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Photo: Ron Aggs I NCREASING soil carbon levels is not a straightforward operation, as highlighted by long term trials. It is a complex story. John Ive (left) has an enviable track record of restoring his land but joins those making the point that there are critical advantages to increasing carbon beyond the market price. He will shortly host the national Climate Champions and is also collaborating with NSW DPI research scientist Mark Norton (right) in a separate trial that is rethinking strategies for applying lime to pastures. Stories, p2-3 Carbon caution Carbon caution TL1841674
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Page 1: Agriculture Today - March 2012€¦ · NSW DPI soils researcher Mark Conyers said after long term trials showed conservation farming did lit-tle to increase soil carbon levels, dis-appointed

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Phot

o: R

on A

ggs

INCREASING soil carbon levels is not astraightforward operation, as highlighted bylong term trials.

It is a complex story.John Ive (left) has an enviable track record of

restoring his land but joins those making the pointthat there are critical advantages to increasingcarbon beyond the market price.

He will shortly host the national ClimateChampions and is also collaborating withNSW DPI research scientist Mark Norton(right) in a separate trial that is rethinking

strategies for applying lime to pastures.■■ Stories, p2-3

Carbon cautionCarbon caution

TL1841674

Page 2: Agriculture Today - March 2012€¦ · NSW DPI soils researcher Mark Conyers said after long term trials showed conservation farming did lit-tle to increase soil carbon levels, dis-appointed

2 AGRICULTURE TODAY | Thursday, March 1, 2012● ● ● ●

LA NINA played havoc with theglobal climate in 2011.

Substantial cooling of the oceantemperatures from August 2010 ledto one of the strongest La Ninaevents since the 1950s and,according to the WorldMeteorological Organisation(WMO), severe drought in eastAfrica, the central Pacific andsouthern US, and flooding insouthern Africa, eastern Australiaand southern Asia.

La Nina events cool surface watersin the central and eastern PacificOcean, while warmer water buildsin the eastern Pacific.

In Australia, as we know,September 2010 to March 2011 wasthe wettest on record (100 per centabove average), with many south-eastern areas having the wettestsummer on record.

There was widespread flooding ineastern Australia, especially fromlate December to early February,with the worst-affected areas beingsoutheast Queensland and northernVictoria.

Cyclone Yasi was the most intensesystem to cross the east coast ofAustralia since at least 1918.

In Asia, June-September rainfall inLaos and in northern and centralThailand was 20-80pc aboveaverage, causing severe flooding inThailand, Cambodia and Myanmar(Burma) with major losses ofhuman life, and agricultural andindustrial production.

Tropical cyclones caused flooding

in several parts of the region,particularly in Japan where a record1652.5 millimetres fell in 72-hoursin Nara Prefecture.

It was the wettest summer onrecord for the Republic of Koreawith a national average of 1048millimetres (44pc above the 1973-2011 average).

China however had severedroughts in many areas.

The January-October rainfall inHong Kong was 1388 millimetres,40pc below average.

Pakistan experienced severeflooding for the second year insuccession, due to the Sindhprovince experiencing its wettestmonsoon season on record (247pcabove normal).

Some areas received more than1100 millimetres in four weeks.

In eastern Africa, rainfall for the12 months from October 2010 to

September 2011 was 50-80pc belownormal over most of the area, whileheavy rains in October andNovember gave some areas morethan their annual average.

In the US, 14 separateweather/climate events each causedlosses of US$1 billion or more.

Several north-eastern statesexperienced record rainfalls andflooding with parts of theMississippi River experiencing theworst floods since 1933.

In south-west US, Texas rainfallwas 273 millimetres (56pc belownormal), well below the previousrecord of 327 millimetres set in1956, and summer temperatureswere three degrees C above thelong-term average, resulting inagricultural losses and watershortages, wildfires and dust storms.

The US also had 18 tornados, wellabove the long term average of 11,

and record snowstorms.Europe experienced both flooding

and drought, with the driest springon record over many parts ofwestern Europe followed by somerecord wet summers.

A recent insurance review byMunich Re found that in 2011 90pcof recorded natural catastropheswere weather-related and the mostdamaging and costliest naturaldisasters were the Japaneseearthquake and tsunami, and theChristchurch NZ earthquake.

The WMO is currently finalisingdata for its 2011 global climatereport and will publish it thismonth.■ For more information, visithwww.wmo.int/pages/prog/wcp/wcdmp/statement/wmostatement_en.html■ Read Rebecca’s column onlineat www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/agtoday

Worldwide picture shows extreme weather in 2011

STRATEGIC use of tillage withinconservation systems has becomea hot topic in the context of car-

bon sequestration and carbon pricing.NSW DPI soils researcher Mark

Conyers said after long term trialsshowed conservation farming did lit-tle to increase soil carbon levels, dis-appointed researchers were challengedin their thinking about how to increasesoil organic carbon sequestration.

However, recent work by CSIROresearcher Clive Kirkby and colleagues has shown there may be away to overcome the low rateof carbon sequestrationunder cropping.

Mr Kirkby showed that soilorganic matter not onlycontained carbon, nitrogen,phosphorus and sulphur, butit contained those elementsin surprisingly tight ratios.

These ratios seem to be controlledby the soil’s micro-organisms.

“The consequence is when we retainstubble with lots of carbon but littlenutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus andsulphur), we are likely to lose the car-bon to the atmosphere,” Mr Kirkbysaid.

“On the other hand, if we add the

nutrients in a defined ratio to balancethe carbon in the stubble, then we arelikely to retain much more of the car-bon as soil organic matter.”

Dr Conyers (pictured) is now lead-ing collaborative trials for the nextfive years in southern NSW which willextend Clive Kirkby’s research on thestrategic use of tillage within conser-vation systems.

“Our hypothesis is by adding sup-plementary nitrogen, phosphorus andsulphur to the soil before cultivation,

we might be able to minimisethe loss of existing carbon andincrease capture of addedstubble carbon,” he said.

“This will be beneficial forsoil structure as well as for car-bon sequestration, so farmerscan benefit regardless of car-bon price.

A team of four CSIRO authors inc-luding Mr Kirkby has previously con-cluded at current prices, the value ofnutrient tie-up plus measurementand compliance costs to monitor soilcarbon levels are likely to outweighfinancial benefits for farmers partici-pating in carbon trading.

Storing carbon in agricultural soils:does it have a role in C-trading? was

co-authored by CSIRO Plant Industryscientists Mark Peoples, John Kirke-gaard and John Passioura.

More than 40 NSW DPI staff fromresearch, extension, education, policyand economics units who met latelast year to discuss the department’swork in soil carbon and climate con-curred soil carbon needed to be con-sidered in terms of its links with nitro-gen, phosphorus and sulphur.

