gives us an update on how the season played out for him, considering the region went from one of the wettest 18-month periods on record to some of the driest three months of summer. Dan says they got 350 mm of rain in last year's winter growing season, versus only 20 mm this year. Dan talks about his summer/winter rotation and the weed control practices he deploys on the farm. Learn more about WeedSmart by visiting our website. Don't forget you can follow us on Twitter too.

In this episode, we talk about harvest preparedness. We hear from two of WeedSmart’s extension agronomists. WeedSmart southern extension agronomist, Chris Davey, discusses the different ways growers can get the crop dry enough to successfully put it through a harvester without any blockages, such as windrowing, desiccation and crop topping. WeedSmart western extension agronomist, Peter Newman, talks about optimum harvester set-up to ensure weed seeds go into the chaff cart, chaff deck or weed seed impact mill. NEWS and LINKS Webinar recording: The economics of weeds — what they cost and the benefits of managing them effectively We don’t often take the time to calculate what yield reduction weeds are actually responsible for, or what a well-planned rotation for weed management can make a farming business. In our latest webinar, we discussed the economic benefits of implementing an integrated weed management approach on your farm. Upcoming webinar: Biological control of grains weeds – development of novel tools and approaches for integration Discover the pioneering work of CSIRO researchers Dr Ben Gooden and Dr Michelle Rafter on using biocontrol agents to control crop weeds. They will discuss their work conducting exploratory surveys of biocontrol agents and host-testing with pathogens and insects. Articles 1.    Windrowing barley plus HWSC in the high rainfall zone: Tim Williams (Conmurra, SA) uses the barley phase to really drive down their weed seed bank. Tim says they windrow the barley as early as possible, cutting it low to the ground. This minimises weed seed shedding, particularly in ryegrass, so they can capture the seed and process it through the impact mills at harvest. 2.    Never miss an opportunity to tackle weeds: Lance Turner says herbicide resistance, particularly glyphosate resistance, was going to take them out of cropping if they didn’t start using harvest weed seed control. Twenty-five years on and the Turners still have the newer chemistries ‘up their sleeve’. 3.    Mills impact the weed seed bank: Bruce McLean farms at Bool Lagoon in South Australia’s high rainfall zone. He says that the limited harvest hours in the region were a major deterrent when it came to implementing harvest weed seed control, but they have found that the impact mill doesn’t slow them down too much, and they have the option to bypass it if necessary. 4.    Can I take an integrated approach to summer fallow management? Glenn Shepherd, agronomist and director of IMAG Consulting in Dubbo, NSW, says growers have opportunities to take an integrated approach to fallow management using the WeedSmart Big 6 as a checklist. Read Glenn's summer fallow management tips. Learn more about WeedSmart by visiting our website. Don't forget you can follow us on Twitter too.

In this podcast, we’re talking about hybrid canola and how it might benefit your farming system.   We’ll hear from AHRI Agronomy Lead, Mike Ashworth, who has done research in this space, as well as Wagga Wagga grower, Michael Molloy, who grows Clearfield canola.  NEWS and LINKS WeedSmart Week presentation recordings WeedSmart Week Dubbo was a fantastic opportunity to learn first-hand how Western Plains growers control weeds whilst optimising yields and profits. If you were not able to join us in person, you can watch the recordings of the forum presentations on our website. Articles Our content writer Cindy Benjamin has written some excellent articles this month. 1.    Keep clear of paraquat-resistant fleabane: The lack of new broad-spectrum knockdown herbicide options means that growers need to be working hard on other management tools where the double-knock is losing efficacy. Agronomist Barry Haskins gives his top tips to control fleabane. 2.    Tackle weeds and herbicide resistance with the Big 6: Nutrien agronomists from across the country shared their tips to help control crop weeds. 3.    Can annual ryegrass be beaten in the Northern region? Annual ryegrass is a relatively new weed in the North. With its capacity to produce large amounts of seed and readily evolve herbicide resistance, growers and agronomists should avoid widespread infestation. Garry Onus, senior agronomist with Nutrien Ag Solutions, in Moree, NSW, gives his top tips to control annual ryegrass in northern farming systems in-crop and in the fallow. 4.    Does ambient temperature affect herbicide performance? Applying herbicides outside the optimal temperature range is likely to contribute to a spray failure, even in susceptible populations. For example, twice as much clethodim is required to kill ryegrass if the product is applied after 3 days of frost. And glyphosate efficacy is much better at 20°C than at 30°C. Associate Professor Chris Preston (The University of Adelaide) explains how ambient temperature affects herbicide performance. 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. Lance has farming land in the northern part of the Wheatbelt as well in Goodlands, as well as Corrigin.  The home farm in Pingelly is and has had quite good rainfall, but as Lance says in the podcast, it's been a mixed bag for his farming properties across the Western region. Lance talks about the different conditions he's had at his properties, as well us how he's rectifying some set-backs, where a few mistakes a couple of years ago lead to a ryegrass blowout.  Learn more about WeedSmart by visiting our website. Don't forget you can follow us on Twitter too.

