WeedSmart Podcast

Today is the last day to register for WeedSmart Week in Wagga Wagga, which kicks off next Monday, August 21! In this podcast, Jessica Strauss and Peter Newman give a preview of some of the presentations and farm visits which will be occurring over the three-day event. Grassroots Agronomy and AHRI team member Greg Condon chats about his presentation, which will look at crop competition and disc and stripper front systems. Marrar farmer, Daniel Fox, talks about how he's implemented narrow rows, diverse rotations and chaff lines and gives us an insight into what to expect from his farm visit and Ray Harrington has a yarn about what to expect from his presentation on harvest weed seed control and the importance of capturing that chaff fraction! Take a listen! Music: bensound.com

It's been a tough season in many parts of the country for farmers. In particular, the northern wheatbelt in Western Australia hasn't received decent rain, leading to some farmers considering whether it's worth keeping the crop or if they should spray it out. In this podcast, hosted by Jessica Strauss and Peter Newman, you'll hear from Planfarm agronomist Richard Quinlan. He gives an overview of the season so far and provides timely information on spraying out failed crops. You'll also hear from northern wheatbelt farmer Glen Thomas. He's had to spray out failed crops in the past. He talks about how he had to spray out a failed crop in 2006, including the decision making process and whether it was, in fact, the right decision. Music: bensound.com

What will the future of agriculture look like? One of the founders of SwarmFarm Robotics joins us on the podcast to discuss the robots they're releasing into the agricultural community and what applications they currently have and may have in the future. We also chat about the Quick Test for testing herbicide resistant weeds and check in with Peter Boutsalis from Plant Science Consulting about what he's finding out about resistance out on farms. WA farmer Ben Webb also gives a seasonal overview and gives some insights into how doing the Quick Test helped him make the decision to incorporate a chaff cart into his farming system. Also, don't forget WeedSmart Week registrations are open and early bird tickets end soon, so make sure you head over to www.weedsmart.org.au/wagga to register. Music: bensound.com

In this choc-a-block podcast, hosts Jessica Strauss and Peter Newman investigate chaff lining and chaff carts, get an overview of WeedSmart Week and a seasonal overview of cotton. Mick McClellend farms in the Mallee in Victoria and has been using chaff lining in his farming system for the last three years. He gives an overview of the successes he has had using it. Tom Lewis from Tecfarm manufactures chaff carts. He chats about the benefits of using one for weed control. Chaff carts can be used in mixed and broadacre farming systems. WeedSmart Week is not far away, with the forum kicking off on August 21, and the farm visits following on August 22 and 23. Greg Condon talks about who will be presenting and what farmers and advisors can expect from the day. For more information about WeedSmart Week in Wagga and to register, click here: weedsmart.org.au/wagga The Cotton Research and Development Corporation (CRDC) has recently jumped on board as a sponsor of WeedSmart. We welcome them aboard and get a seasonal update and find out what they're doing weed management-wise from CottonInfo's Regional Extension Officer Annabel Twine and Tech Specialist Eric Koetz. Music: bensound.com

Hosts Jessica Strauss and Peter Newman provide a national seasonal update in this podcast. With dry conditions affecting many parts of Australia, we check in with agronomists Richard May from the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia, Andrew Somervaille from the Northern Region and Pete gives some insights into how to manage weeds which are moisture stressed and gives an overview of the season in WA. Music: bensound.com

In this week's podcast, we hear from Esperance farmer Mic Fels who discusses the cost-effective weed management practices he is using on both his Esperance farm and Three Springs property. We also hear from Northern Grower Alliance CEO Richard Daniel. He talks about the issues with glyphosate resistance in the northern region and how to manage them, as well as gives a seasonal update of his patch. Music: bensound.com

Peter Newman is back from the Global Herbicide Resistance Challenge Conference with an overview and an interview with Aaron Hager from the University of Illinois. We also chat with Adama Market Development Manager Bevan Addison about applying post-emergent herbicides and some of the implications when there are patchy rain conditions. Music: bensound.com

