New precision weed management technologies are helping Australian grain growers to more effectively target weeds and ultimately reduce their total herbicide costs. Optical sensors as well as ‘remote and sensor’ weed mapping systems are becoming more widely available, and that’s why GRDC is investing in a series of case studies to explore the benefits and costs related to these technologies. In this podcast we look at a new system developed out of necessity by the Single family in New South Wales...
Apr 15, 2025•9 min
The National Variety Trials (NVT) Program was established by GRDC in 2005 and since then it has evolved into the largest coordinated variety trial network in the world. Each year, more than 640 trials are conducted across over 300 locations nationwide, encompassing 10 different crop species. This year marks the 20-year anniversary of NVT – a great time to reflect on the evolution and success of the program. In this podcast we speak to prominent plant breeder and former GRDC managing director, Dr...
Apr 08, 2025•11 min
Victorian agricultural consultant, Cam Nicholson, has had a career spanning more than four decades – and over the years he’s learned a lot but mostly he spends his time passing on his knowledge to others. And that’s one of the reasons Cam has received this year’s GRDC “Seed of Light Award” in the south, which recognises the outstanding contribution, dedication and commitment of individuals to communicating research outcomes to people working in the grains industry. We caught up with Cam to discu...
Apr 01, 2025•18 min
Rhizoctonia is an important disease of cereals in southern and western growing regions, especially in low rainfall areas. Losses have been estimated at about $15 per hectare for wheat and $12 per hectare for barley in the southern region. Unfortunately, fungicide control of rhizoctonia has proven to be difficult, often with mixed results with seed treatments. In February 2025, we sat down with Blake Gontar from the South Australian Research and Development Institute to talk about a previous GRDC...
Mar 25, 2025•16 min
With the ever-increasing cost of farming, getting bang for your herbicide buck is an important consideration when it comes to chemical handling and sprayer set-up. In this podcast Victorian grower, Richard Stecher, shares his experience with getting professional advice on correct sprayer set-up. We also hear from Nutrien Ag agronomist, Chris Dunn, who shares his thoughts on how agronomists and growers can get good advice on chemical usage. Contact Chris Dunn Agronomist, Nutrien Ag chris.dunn@nut...
Mar 18, 2025•12 min
More is not always better when it comes to adding nitrogen (N) to your irrigated wheat crop. That's one of the key messages from a GRDC investment that’s been set up to investigate profitable, irrigated farming systems. In this podcast, FAR Australia Managing Director, Nick Poole, Pinion Advisory senior consultant, Brendan Wallace and Francis grower, Wayne Hawkins, share some surprising findings from focus paddock trials as well as some insights on how to get the most out of applied N under irri...
Mar 11, 2025•20 min
A major farming systems initiative, spanning five years, is underway in the low and medium-rainfall regions of Western Australia. Its aim is to support growers in navigating evolving climatic conditions, enabling them to make informed business and agronomic choices to bolster both on-farm profitability and sustainability. In this episode, we get an overview of the results from the first two-seasons of the project from grower and trial host Kevin Naisbitt and DPIRD’s Martin Harries. Contact Marti...
Mar 04, 2025•15 min
Both yield and performance rely heavily on good crop establishment, which is why GRDC is investing in a range of projects to determine the key factors affecting crop establishment. Getting crops established in hot, dry conditions is the focus of this research, which also looks at soil textures and deep sowing across multiple environments. In this podcast we speak to CSIRO farming systems researcher, Dr Kenton Porker, who provided an update on the current learnings and advancements in crop establ...
Feb 25, 2025•13 min
In this week's podcast, machinery specialist Jack Desbiolles from the University of South Australia runs through important considerations for seeder set-up when sowing long coleoptile wheat varieties. The work is part of a major national GRDC project, led by CSIRO, exploring integrating long coleoptile wheat into Australian farming systems. Research partners include the University of Melbourne, New South Wales Department of Primary Industries, Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, ...
Feb 18, 2025•13 min
Listeners are advised that this podcast contains references to suicide There’s no shortage of stressors in farming, and while crop destruction is often clearly visible, the impact on grower mental health can be less apparent. Although awareness and access to rural mental health services is growing, agronomists can sometimes find themselves on the frontline witnessing or discussing issues with growers that go beyond the paddock. In this GRDC podcast, University of South Australia Associate Profes...