They also concluded the major ben-efit of increased soil carbon was imp-roved soil function irrespective ofany payment attached to sequestra-tion.

Some previous wisdomMIXED farming systems use apasture phase to build soilorganic matter, which containscarbon, nitrogen, phosphorus,sulphur and other nutrients.

During the cropping phaseorganic matter breaks down,releasing carbon dioxide to the air and nutrients to the soilthat become available forplants.

Ploughing in particular

is known to decrease theorganic matter content of soils.

Stubble retention and no-tillpractices were intended tominimise that loss or to even increase soil organicmatter.

However long term trials atWagga Wagga and Hardenshowed that conservationfarming practices did little toincrease soil carbon levels.

Could strategictillage lift soil C?Could strategictillage lift soil C?

Strategic tillage optionssuggested for integratedweed control, p13.

W W W . D P I . N S W . G O V . A U

… our focus is your future

Your partners in profitable, sustainable and adaptive agriculture

… working with you to find innovative solutions to emerging issues like adapting to climate change,

efficient water use and controlling pests and diseases.

Find out more at www.dpi.nsw.gov.au or phone 1800 808 095

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Page 3: Agriculture Today - March 2012€¦ · NSW DPI soils researcher Mark Conyers said after long term trials showed conservation farming did lit-tle to increase soil carbon levels, dis-appointed

AGRICULTURE TODAY | Thursday, March 1, 2012 3● ● ● ●

JOHN Ive, his wife Robyn anddaughter Carolynn, will host thenational Climate Champions team at afield day at ”Talaheni”, Yass Valley, onMarch 23.

The Climate Champions are due toattend the National Press Club inCanberra two days prior on March 21where one of the group will bepresenting.■ Visit www.climatechampions.net.au formore about the program, andwww.climatekelpie.com.au for tools andinformation to help with farm businessdecisions.■ Read more about the Ive family’scommitment to managing theland at “Talaheni” in the comprehensiveAgriculture Today December 2009article at www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/archive/agriculture-today-stories/december-2009

Champs at“Talaheni”INCREASING the infiltration rate

of rainfall into soils and soil’scapacity to then hold the additionalmoisture are critical advantages –beyond the direct market place –of increasing soil carbon.

This is the experience of Yass Val-ley superfine wool grower John Ive,one of 34 farmers recruited by thenational Climate Champion pro-gram.

“We have certainly benefited sig-nificantly from the substantialincrease in soil carbon because ofbetter soil moisture relationshipson our light soils,” said Mr Ive, whohas measured his property’s soilmoisture each day for more than adecade at “Talaheni”.

“With increasing climate variabil-ity and likelihood of decreasingsoil moisture, this becomes moreimportant.”

“I am uneasy about making com-mitments on soil carbon around car-

bon trading,” Mr Ive told Agricul-ture Today.

“For this Yass area, we need toproduce around 4000 kilograms ofdry matter per hectare per year justto maintain soil carbon levels.

“This was a challenge for all butthe better parts of the landscapeover the decade-long drought andwith increasing climate variabilityit’s likely to become even more dif-ficult – notwithstanding the last 24months of above average rainfall.

“With the current carbon pricerelatively low, there is a risk thatearly entrants into the market willnot gain much and sometimedown the track with the likelihoodof more poor seasons, it may wellbe impossible to even maintainsoil C levels.”

“An audit could then requirerepayment at what is likely to be ahigher price than at present – a

risk I would not be prepared toentertain.

“Nevertheless I will manage so asto enhance soil carbon where pos-sible because of the enhanced soilbenefits.”

Mr Ive expects soil moisture at“Talaheni” and the rest of southeastern Australia to fall consider-ably over coming decades, with asignificant increase in the amountof time that plants spend at orbelow permanent wilting point.

With a program he developedcalled Waterbank, Mr Ive has con-ducted comprehensive modelling,initially using records for the 30years he has been at “Talaheni”,where annual average rainfall is 650millimetres.

As a Climate Champion he andthe other 33 farmers in the pro-

gram have the job of communicat-ing research about new technolo-gies and practices for dealing withclimate change to other farmers.

They’re also helping scientistsand bureaucrats improve commu-nication with farmers about man-aging climate risk in their localareas for their specific commodi-ties.

The Climate Champions programis run by the Grains Research andDevelopment Corporation’s Man-aging Climate Variability programand Meat and Livestock Australia,and funded by Australia‘s majorresearch and development corpo-rations.■ Contact John Ive, Yass,(02) 6258 2661, 0401 390 639, [email protected]

Risk for early entrants in carbon market

ASOUTHERN Tablelands trialshows promise in answeringwhether small amounts of

lime applied annually and withprecise initial placement can assistpasture survival through the criti-cal period of the first summer.

Research scientist Mark Nortonis analysing the rate at which soilproperties will improve underphalaris and cocksfoot, when smallamounts of lime are applied con-secutively over a number of yearsinstead of after a large single appli-cation.

“It’s really important to recognisethat initial germination in the firstseason, particularly in dry times, isnot equal to pasture establish-ment,” Dr Norton said.

Mark hopes that in time the appli-cation of smaller amounts of limeapplied regularly might be more“cash flow” affordable for farmers.

“They often baulk at the cost ofliming to correct highly acid Sou-thern Tablelands soils but most alsorealise liming is important for the

soil, pastures and grazing animalproduction, so they want to do itwherever possible.

Dr Norton is collaborating withsuperfine woolgrower and ClimateChampion mentor John Ive whoseonce degraded land now has a longtrack record of excellence in rest-oration and productivity.

Mark has two trials on “Talaheni”– one in the paddock next to theentrance road has never receivedlime; the soil of the trial in theopposite paddock (pictured) wasfirst limed in the early 1980s.

The unlimed soil is highly acidic– pH 4.1, typical of the SouthernTableland – while in the limed pad-dock, pH is up close to 5.0.

On many soils, Dr Norton said,about 2.5 tonnes per hectare wasrequired to bring soils to a levelwhere pastures will do OK.

However, he is looking at theeffect of applying between 200-500kg lime/ha with the seed, inprilled form, down the same tubesas the seed is sown.

In these trials, sowing is the onlytime when lime is placed below thesoil surface and regular annual top-

dressing with a similar amount oflime will still be necessary to grad-ually bring the entire soil mass tothe right pH.

Prilled lime – only back on theAustralian market in the past fewyears – can also be spread with a fer-tiliser spinner, making regular top-dressing easy.

On many of the lighter tablelandsoils Dr Norton believes regularapplications of smaller amounts oflime, rather than big, one-off appli-cations, are likely to improve pas-ture persistence.

This is because plants generallydo better under favourable stablesoil conditions rather than whenconditions fluctuate massively.

This technique and Mark Norton’strial aims to show farmers they cando it more economically and effi-ciently themselves.