One system which some might consider a bit more obscure is that of a disc seeder and stripper front combination. While it's not a new concept, it's not used as much in Australia, as it is in other parts of the world. That could potentially change though, with those who are using it finding they're having a win with weed management, soil moisture and reduced soil erosion. While Pete Newman is trying to keep his RV on the road in America on holiday, AHRI extension officer and Grassroots Agronomy owner Greg Condon fills in. He talks to co-host Jessica Strauss about the down and upsides of the system, as well as giving a seasonal update. Tom Robinson from Hoyleton in South Australia uses this system and had a chat with Jessica about why he and his father Ashley adopted it on their farm. He also gives an insight into the pros and cons. Why not take a listen?! And if you like to find out more about WeedSmart, head on over to our website here: weedsmart.org.au Music: bensound.com

Sometimes outsourcing some of the big jobs on the farm can be of real benefit. Whether it's because you don't have your own spray rig, or you simply want to rake back some hours to do other things, using a contractor to spray weeds is worth considering. In this podcast Jessica Strauss chats with spray contractor Andrew Irving out on his property in Tammin in Western Australia. Co-host Peter Newman discusses the benefits of using a spray contractor and also gives some timely tips on double knocks and setting up your boomspray for spraying. Music: bensound.com

If Yaseen Khalil’s recent research is anything to go by, trifluralin would make a wonderful dye and is just about as hard to wash off stubble as it is clothes. Yaseen is completing his PhD at UWA under Ken Flower and has done some fantastic research to help understand which herbicides wash off wheat residue with rainfall and which are more tightly bound. Your hosts Peter Newman and Jessica Strauss chat with both Yaseen and Ken to find out more about this research. Yaseen compared Sakura, Trifluralin and Aracde (prosulfocarb) herbicides by spraying them onto wheat stubble then trying a whole range of techniques to wash the herbicides off the residue with simulated rainfall. He found; • Sakura washes off easily, Arcade less so and trifluralin less so again. • 5mm of rainfall was enough to wash all Sakura off residue and into the soil. • Herbicides sprayed onto wet stubble are more tightly bound than dry stubble. • Rainfall intensity had little effect. While this is good news for Sakura, this research also showed that rainfall, in general, does wash a range of the herbicides from stubble, just some more than others. Take a listen for the full story! Music: bensound.com

Sleep. It's something essential to human survival and most people would say they love a good nap! Turns out weed seeds tend to like to take a rest too, but they prefer the depths of the soil, rather than a comfy bed/couch/passenger car seat. Anyhoo, while the seeds are hibernating, much like bears(not really like bears), it can have real implications on your crop. AHRI researchers Danica Goggin and Mechelle Owen give us an insight into why seed dormancy can be an issue. Your hosts Peter Newman & Jessica Strauss also talk about herbicide application of pre and post-emergent herbicides. Music: bensound.com

Correct early crop sowing strategies can be unravelled by a frost event later in the season. In this podcast, we get a preview into the topics which will be covered in our March 22 webinar. Early sowing is a proven strategy that can be used to minimise the weed burden and maximise crop yield – the question remains how to manage frost risk? ConsultAg Agronomist Garren Knell (who will be on the webinar too) and farmer Gary Lang discusses mitigating the risks of frost with your hosts Jessica Strauss and Peter Newman. You can register for the webinar here: http://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/144%E2%80%A6957630362625 Music: bensound.com

Join your hosts Jessica Strauss and Peter Newman in the first podcast for March! Spraying weeds and choosing seeds are the hot topics this podcast. We chat with Nufarm Australia Spray Application Specialist Bill Gordon, who gives some great tips and insights on correct set-up. Rohan Brill also joins us for insight on choosing canola seeds and the benefits of crop competition! Our webinar series is also kicking off for 2017 next week! If you'd like to register for the March 7 webinar with Rohan Brill, who will be going into more detail on crop competition, click here: http://weedsmart.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/2017-March-webinar-invitation.pdf Music: bensound.com

Dr Chris Preston chats to us about correct pre-emergent herbicide use and Colin McMaster discusses how treating Summer weeds while they're small has benefits for your back pocket, by ensuring nitrogen and soil moisture is kept available for your crops! Music: bensounds.com

It's the first podcast of 2017 and we're excited to be chatting with Andrew Storrie from Agronomo and the Australian Glyphosate Sustainability Working Group about Summer Weeds. Peter Newman and Jessica Strauss catch up too and chat maximising soil moisture to get the best crop possible! Music: bensounds.com