Feb 11, 2025•21 min
Significant research is underway to help Western Australian farmers sustain their own on-farm nitrogen factory though growing and harvesting pasture legume seed. The Harvestable Annual Legume Options (HALO) project is a Western Australian Agricultural Research Collaboration project with GRDC investment. It brings together the pasture legume breeding, agronomy and bio-economic modelling expertise of Murdoch University, Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development DPIRD and CSIRO. In ...
Feb 04, 2025•9 min
Wheat powdery mildew is becoming increasingly difficult to manage, in part because there’s widespread resistance to the available chemicals. So, what to do? It’s a complex matrix of deciding whether it’s worth growing a disease resistant variety which doesn’t yield so well or go with the susceptible variety and hope your fungicides will do the job. There is some hope on the horizon in the form of new products, but they’re specific to mildew so you’d still need to apply your other fungicides ... ...
Jan 28, 2025•19 min
Warm conditions across much of Western Australia and variable rainfall in 2024 contributed to mixed levels of fungal disease severity in the State’s cereal, pulse and oilseed crops. With this in mind, the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development in Western Australia, with investment from GRDC, is urging growers to start thinking about their integrated disease management strategies for the 2025 season as soon as possible. In this episode, DPIRD plant pathologist Geoff Thomas join...
Jan 21, 2025•13 min
In this episode of GRDC In Conversation , host Oli Le Lievre chats with Merrie Carlshausen, a former nurse turned essential advocate for farming communities in Western Australia. Merrie shares her journey from her beginnings in nursing to her work with rural financial counseling and the Liebe Group, where she has facilitated impactful change in farming practices and family dynamics. Merrie highlights the importance of succession planning, the role of family meetings, and the collaborative nature...
Jan 19, 2025•28 min
Chris Warrick and Alex Conway are part of the GRDC's grain storage extension team. Their task is to help growers with their on-farm storage, as well as undertake development activities to try and understand tools and equipment that can be used to better store grain on-farm. On this podcast episode, Chris and Alex talk about three topics on grain storage - fumigating and venting in grain bags, recirculation systems for large storage when fumigating with phosphine, and monitoring grain temperature...
Jan 14, 2025•15 min
In this episode, we sit down with David Tropiano, a grain farmer from Mullewa, WA, as he shares his journey from a reluctant start in farming to running a multi-generational operation. David opens up about the realities of farming in Western Australia, from handling different soil types and the competitive land market to the impact of weather on crops. He also reflects on the evolution of farming practices, the importance of long-term leasing agreements, and how he and his family are planning fo...
Jan 12, 2025•22 min
According to Dr Greg Rebetzke, Chief Research Scientist at CSIRO, plant breeding is the key cornerstone of modern agriculture. Unless we have the best varieties, giving us the capacity to breed high yielding crops, then there's greater risk in farming. This podcast delves into the history of plant breeding and Dr Rebetzke brings us up to date with the latest research into breeding and explains plant genetics. Watch the video here https://youtu.be/gDFBnz3mz1c Contact Dr Greg Rebetzke, Chief Resea...
Jan 07, 2025•16 min
In this episode of GRDC In Conversation, host Oli Le Lievre speaks with Fiona Dempster, a researcher and grower from Mingenew, Western Australia. Fiona’s unique background in natural resource management and her ongoing research with the University of Western Australia bring fascinating insights into the intersection of scientific study and hands-on farming. Fiona shares her journey from city life in Perth to rural farm life, her work on projects that tackle herbicide resistance and risk manageme...
Dec 22, 2024•31 min
The AgriFutures Horizon Scholarship Program provides a bursary of $5000 a year during the final two years of a degree, along with professional development, work placements and networking opportunities. Supported by the GRDC, the scholarship program fosters the next generation of agricultural leaders who are interested in contributing to the Australian grains industry's success. In this podcast, we hear from Horizon scholarship recipient, Grace Moloney on how the experience has opened doors for h...
Dec 17, 2024•8 min
In this episode, host Oli Le Lievre sits down with Mike Ewing, a scientist with over 40 years of experience in agricultural research, particularly in farming systems, break crops and whole-farm profitability. Mike discusses his long-standing passion for plants and their unique adaptations, especially in the challenging environment of Western Australia's grain-growing regions. He shares insights from his career that has trotted the globe and ultimately landed him back in Western Australia to tran...