This would enable them to haveflexibility in their timing of appli-cation under the best conditions,to save money by doing it them-selves, and not be governed by theschedules of others.

At “Talaheni”, starting in spring2011, separate applications of 200

and 500kg lime/ha are being appliedto both paddocks.

They are sowing every year withthe same liming regime, using pas-ture plant establishment as theirguide to how well it’s working.

“In each trial, the density of est-ablished grass seedlings is countedin spring and again in the follow-ing autumn,” Dr Norton said.

“This measures the percentage ofsurvival over the summer becausepastures can really only be judgedto have successfully established ifthey can make it through the sea-son most threatening to life.“

These trials are a continuation ofanother “Talaheni” trial started in2002 during the previous NSWDPI Acid Soil Action project.

This showed that banding a smallamount of lime at seeding in thedrill row was a very cost-effectivemeans of improving pasture estab-lishment because the banding treat-ment promoted pastures at least asgood as the initial single topdress-ing of three tonnes per hectare.■ Contact Mark Norton,Canberra, (02) 6246 5548,[email protected]

RON AGGSCamden

Rethinking liming for amore persistent pasture

Mark Norton and John Ive in Dr Norton’s limed trial plot at “Talaheni” which has pH close to five. The unlimed second plot with its weather station for concisemeasurement (front page photo) is in a typically acidic paddock with a pH of 4.1. Mr Ive has restored the gully in the background, bare a decade ago.

AgricultureTodaywww.dpi.nsw.gov.au/agtodayEditor: Ron AggsT: 02 4640 6457 F: 02 4640 6400

Production Editor: Maryann JenkinsT: 02 4570 4444 F: 02 4570 4650

Advertising: Nicole WilliamsT: 02 4570 4410 F: 02 4570 [email protected]

Circulation: Distribution Enquiries T: 02 4570 4444

National Sales: T: 03 9287 9000 (Melbourne)T: 02 9313 8444 (Sydney)

Inclusion of any advertising supporting material in this publication doesnot necessarily imply endorsement of the product or company by NSW Department of Primary Industries.

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AgToday

reports on the latest Agri Research &

ManagementInformation

(Inserted into The Land each month& view online www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/agtoday)

Showcase yourproducts & servicesin the April edition

Features include:✓✓ Pastures

✓✓ Beef

✓✓ Organic &Biological Farming

Call today to secure your positionCall Nicole (02) 4570 [email protected]

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Page 4: Agriculture Today - March 2012€¦ · NSW DPI soils researcher Mark Conyers said after long term trials showed conservation farming did lit-tle to increase soil carbon levels, dis-appointed

4 AGRICULTURE TODAY | Thursday, March 1, 2012● ● ● ●

A BIG congratulations to DanicaLeys, who I had the pleasure ofpresenting with this year’sNSW/ACT Rural IndustriesResearch and DevelopmentCorporation (RIRDC) RuralWomen’s Award.

Former agronomist andproactive social media advocateDanica was recognised for co-creating AgChatOz.

This innovative online forumhelps farmers overcome thechallenges of isolation byproviding them with a means toconnect and discuss rural issuesacross Australia.

Her vision and commitmentare improving productivity andcontributing to a more vibrantprimary industries sector.

For many people, the frontlineof rural industries is no longerjust about being in the paddock

– it’s now in front of thecomputer – especially whenmore than half of our 1.6 millionjobs in farming and relatedindustries are located inAustralia’s six capital cities.

Danica was awarded a $10,000bursary, which she will use toexpand AgChatOz and increaseparticipation and understandingof social media among farmersby holding workshops andnetworking events.

I would also like tocongratulate worthy runner-upCorinne Annetts, who hasestablished a boutique goat stud enterprise at Urallaproducing skin care productsand is moving into commercialcheese-making.

These awards highlight theincredible array of skills andtalents of rural women and thesignificant role that they play inrural communities.

Their creativity and uniqueapproaches to connecting peopleand establishing new marketsshow that, increasingly, womenare important players in ruraleconomies.

Danica will now go on tocompete for the 2012 AustralianRIRDC Rural Women's Awardtitle, which will be announced atthe National Award Dinner inCanberra in October.

All the best, Danica.

Flood effort continuesI WOULD like to give a hugethank you to all of our NSWDepartment of PrimaryIndustries and Livestock Healthand Pest Authorities staff,who continue to respondtirelessly to the devastating floodsituation in the State’s CentralNorth, North-West and NorthCoast.

Their effort and commitmentunder difficult conditions hasbeen invaluable in assistingaffected rural communities andprimary producers.

I encourage any flood affectedfarmers to report damage to 1800 814 647 to helpauthorities determine damageand support measures or contactthe Rural Assistance Authorityon 1800 678 593 for furtherinformation.

New rural leadersLAST month, I was excited to see10 new graduates welcomed tothe NSW Department ofPrimary Industries (see above).

These young men and womenwill learn from some of theworld’s leading experts in theirfields and develop theirprofessional expertise.

Working across a range ofdifferent areas within theDepartment and having mentorsto provide specific advice andassistance, graduates will havethe best possible opportunity fora successful long-term career.

Most graduates will be based inregional areas including Orange,Armidale and Port Stephens andwill be eligible to apply forvacancies within the Departmentafter completing the program.

The NSW government remainscommitted to continuedinvestment in the nextgeneration of rural leaders, whohave the important skills weneed to drive productivity acrossour State’s $9 billion primaryindustries sector.

Agriculture social media advocatetakes out Rural Women’s Award

Katrina Hodgkinson

TEN new university graduateshave joined the Departmentof Primary Industries.

Director General Dr Richard Shel-drake said there was strong interestin gaining the graduate positionsfrom applicants around Australia.

He said those appointed “had afantastic opportunity to learnfrom some of the world’s leadingexperts in their fields and developtheir professional expertise”.

Most will be based in rural areas.The successful graduates, their

areas of work and locations are:● Allie Jones and Elizabeth War-

den, Agriculture NSW, Orange;● Joanna Robertson, Agriculture

NSW, Armidale;● Camila Ridoutt and Chris

Wrightson, Biosecurity NSW, Eliz-abeth Macarthur Agricultural Inst-itute, Menangle;

● Angela Cleall, Chief ScientificOfficer’s Unit, Orange;

● Vanessa Hornsby, Catchmentsand Lands, Orange;

● Joseph Clarke, Fisheries NSW,Port Stephens and Renata Pronk,Fisheries NSW, Wollstonecraft;

● Matthew Mo, Forests researchand Forests NSW, West PennantHills.

“These young men and womenwill learn from some of the world’s

leading experts in their fields anddevelop their professional exper-tise,” Minister for Agriculture Kat-rina Hodgkinson said.

