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STOCK JOURNAL ■ April 16, 2015
AG EXCELLENCE ALLIANCE – LINKING SA
16
GROWER GROUPS
Around the regions
SPAA
THERE will be a plethora of precision agriculture activity in SA, with Natural
Resources SA Murray-Darling Basin announcing its Innovation Grants program.
SPAA (Society of Precision Agriculture Australia) was successful in its application to
host three workshops to showcase the latest PA tools and technologies to educate
a range of industries in the region including grains, livestock and horticulture
industries. Also, a newly funded SAGIT project will see SPAA produce six factsheets.
Growers will decide topics for these factsheets so please contact SPAA highlighting
your PA challenges and PA needs. The more feedback the group gets, the more
tailored the factsheets will be.
• Details: Ideas can be communicated via twitter @SPAA_EO or by contacting
SPAA’s new development officer Cath Loder at [email protected].
MNHRZ
CROP WATCH: Yorke Peninsula Alkaline Soils Group trial director Pete Treloar at a walk with growers at Glenburnie, one of two trial sites.
Later-season wheat variety Estoc yielded particularly well here compared to other varieties.
YP trials study effects of
early sowing, N changes
By CASEY LODGE
T
sowing time and shorter season
exposed the later maturing Scout
and Estoc slightly more to the dry
spring.
While the overall trend was similar, the differences were not statistically significant at Corny Point.
The trial showcased the ability farmers have to extend seeding windows by ten days through
the use of later-maturing varieties.
This will prove beneficial to growers by giving them the scope to get
wheat crops underway if there is
an early break.
The trial in 2015 will include
more varieties such as Trojan
wheat and four barley varieties,
and extended to a third site.
In 2014, the alkaline soils group
received a grant to measure
changes in soil nitrogen over a
12-month period under long-term
no-till systems.
Overall, six sites were monitored on the YP, from Warooka
to Arthurton, where soils ranged
• Details: For more information on early
sowing, contact YPASG project manager
Kristin McEvoy on 0400 283 015 or
[email protected]. For
information on the soil nitrogen trials,
contact trial director Pete Treloar on
0427 427 238.
2025444SJ16/4
RIALS undertaken by the Yorke
Peninsula Alkaline Soils Group
have looked at the best ways
to maximise crop yield from early
sowing dates through improved
variety choice.
Adoption of no-till practices and
increasing confidence with dry
sowing has seen farmers sow earlier, particularly with larger programs. This has been a steady
trend in the past 15 years, with
increased yields, particularly in
drier springs of the late 2000s,
been a big driver.
The first self-funded trial looked
at the effect of early sowing on a
range of wheat varieties with different maturities.
Two trial sites were established
– one at Glenburnie, just south
of Minlaton, on April 24, and the
other at Corny Point on April 30,
which had to be resown because
of seeder issues that were compounded by mice damage.
The later-season wheat variety
Estoc yielded higher than other
varieties at both sites, particularly
at Glenburnie.
The site produced results that
were completely at odds with preharvest predictions during the
spring crop walk, as the dry spring
looked to be favouring the earlier
varieties, Mace and Axe.
The winter wheat, Naparoo, was
too late, especially for such an
early finish.
A similar trend was observed
at Corny Point, however the later
from cracking clays to calcareous
sands. Two sites south of Minlaton
compared long-term no-till to conventional farming.
Both sites had similar organic
carbon levels, at 2.15 per cent
for the long-term no-till site and
2.25pc for the new no-till ground.
The sites were within 300 metres
of each other, and were both
established on lentil stubbles with
similar soil profiles.
Trial director Pete Treloar says
the trials have produced exciting
results.
“Overall, it confirmed that we
have changed our soils significantly using no-till, and we need
to adjust our fertiliser strategies
accordingly,” he said.
“Combine this with the move
to earlier sowing which leads
to crops growing quicker and
developing more bulk early due
to warmer weather, and there is
plenty of scope for work on nitrogen management.
“Work with other private clients
has also shown a reduction in the
responsiveness of crops to urea
and we have gradually been reducing rates with no effect on yield.