Dec 15, 2024•55 min
Mouse populations across a large part of grain growing regions were higher than average across the 2021 and 2022 seasons, requiring an increased effort in mouse management from growers. To help Australian grain growers reduce crop losses due to mouse damage, a GRDC investment is examining mouse bait application techniques to better understand the performance and likely efficacy of various options. In this episode, we’re joined by agricultural research engineer Ben White who is leading the projec...
Dec 10, 2024•14 min
In this episode of GRDC In Conversation, host Oli Le Lievre speaks with Steve Davies, a soil scientist and researcher based in Western Australia. Steve’s love of dirt spawned from his quirky teacher in high school. That small moment budded into a 20+ year career investigating how to make grain farming more sustainable and productive. In this episode, Steve explains how he collaborates with researchers, advisers and growers to address some of the west’s most challenging soil constraints. He also ...
Dec 08, 2024•45 min
Being an agronomist is a role with many hats, and while the in season can be demanding, with the right network and support it can be hugely rewarding work. In this podcast we hear from two successful agronomists that came to the profession in very different ways, Meteora Agronomic Consulting independent agronomist Liz Lobsey and Platinum Ag Services senior agronomist Matthew Howell. They have their own unique stories and recommendations for anyone starting their agronomy career. Contact Liz Lobs...
Dec 03, 2024•14 min
In this episode of GRDC In Conversation , host Oli Le Lievre talks to Ryan Skamp, a former carpenter-turned-farmer and co-founder of an ag-tech startup. Ryan shares his unconventional journey from city life in Perth to establishing a career in agriculture, driven by a passion for problem-solving and efficiency. Now the co-founder of "Skan," Ryan and his team develop technology solutions to optimise farm operations, cutting down on inefficiencies and offering time-saving tools to farmers. This ep...
Dec 01, 2024•32 min
Rhizoctonia is a soil borne disease that causes a huge impact for farmers in Australia, particularly in the low and medium rainfall zones, with yield loss in the vicinity of $150 million for wheat and barley annually. With GRDC investment, the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) in Western Australia is developing disease risk and management strategies that are practical and economical for growers to reduce the impact of rhizoctonia in the Southern and Western cereal...
Nov 26, 2024•13 min
In this episode of GRDC’s In Conversation, host Oli Le Lievre chats with Erin Cahill. Erin is a fourth-generation farmer and agronomist from Moora, Western Australia. Erin shares his journey from working with agronomy giant CSBP to starting his own farming business which started with a few humble hectares and scaled drastically through the years. It hasn’t been without challenge though. His farm has been at the mercy of Western Australia's varying soil types and weather. But through the evolutio...
Nov 24, 2024•47 min
For many farmers, it’s been a tight finish to the season due to dry conditions or frost. This makes preparing the books and finances for the year ahead more challenging, but as we’ll explore in this podcast, help is available and there are practical steps you can take to get ahead. Tony Hudson is the Director and Founder of Hudson Facilitation. A key part of his business is private financial consulting for farmers across Australia and he has practical advice to share on forward planning with red...
Nov 19, 2024•14 min
More about this podcast In this episode of GRDC In Conversation, we’re joined by Brianna Peake, Chief Stakeholder Relations Sustainability and Strategy Officer at CBH Group. Brianna’s journey of growing up in Western Australia, shapes how she approaches sustainability today in one of nation’s largest agricultural cooperatives. Enriched with travel and a diverse set of experiences she shares her leadership style and how it aims to address the rapid needs of the industry. We explore her thoughts o...
Nov 17, 2024•53 min
When a new variety of lentil came out that was a bit more boron tolerant, Scott Wandel thought it was time to give the legume another go. Farming at Mount Ridley, near Grass Patch in WA, Scott increased the hectares planted to lentils quickly after their introduction. As a member of SEPWA, the South East Premium Wheatgrowers Association, Scott is a part of the cohort of 'Legume Leaders' that has been established by the Grower Group Alliance, with investment from GRDC. In this episode, Scott tell...
Nov 12, 2024•12 min
More about this podcast In this episode, we sit down with Bec Kelly, a third-generation farmer from Mingenew, WA, who shares her journey from global adventurer to dedicated farmer. After traveling through America, South America, and Europe, Bec returned to the family farm in 2018, where she has since embraced the highs and lows of agriculture. She talks about the unpredictability of farming, her passion for wheat, canola, and lupin production, and the importance of surrounding herself with the r...
Nov 10, 2024•32 min