The graduates will work for up totwo years in different areas of NSWTrade and Investment and will beeligible to apply for vacancies with-

in the Department after they com-plete the program.■ Followhttp://twitter.com/#!/nswdpi

New graduates join DPI

IT IS now one year since the Stategovernment re-established the NSWDepartment of Primary Industries(DPI).

Recently, the department finalisedits executive team and formed anumber of operational units:

● Agriculture NSW, deputydirector-general Michael Bullen;

● Biosecurity NSW, executivedirector Bruce Christie;

● Fisheries NSW, executive direc-tor Dr Geoff Allan;

● Catchments and Lands dep-uty director General Renata Brooks;

● Office of Sustainable Agricul-ture and Food Security ReginaFogarty;

● NSW Office of Water commis-sioner David Harris;

● NSW Food Authority CEOPolly Bennett;

● Forests NSW CEO Nick Rob-erts.

Under the leadership of director-general Dr Richard Sheldrake, theNSW DPI’s operational units serv-ice the important functional areasof:

● agriculture;

● biosecurity;● catchment management;● crown land management;● fisheries;● food regulation and safety;● food security and agricultural

sustainability;● forests;● marine parks;● rural affairs and rural service

delivery;● rural assistance;● soil conservation services;● water management.The department brings together

a broad range of services for ruraland regional NSW.

A major focus of the NSW DPI in2012 will be to improve stakehold-er, client and customer satisfactionwith government services throughinitiatives co-ordinated by NSWTrade and Investment, the “super”department” or “cluster” that inc-ludes the DPI.

We will keep you posted on howyou can get involved.■ Visit www.trade.nsw.gov.au foran extensive list of contacts inyour area.

Department reaches its first anniversary

Developing a national food plan:The Australian Government is developing a firstever National Food Plan to foster a sustainable,globally competitive, resilient food supply thatsupports access to nutritious and affordable food.

The Ministry for Agriculture, Fisheries andForestry is leading development of the food plan.

The government is developing a plan that willlook at the challenges and opportunities acrossthe whole food chain in the years ahead.

The Issues paper to inform the development ofthe national food plan was released for 10weeks public consultation in June 2010.

Later this year a green paper will outline thegovernment’s vision and approach to food policyto canvas potential changes to policy, programsand governance arrangements and invitefeedback.

The objectives of the National Food Planinclude:

● Identifying and mitigating risks toAustralia’s food security,

● Contributing to global food security,● Reducing barriers to safe and nutritious

food to support population health,● Supporting the long-term economic,

environmental and social sustainability ofAustralia’s food supply chain,

● Supporting the global competiveness andproductivity growth of the food supply chain,including through research, science andinnovation,

● Reducing barriers faced by food businessesto access international and domestic markets,

● Contributing to economic prosperity,employment and community wellbeing inregional Australia.■ Visit www.daff.gov.au/nfp for more.

Making NewsMaking News

March 2012Border Rivers-Gwydir CMAChair’s ColumnAll this wet weather is causing weeds toflourish around the catchment and iskeeping our Invasive Species Officer, who isbased in Glen Innes, on his toes. Weeds areone of the most widespread threats to theenvironment and Australian agriculture withan estimated cost of $3.4 billion to theagricultural industry. Thankfully we work incollaboration with the Weeds Officers of ourlocal councils to keep Weeds of NationalSignificance (WoNS) in check.

The Weeds of National Significance programcoordinates the national effort against 20 ofAustralia’s worst invasive plants that havedegraded large portions of Australia’snatural and productive landscape. In theBorder Rivers and Gwydir catchments theweeds declared as being of nationalsignificance are Chilean Needle Grass,Gorse, Blackberry, Willow, Serrated Tussock,Bridal Creeper, Athel Pine and PartheniumWeed.

There are management options for eachweed but the recurring theme across all ofthem is the need for good vehicle,machinery and stock hygiene practices,regular monitoring and reviewing of theinfestation sites. Control programs requireconsiderable commitment from landholdersand Government agencies to reduce theimpact of these destructive weeds.

By controlling or managing weed species,pastures are able to become betterestablished and naturally out-competeinvasive weeds, reducing the need forchemical application and providing moreproductive pastures.

For more natural resource managmentadvice and information, particularly aboutinvasive species, contact Jonathan Lawsonin Glen Innes on (02) 6732 2992 or visit thewebsite at www.brg.cma.nsw.gov.au. OurBorder Rivers-Gwydir CMA offices inInverell, Moree, Armidale, Glen Innes andGoondiwindi also have information availableto assist in weed management.

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AGRICULTURE TODAY | Thursday, March 1, 2012 5● ● ● ●

NEW to Australian vine-yards, a pathogen whichhas caused severe fruit

loss in some plantings in theTumbarumba region this sea-son is now under the NationalWine and Grape Industry Cen-tre’s (NWGIC) microscope.

Researchers and viticulturistssuspect the pathogen may bepresent in other cool climateregions in NSW.

The pathogen caused 80 percent loss in a planting of pinotnoir grapes at Tumbarumba.

Across the 17 vineyards in theregion, damage has been patchybut in affected vineyards hasvaried from 40–80pc.

NSW Department of PrimaryIndustries (DPI) scientist Mel-anie Weckert said researchersrecently indentifiedthe pathogen asPseudomonas syrin-gae pv. syringae(Pss).

“We have confirm-ed that Pss was resp-onsible for bacterialinflorescence rot (BIR) whichdamaged young bunches in theTumbarumba vineyards in thepast two seasons,” she said.

“Pss has not been a signifi-cant problem prior to this andwe aim to deliver a solution towinegrape growers.

“We’re focusing on controlmeasures with a trial of six dif-ferent treatments, in the formof soil drenches and trunkinjections, currently underwayin Tumbarumba.”

Dr Weckert said evidence of

Pss had been detected in sapfrom the damaged vines prom-pting the NWGIC and Grapeand Wine Research and Devel-opment Corporation to fund adoctoral study into the effectof Pss on grapevines.

“We found Pss overwintersin the trunk and buds of vines,

which explainswhy copper fun-gicide sprays havebeen ineffectivein stopping thespread of BIR inTumbarumba,”she said.

“Once it spreadsto the trunk we can’t prune theinfected section.”

“It poses a dilemma for grow-ers in cool wine growing reg-ions as it favours cool, moistconditions.

“Many growers in these reg-ions use overhead sprinklersystems to prevent frost dam-age but in doing so they maybe creating conditions in whichPss will thrive.”

Ongoing research aims todevelop a better understanding

of Pss, which will lead to effec-tive management strategies forcool climate wine grape grow-ers.

NSW DPI horticulturist KevinDodds is working directly withgrowers in the Tumbarumbadistrict and has been support-ing Dr Weckert in running thetrial.