This week on the podcast we're hearing about the key messages shared by presenters and panel members at WeedSmart Week Dubbo. This was our 10th event and we also celebrated WeedSmart’s 10th anniversary. We had excellent presenters and lively panels at the forum day, machinery expo and farm visits.  Our Southern Extension Agronomist, Greg Condon provides a great overview. We also hear from attendees Tess Dimond and Angus Dagliesh, as well as farm visit agronomist presenter, Chris McCormack, who manages Gus O'Brien's farm. New webinar recording You can now watch the latest webinar recording, Combating resistant annual ryegrass in northern farming systems.  Annual ryegrass, the Australian grain industry’s most costly weed, is making an unwelcome appearance in summer crops and extending its range further north in winter crops. In this webinar, Nutrien agronomist Garry Onus talks about practical strategies to prevent and manage incursions of resistant annual ryegrass populations in northern cropping systems. Brad Jackson, with his brother Phil, runs a 2500-ha cropping operation in the Gurley area, Northern NSW. Brad shares the cultural, mechanical and chemical strategies he deploys to keep annual ryegrass at bay. The webinar is facilitated by WeedSmart northern extension agronomist, Paul McIntosh. New articles 1.     More crop, fewer weeds at WeedSmart Week Dubbo: The 2023 event was an outstanding success, having attracted 200 registrations, mainly grain growers and agronomists, from across the country for the forum day alone. There was a positive vibe throughout the event particularly in response to the growers who shared their farming systems and weed management challenges and successes. Read all about it here.   2.     What is the value of fixed nitrogen for suppressing weeds: Rohan Brill, research agronomist, Brill Ag, Ganmain is our August Ask an Expert. Results from research on hyper-yielding crops show that crops need fertile soils, not just fertiliser. One spin-off benefit of vigorous, high-yielding crops is strong crop competition and potentially fewer weeds. Rohan Brill, research agronomist with Brill Ag, Ganmain, NSW, says the results of GRDC-funded pulse research at sites across central and southern NSW have shown that the quantity of atmospheric nitrogen that legumes fix in the soil has been generally under-estimated. Get the details here. Learn more about WeedSmart by visiting our website. Don't forget you can follow us on Twitter too.

Temora grower, Jason Coleman, joins us on the podcast today to give a recap on his experience at WeedSmart Week Dubbo and an update on his farming system. Jason farms with his family in Temora, NSW, on 6000 ha, growing primarily wheat and canola. He said his interest was piqued in the technology space at Dubbo, including the insights into optical spot spraying, drone technology (Single Agriculture) and automation. He said he also found it interesting to hear directly from growers about their experiences on farm. Jason plans to narrow his rows off the back of some of the grower stories shared in Dubbo and surrounds.  Follow Jason on Twitter here.  Learn more about WeedSmart by visiting our website. Don't forget you can follow us on Twitter too.

This is our 200th WeedSmart podcast episode – thank you for downloading the podcast and being part of the community since 2016.  In this episode, we talk about weed hygiene and how to deal with resistant ryegrass incursions, with Moree agronomist Garry Onus. We also talk to Ben Single from Single Agriculture about the Single Shot technology drone mapping technology which will be on display at WeedSmart Week Dubbo at the Machinery Expo on August 2nd.  Speaking of WeedSmart Week, this will be our 10th event and we’ll be celebrating WeedSmart’s 10th anniversary – so not only will there be practical information on weed control solutions, but it’ll also be a great networking environment. There’s still time to get your tickets, so head to the WeedSmart website today to secure your spot here. Articles and events  Our content writer Cindy Benjamin has written some excellent articles this month. 1.     Make every drop of herbicide count: For ten years, WeedSmart has stood alongside growers and agronomists, promoting science-backed practices known to drive down the weed seed bank and stave off the threat of herbicide resistance. To mark this milestone, the WeedSmart team and our research partners have reviewed the WeedSmart Big 6 tactics and made a few modifications, including the addition of ‘Optimise spray efficacy’. Read more here.  2.     Plan your attack on the weed seed bank: Controlling weeds is an on-going task and requires determination and persistence. Having a great plan of attack is essential. Here we summarise the key components of the WeedSmart Big 6 strategies and the principles that underpin them. You can also test your plan using AHRI’s Weed Integrated Management (WIM) decision support software for annual ryegrass, brome grass, barley grass, wild oats and barnyard grass. Read more here.   3.     How can I best tackle sterile oat in Northern region wheat crops? In this Ask an Expert, we chat with with Gulshan Mahajan, Adjunct Associate Professor, Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation. Sterile oat (Avena ludoviciana) is the northern region’s most competitive grass weed in cereal crops, costing growers more than 20 thousand tonnes in yield loss and a revenue loss of $4.5 million. Dr Mahajan, says an integrated approach to controlling this weed will save yield and drive down the weed seed bank. Read more here.   4.     Upcoming Webinar  Webinar: Combating resistant annual ryegrass in northern farming systems In this webinar, Nutrien agronomist Garry Onus will talk about practical strategies to prevent and manage incursions of resistant annual ryegrass populations in northern cropping systems. Brad Jackson and his family run a 1,700 ha cropping operation in Gurley, in northern NSW, in addition to a 400 ha organic farming system at Westmar, southern Queensland. Brad will share the cultural, mechanical and chemical strategies he deploys to keep annual ryegrass at bay. This webinar will be happening on August 9th and will be facilitated by our Northern Extension agronomist Paul McIntosh. Make sure you Learn more about WeedSmart by visiting our website. Don't forget you can follow us on Twitter too.