“This can be put down to two
factors – long-term adoption of notill, and a high level of legumes in
the rotation.”
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THE Mid North High Rainfall Zone Group successfully presented its 2014 trial report
on Thursday, March 15 at the Riverton, Saddleworth, Marrabel United Football Club.
Keynote speakers included the Bureau of Meteorology’s Darren Ray. Mr Ray and his
team have done extensive research on climate change and provided statistics on
temperature and carbon-dioxide readings among others. The University of Adelaide’s
Michael Zerner spoke about frost impact and genetic variability while CSIRO’s James
Hunt talked about assessing wheat yield by utilising variety maturity and seeding
time. Much of this work was conducted at the MNHRZ site last year. AGT’s James
Edwards spoke about wheat variety yields in a changing environment. Finishing off
the day were MNHRZ site operators Mick Faulkner and Jeff Braun, who ran through
some 2014 season outcomes. MNHRZ thanks Landmark Riverton for supplying a
cooked breakfast to get the day started.
Advisory Board of Agriculture
AG Bureau of SA branches in the SA Murray-Darling Basin region have successfully
obtained $70,750 in funding under the SA Murray-Darling Basin NRM Agriculture and
Fishing Innovation Grant Program for three projects:
• Ag Bureau SA – Innovative and cost-effective solutions to the treatment of soil
acidity (north-western SA MDB region)
• Point Pass Ag Bureau – soil constraints investigation
• Monarto Ag Bureau – precision pasture management
The Laura branch also received $21,615 for the 25th Anniversary Landcare Grants
program run by the Environment Department. This project, Improved Soil Cover,
Biodiversity and Weed Management, will be run by the Laura branch with assistance
from the Northern Yorke NRM in the region affected by the 2014 Bangor fires.
Minnipa Agricultural Centre
THERE were 190 farmers, agribusiness representatives and NRM staff who attended
eight Minnipa Agricultural Centre research outcome farmer meetings across upper
Eyre Peninsula in March. SARDI staff presented key messages on varieties, break
crops, livestock, soil diseases, stubble management, greenhouse gases and other
research. Lively crop nutrition information and discussion sessions were led by Eyre
Peninsula consultants Andy Bates and Craig James. Farmers were presented with
their copy of the EP Farming Systems Summary 2014 which documented regionally
relevant agricultural research outcomes. Main concerns identified include grass
weeds such as barley and brome grass, herbicide resistance and implications, soil
constraints, increasing cost of production, pests such as snails and mice, poor medic
nodulation, using break crops in rotation, rhizoctonia and getting nutrition right.
LEADA
LOWER Eyre Agricultural Development Association is preparing for the 2015 season
by planning projects such as stubble management and sub-soil constraints. A new
GRDC project will investigate spray topping rates for canola, seeking to finetune
applicable rates. George Pedler, George Pedler Ag Consulting, will undertake the
project on behalf of LEADA. Rural Solutions SA has been contracted to undertake
a series of case studies looking at past treatment for acidic soils and its long-term
benefits. This project has been funded through a National Landcare Program grant.
For only $50 a year, members are kept abreast of the latest happenings on lower EP
and the broader area.
• Details: Helen Lamont 0409 885 606 or [email protected]
Ag Excellence Alliance
THE Ag Ex committee and staff would like to thank all sponsors, speakers and
attendees at its recent annual forum and awards dinner. It was heartening to read
the positive feedback. Ag Ex congratulates MacKillop Farm Management Group for
winning the 2015 Ag Excellence Sustainable Farming Award and also the Mid North
Young Guns for winning the Encouragement Award. Both awards were sponsored
by PIRSA, and presented on the evening by Biosecurity SA, Rural Solutions and
SARDI group executive director Andrew Johnson. At its AGM on the second day of
the forum, Ag Ex thanked outgoing committee members Gemma Walker and Darren
Arney and welcomed new committee members Leighton Wilksch, Kristin McEvoy and
Natalie Sommerville.