“We’ve been keeping a closeeye on local vineyards and havebeen running vine health fielddays in association with theNWGIC to keep our growers upto date with the latest researchresults,” Mr Dodds said.

Any growers who have seensimilar damage should contacttheir local NSW DPI horticul-turist or Dr Weckert.

The NWGIC is a partnershipbetween the NSW DPI, CharlesSturt University and the NSWWine Industry Association.■ Contact Dr MelanieWeckert, Wagga Wagga,(02) 6933 2720,[email protected], Kevin Dodds, Tumut,(02) 6947 4188,[email protected]

Vine pathogenidentified as Pss

BERNADETTE YORKOrange Grapes’ new threat

NOT previously seen as aserious threat to winegrapes, Pseudomonassyringae is a commonpathogen affecting manyhorticultural crops.

In Australia, symptomsof Pseudomonassyringae in wine grapeswere first recorded inSouth Australianvineyards during the

spring of 2000 but it didnot cause the severeproduction losses nowbeing seen inTumbarumba.

The pathogen hasoccurred rarely ingrapevines overseas,with cases recorded inArgentina, Sardinia andAzerbaijan in the late1970s and 1980s.

Urgency after withdrawalspurs on Qfly repellentsHOMEGROWN strategies maysoon answer growers’ needs tomanage Queensland fruit fly(Qfly) and maintain access todomestic and export markets.

The withdrawal of chemicalsincluding dimethoate used to control the pesthas motivatedNSW DPI todevelop newapproaches,including theuse of organicproducts torepel Qfly.

NSW DPI research horticulturist JennyEkman said repellents, com-bined with ongoing orchardmanagement and post-harvestmeasures, would contribute toa systems approach.

“We are trialling two prod-ucts, kaolin clay and light sprayoil at the Bathurst Primary Ind-ustries Centre,” she said.

“Internationally-recognisedresearch has shown that kaolinclay, an organically registeredproduct which is commonlyused to prevent sunburn inapple production, can alsorepel Qfly.

“Tiny clay particles stick tothe insects, agitating and rep-elling them, which stops femalefruit flies from laying eggs intreated fruit.

“We also think the clay cov-ering may disguise crops fromQfly searching for suitablefruit to lay their eggs.”

Qfly cause havoc in cropswhen females lay eggs in fruit –the eggs hatch into maggotswhich feed on and destroy thefruit.

Dr Ekman said light spray oilemulsions were registered asan insecticide for a variety ofhorticultural crops, including

citrus, banana, pome and stonefruit.

“Mainly used for aphids andmites, we have evidence thatspray oils have effectively man-aged Qfly in tomato crops,” shesaid.

“We alreadyknow that

both treat-ments are soft

on beneficialinsects and

would fit intoan integratedpest manage-

ment system.”Paraffin oil is registered for

use in some organic systemsbut growers should check withtheir certifier to confirm its sui-tability for organic crops.

The treatments are being tri-alled on apple (pome) andpeach (stonefruit) crops inBathurst.

Dimethoate has been widelyused before and after harvestto prevent infestation of manydifferent fruits with Qfly.

However, the APVMA rec-ently withdrew dimethoateregistration from many uses,including both pre- and post-harvest application to apples,pears and peaches.

While Fenthion insecticidemay still be used as an alterna-tive, its registration too is unli-kely to continue beyond thisseason.

There is therefore an urgentneed to develop new methodsto prevent, or at least reduce,infestation in the field by Qfly,Australia’s worst horticulturalpest.

– BERNADETTE YORK

■ Contact Dr Jenny Ekman,Gosford, (02) 4348 1942,[email protected]

At the Bathurst Primary Industries Centre research horticulturist JennyEkman inspects apples covered with kaolin clay in a trial to confirmrepellents of Queensland fruit fly. INSET: Kaolin covered apples.

PhD student Stewart Hall is analysingthe effect of Pseudomonas syringaepv. syringae (Pss) on grapevinesunder Dr Weckert’s supervision.Photo: Sharon Kiss

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Page 6: Agriculture Today - March 2012€¦ · NSW DPI soils researcher Mark Conyers said after long term trials showed conservation farming did lit-tle to increase soil carbon levels, dis-appointed

AFTER their annual check-up, descendants of Aus-tralia’s original Camden

Park Merino flock are mostlyfit and well.

Only 20 have been culled thisyear on welfare grounds fromthe total of 250 in the heritageflock and will be sold for slau-ghter.

It has been a closed flock forjust under 200 years, first dev-eloped by agricultural pioneersJohn and Elizabeth Macarthurand now maintained by NSWDepartment of Primary Indus-tries (DPI) at Belgenny Farm,Camden.

“What we have at Belgenny isunique in Australia and perhapsthe world, an original blood-

line of sheep grazing on thesame lands as they did around200 years ago,” said Dr Came-ron Archer, chairman of theBelgenny Farm Trust.

“It’s quite incredible really,”said John Plant, who does theflock’s annual checkup.

He is a retired departmentflock health program leaderwho cites the strength of “a bitof natural selection” as the rea-son for the flock’s enduringgood health.

The flock runs on natural pas-tures in isolation from othersheep to keep out diseases.

“They are not dipped or trea-ted for flies, not mulesed orvaccinated and they’re ovineJohnes disease-free and aremaintained as they are with-out selection,” Dr Plant said.

Smaller than today’s Merinos,they cut half

the wool ofother sheep

but they werebred superfineand as recently

as 1993 anumber held

their own at awether trial at

Mungindi,beating some

of the topbloodlines.

Wool from John Macarthur’ssheep measured 16-18 microns,which has remained consistent.

To keep flock numbers man-ageable, joining of ewes to therams in the flock runs fourweeks each year, resulting in adrop of about 25 lambs and bet-ween 75-80 per cent are marked.

Sheep culled annually haveproblems with teeth, udders,cancer or sometimes flystrike.

“A ram was recently taxider-mied for display purposes inthe Belgenny Museum,” DrArcher said.

“It was selected as being rep-resentative of the sheep andwas treated by Dr George Han-gay, one of the country’s mostexperienced taxidermists.

Dr Archer said Belgenny Farmheld a number of open days,hosts school and tourist groups,as well as being a venue for asmany as 80 weddings each year.

“The farm, along with thesheep, is one of Australia’s his-torical treasures held in trustfor future generations.

“Belgenny is fortunate to havea dedicated group of Friendswho support it in many ways,”Dr Archer said.■ Visitwww.belgennyfarm.com.auor contact Belgenny Farm,(02) 4654 6800.

6 AGRICULTURE TODAY | Thursday, March 1, 2012● ● ● ●

PERCEPTION can have apowerful impact on how wethink and act.

Researchers fromColumbia’s Business Schoolasked students to appraisethe resume of anentrepreneur called HowardRoizen.

His resume showed thatMr Howard had worked atApple, launched his ownsoftware company and beena partner at a venture capitalfirm.

He was a proficientnetworker and had verypowerful friends includingBill Gates.

Colleagues described himas a “catalyst” and a “captainof industry”.

The students thought he’dbe an excellent person tohave within a companybecause he was someonewho got things done andwas likeable.

Now the interesting part ofthis experiment was that MrHoward doesn’t exist.

When students were askedto review the true owner ofthe resume Ms “Heidi”Roizen they judged her to bemore selfish and lessdesirable than Mr Howard,even though she was viewedas being equally as effective.

Australian SexDiscriminationCommissioner ElizabethBroderick says this “beliefbarrier” severely impacts onwomen and their ability toprogress and is rife throughall levels of society.

According to MsBroderick, “we believe thatgood mothers are alwayswith their children”.

“It doesn’t matter whatyou’re doing when you’re

there – if you’re with yourchildren, that’s what a goodmother looks like… and thesame goes for workers.

“To be in a senior position,it is expected that you beavailable more than five daysa week… and available 24-7with no visible caringresponsibilities.”

NSW Rural Women’sAward 2012 winner DanicaLeys and runner-up CorinneAnnetts both juggle careerand family.

Being away from home formeetings and events –especially for rural peoplewhere travelling hugedistances is common – cangive rise to guilt about notdoing enough with theirfamilies.

Corinne runs a boutiquegoat stud and says thebusiness has to have balanceand work around the family.

“The key thing is to linkinto technology we havetoday by using smartphones, internet, skype,social media, webcams,video phones etc to conductmeetings over long distancesor share the family newswhile away,” said Corinne.

Danica is leading the wayfor primary producers to usesocial media more effectivelythrough AgChatOz, a socialmedia platform connectingand facilitating the sharingof ideas.

Bringing change to culturalarchetypes will take timeand women need the optionto let go of some of theirdomestic responsibilitiesand ask or allow others tohelp.

“I have two youngdaughters and we try towork towards sharing in ourhousehold, its difficult attimes, but generally workspretty well and allows me toconcentrate on the biggerpicture when I need to,” saysDanica.

Corinne agrees change willtake time, but wants womento be part of it.

“Women are so used tojust doing it and I believe wesometimes forget to ask forextra help,” Corinne said.

Ms Broderick thinkswomen have to buildconfidence and learn to begreater risk takers – puttingthemselves forward ratherthan waiting to be asked oruntil they can tick all theboxes – research shows menseem so much morecomfortable learning as theygo.

Corinne doesn’t thinkwomen lack confidence: “Ijust think we find it difficultwhen attention is placed onus and we are not sure howto deal with it.

“It is certainly a skill totake risks and put yourselfout there but we need toremember that women dothis every day, raisingfamilies and runningbusinesses.

Danica believes whatElizabeth says is true,women need to be moreconfident and not bereticent to have a go.

“By our very nature, we arecollaborative workers andquite often when asked,attribute success to having agreat team and the like,” saysDanica.

Danica agrees with SherylSandberg, chief operatingofficer of Facebook who sayswomen need to take theirseat at the table.

“It’s no good having awhinge about women’sequality and rights; wewomen shouldn’t wait for aninvitation – just do it.”■ Read Sonia’s new blog atnswruralwomensnetwork.wordpress.com, follow heron twitter athttp://twitter.com/NSW_RWN and read her columnonline at www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/agtoday

Heidi versus Howard – perception barrier to behurdled: Commissioner

LEFT: There’spreservation … and there’spreservation.Belgenny Farm Trustchairman DrCameron Archerreveals this ramfrom the CamdenPark Merino flock toPhoebe Macarthur-Onslow, secretary ofthe Friends ofBelgenny Farm.

BELOW LEFT: Someof the Camden Parkflock, photographedat Belgenny Farm in1928 by renownedSydneyparasitologist, thelate Hughie Gordon.

Heritage flock notlooking bad at 200

RON AGGSCamden

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AGRICULTURE TODAY | Thursday, March 1, 2012 7● ● ● ●

BRUCELLOSIS infection in three feralpig dogs in northern NSW has promp-ted human health warnings to recre-ational and occupational hunters.

Infection in people can cause seriousdisease and spontaneous abortion inpregnant women.

“A private vet saw one of the dogs,which exhibited the notable symptom ofmarkedly enlarged testicles but was oth-erwise bright and alert,” said NSW DPIpigs technical specialist Amanda Lee.

Infected dogs are a potential source ofinfection for people, pigs, and other dogsthrough contact with urine, saliva andreproductive materials.

“At this point, we don’t know how longdogs remain infectious or what degreeof risk they pose to people,” Dr Lee said.

Treating dogs is often ineffective, pro-longed and expensive, relapses of infec-tion can occur and no treatment canguarantee a cure.

The Department of Primary Indus-tries recommends that dogs confirmedas infected be euthanased to reduce riskto people.

Swine brucellosis (Brucella suis) isusually an infection of feral pigs innorthern Australia but people can be

infected through contact with infectedanimals.

Dr Lee said feral pigs were the usualsource of infection for people, particu-larly when there was contact through

breaks in the skin with uterine dischar-ges, aborted foetuses, blood, urine, andother body fluids.

Clinical signs include intermittentfever, sweating, lethargy, loss of appetite,headaches, and back pain.

The onset of clinical signs generallybegins two to four weeks after exposure,but can occur up to six months later.

Infection, often with abscesses, canoccur in a number of organs includingthe liver, spleen, joints, heart, and testi-cles, and about two per cent of untreat-ed people will die.

Chronic infection may occur anddelays in diagnosis increase the risk ofcomplications.

In Australia, swine brucellosis is main-ly a recreational or occupational dis-ease of feral pig hunters, farm workers,veterinarians, and abattoir workers.

“Eighty per cent of cases occur inQueensland,” Dr Lee said.

“The majority of cases are men agedbetween 15 and 49 years.”

Between December 2006 and Decem-ber 2011, nine men from NSW werediagnosed with swine brucellosis follow-ing regular recreational or occupationalferal pig hunting in North-West NSW.

All men had butchered feral pigs with-out wearing any protective clothing.

None reported any other risk factorsfor contracting swine brucellosis.

“If you think you may have swinebrucellosis, please consult your doctorimmediately,” Dr Lee said.

Brucellosis is a notifiable disease inNSW and any suspect cases in animalsshould be reported to your local veteri-narian, Livestock Health and Pest Auth-ority district veterinarian, state govern-ment agency or the Animal DiseaseWatch Hotline 1800 675 888.■ Contact Amanda Lee, Camden,(02) 4640 6308,[email protected]

When coming into contact with pigs(especially ferals) or pig products thatmay be infected with brucellosis: ● Keep family (especially pregnant

women) away from pig-hunting dogs● Cover all cuts and abrasions with

waterproof dressings and wear latex gloves

● Ensure good lighting such as headlamps or adjustable extension arms for spotlights on the back of utes when gutting pigs

● Slow down when using knives to gut pigs

● Watch your hands and take particular care when cutting around the uterus of sows

● Thoroughly wash hands and arms in soapy water after handling feral pigs or their carcasses

● Take particular care when handling or disposing of reproductive organs, uterine discharges, and aborted materials

● Don’t feed reproductive organs from feral pigs to your dogs

● Consult a veterinarian if your dogs develop enlarged testicles or bitches have reproductive problems

Precautions To Prevent Human InfectionPrecautions To Prevent Human Infection

Pig dogs with brucellosis posepotential threat to human health

$115m sustainable water projectsCENTRAL Western district irri-

gators are moving towards moresustainable water use and the

Macquarie-Castlereagh catchment isbenefiting, thanks to several projectsfunded under the Australian Govern-ment’s Water for the Future initiative.

The projects will give irrigatorsmore control over their water, lead towater savings that keep the river sys-tem in better health and potentiallybenefit the Macquarie Marshes, locat-ed downstream from the district.

Trangie-Nevertire Irrigation Schemeserves more than 60 irrigators whoproduce a range of crops includinggrains, cotton, oil seeds, wheat, pas-ture, lucerne and vegetables.

The scheme is improving the waywater is delivered by putting in place

major infrastructure upgrades withthe help of $115 million in fundingfrom the Australian Government’sPrivate Irrigation Infrastructure Ope-rators Program (PIIOP).

Trangie-Nevertire Irrigation Schemechairman Jim Winter said the fund-ing would allow irrigators to make bet-ter use of available water supplies.

“Major earth works will be under-taken to install synthetic liners in allthe channels of the irrigators involved,”Mr Winter said.

He said upgrades to on-farm infra-structure would include spray and dripwater application technology, on-farm channel lining, upgraded off-takes and metering, upgraded storageand moisture metering equipment.

The Trangie-Nevertire Irrigation

Scheme is working with NSW DPI’sTrangie Agricultural Research Centreto upgrade the Centre’s irrigationinfrastructure, which has potential tobe used for irrigation research and todemonstrate differences in water effi-ciencies of the new technologies beingapplied in the scheme.

“Modernising the scheme’s channelswill reduce water losses and create amore efficient system, even in timesof low rainfall,” he said.

About one third of the region’s irri-gators have sold their licences and beenrationalised off the scheme, some ofthem have chosen to undertake newventures, including dryland farming.

A new stock and domestic pipeline isbeing built to supply water to schememembers who no longer have directaccess to water from the channel sys-tem.

In 2009, Narromine Private Irriga-tion District used its $278,000 Aust-ralian Government Irrigation Mod-ernisation Planning Assistance grantto look at alternative ways to increasewater use efficiency for irrigation,stock and domestic purposes.

After years of drought and reducedwater allocations, members of the irri-gation district were keen to explorerationalising the system.

More recently, the Narromine Irri-gation Board of Management receivedan offer for about $60 million of fund-ing in response to their applicationunder Round 2 of PIIOP.

The proposed project will line partof their irrigation channel system toreduce water seepage, decommission

112 kilometres of irrigation channels,retire several farms from irrigation,and construct a stock and domesticwater supply system.

Two other private irrigation infra-structure operators in the catchment– Tenandra Irrigation Scheme andMarthaguy Irrigation Scheme, locatednear Warren, also received IrrigationModernisation Planning Assistance todevelop modernisation plans outlin-ing how they could save water by usingmore efficient and productive methods.

Following the development of theirplans, the two schemes then receivedfurther funding through PIIOP to puttowards channel upgrades and recon-figuration works, providing pipelines

and improving channel managementtechnologies both on and off farm.

PIIOP is a competitive grant fund-ing program – one of a suite of StatePriority Projects agreed between theCommonwealth and State govern-ments in 2008.

The program aims to improve theefficiency and productivity of wateruse and management, both off andon-farm, within systems run by pri-vate irrigation operators, helping tosecure a sustainable future for irriga-tion communities in NSW.

– JENNIFER VAN DEN TOL■ Visitwww.environment.gov.au/water orphone 1800 218 478.

A close up of the channel liner connection to the existing control structure.

Empty channel liner as part of the channel modernisation on the Nevertire-BoganRoad, Nevertire.

Photos: Farrell Coyne Projects

Follow us – hard copy, online, TwitterThis is the first edition of Agriculture Today for 2012, also available onlineat www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/agtoday.

See p8 for a brilliant but heart-rending photo of the north-west floodstaken by Tom Braz, and meet the new author of “What in the Heavens”,the Bureau of Meteorology’s Aaron Coutts-Smith.

The next edition, to publish on April 5, will report on pastures, beef, andorganic and biological farming.

Also visit www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/aboutus/news/recent-news or followhttp://twitter.com/#!/nswdpi

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8 AGRICULTURE TODAY | Thursday, March 1, 2012● ● ● ●

PEOPLE affected by the floods in the north and north west of NSW have been invted to freebarbecue and information nights to hear information from a number of agencies involved inproviding assistance.

Four events had been held and two were planned for Mungindi RSL (March 8) and RowenaVillage Inn (March 9). RSVP to the organisers, Rural Support Worker Jenny Croft, 0429 446 417,[email protected] or district agronomist Bec Byrne, 0428 692 984,[email protected]

Free flood recovery events

HOW wet can La Nina years be?My father in-law, Ross, has lived

off the land for his entire life andhas a great memory for the wet anddry times.

He remembers 1974 as being wetand I think many people fromacross NSW do too, with the

possible exception of those livingon the North West Slopes andPlains.

How long will it last this time?On song at this point in the cycle,

the Bureau of Meteorology’sseasonal model indicates we shouldreturn to neutral conditionsbetween now and April.

A typical La Nina starts inautumn, peaks in late spring/earlysummer and decays in earlyautumn.

Having just been through twoback to back La Nina years,

Australia has been through itswettest two year period on record,recording 1409 millimetres.

This fractionally pipped the oldrecord of 1407 mm, set back in1973-74, dominated by La Nina.

La Nina has this effect because itbrings warm ocean waters to theAustralian region.

These warm ocean waters feedextra moisture into the air, whichcan then fall as rain.

Despite the likely decay of the LaNina, the rainfall outlook for theMarch – May period is for a strong

chance - 60-65 per cent of aboveaverage rain across western NSW.

This means six or seven years outof every 10 with similar oceanpatterns to those currently observedwould be expected to be wetterthan average.

If La Nina is breaking down whyare we expecting a wet autumn for2012?

For the answer to this question wemust look to the Indian Ocean.

The ocean off the west coast ofAustralia is very warm at themoment, much warmer than normal.

Despite being so far from the eastcoast, the Indian Ocean is thesource of moisture for thenorthwest cloud band and bringsrain to south eastern Australia.■ Read Aaron’s column online atwww.dpi.nsw.gov.au/agtoday

● Welcome Aaron Coutts-Smith, fromthe Bureau of Meteorology as the newauthor of “What in the Heavens”. Manythanks to NSW DPI climatologist MichaelCashen for his great columns during2011. Michael has also been the drivingforce in producing the NSW version ofClimatedogs on the web (story above).

Hang on, just where did another summer really go?

EVER had dog envy – your neigh-bour or a friend has a couple ofgreat dogs that make mustering inthe paddock or working in the yardsan apparent breeze?

NSW DPI had dog envy for awhile, an envy of the clever Victo-rian DPI Climatedogs – humorouscartoon animations of sheep dogson the internet explaining complexatmospheric phenomena to farmers.

Over it. We now have our ownNSW Climatedogs, starring a newdog in the pack, Eastie, to representthe East Coast Low phenomenon.

NSW Climatedogs is customisedto the spatial and latitudinal varia-tions in our State.

Like the current Vic DPI initiative,we also have Ridgy, Enso, Indy andSam to represent the main driversof climate variability in NSW.

Ridgy, otherwise known as theSubtropical Ridge, leads the pack.

Enso represents the El Nino Sou-

thern Oscillation phenomena, Indyrepresents the Indian Ocean Dipole,and Sam the Southern AnnularMode.

Did we reallyneed to breedour owndogs –couldn’t wesimplyborrow ourneighbours?

While we havebeen using them gratefully for some time,their methods needed someretraining, particularlyRidgy and Sam, due todifferent latitudinal positions and topographyin NSW.

Adding Eastie to the pack helpsexplain some of the rainfall variabil-ity east of the Great Dividing Range,where most of us live.

Unlike the others, Eastie is not asheep dog.

He is a Jack Russell and behavesdifferently to the sheep dogs, get-

ting very wound up and fullof energy (an analogy forthe phenomena he repre-sents).

Climatedogsmakes

theexpla-nationof how

thefour

majorseasonal

influ-ences

interact witheach other in both the short andlong term much easier to under-stand.

Farmers have always had to man-

age a variable climaticpattern, but science andtechnology have recentlymade significant stepsforward in understandingthe drivers of this seasonalvariability, providing anopportunity for farmers.

Anybody interested inbetter understanding ourvariable but changing cli-mate will get somethinggood out of the Climatedogswebpage and the video clips.

The NSW version of the ani-mation series has been devel-oped in collaboration withthe Australian Bureau ofMeteorology and Victo-rian DPI and can be view-ed on the NSW DPI web-site.

– MICHAEL CASHEN■ Visit www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/info/climatedogs

Eastie: new dog, updated tricks

Photo: Tom Braz

Page 9: Agriculture Today - March 2012€¦ · NSW DPI soils researcher Mark Conyers said after long term trials showed conservation farming did lit-tle to increase soil carbon levels, dis-appointed

FURTHER surveillance andpreventative treatment incoming months will ensure

control of a recent incursion of redimported fire ants at Roma inQueensland.

A mining company discovered thefire ants in a shipping container ofequipment from Texas.

Their environmental officers immediatelytreated it and notified BiosecurityQueensland (BQ) who dispatched a team –including an odour detection dog – tocheck it out.

No further trace was located and the incursion was considered to have been successfully controlled.

Fire ants have not been found in NSW and the Roma episode is atimely reminder that vigilance is a vital part of biosecurity, according to

Royce Holtkamp, strategy leader forinvasive species with NSW Departmentof Primary Industries (DPI).

“The estimated cost to Australia if fire ants establishthroughout their potential range, would be $43 billionover 30 years,” he said.

Fire ants are the subject of a national cost shared erad-ication program run by BQ at a cost of $15 million ayear.

New developments in remote sensing and treatmentefficacy mean that eradication remains the primaryfocus of the BQ program.

Two out of three incursions in Queensland in thepast decade have been eradicated, the third in southeast Queensland in a restricted area totalling 120,714hectares has so far been contained.

“The restricted area contains the bulk of theknown infestations and movement of high risk andrestricted items from this area is controlled,” MrHoltkamp said.

In the southern US, fire ants have invaded morethan 111 million hectares since first beingdetected in 1931 and their cost to the com-

munity, environment and agriculture isestimated at $US 6.4 billion per annum.

Fire ants are aggressive, highly mobile andconsidered to be one of the world’s worstinvasive species.

They can significantly affect agriculturalindustries and their painful sting also makesthem a social menace.

“Newborn or hatching farm animals areparticularly prone to attacks that can lead todeath,” said Mr Holtkamp.

“Fire ants also invade food and water suppliesof animals, for example, hay, stock feed andwater troughs.

“Animals may be unable to reach food orwater without being seriously stung, and thiscan lead to starvation and dehydration.”

Fire ants sometimes feed on seeds, and canfatally damage some plants by tunnellingthrough roots and stems.

They protect some species of pest insects thatproduce “honeydew”, which downgrades thequality of produce and helps spread some dis-eases.

Fire ants also feed on important biologicalcontrol agents and interfere with integratedpest management practices, and could seri-ously affect our outdoor lifestyle.

Around 14 million people are stung eachyear, with more than 80 recorded deaths andmany more hospitalised.■ Contact 1800 084 881 if you see fire ants.■ Visit www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/agriculture/pests-weeds/insects/fire-ants andwww.dpi.qld.gov.au/4790_4538.htm

AGRICULTURE TODAY | Thursday, March 1, 2012 9● ● ● ●

ABOVE: Photos: Department of Employment,Economic Development and Innovation,Queensland; Texas A and M University; CaliforniaAcademy of Sciences AntWeb.org

HORSE owners and managershave until March 31 to havetheir say on the Hendra virusas part of a joint survey beingconducted by the NSW Depart-ment of Primary Industries(NSW DPI) and BiosecurityQueensland.

NSW DPI project leader, vet-erinary investigations, Dr The-rese Wright, said the survey foll-owed a spike in Hendra casesthroughout 2011 and aims toget a clearer understanding ofhorse owners’ attitudes, opin-ions and horse managementpractices relating to the virus.

“The valuable informationand feedback from the horsecommunity will be used byauthorities to gauge the levelof awareness on Hendra virus,identify any information gapsand help us to improve riskmanagement strategies,” DrWright said.

“Whether you’re a horse bree-der, part of the competitionand racing sectors, or just havea couple of ponies in the back-yard, we want to hear from allareas of the horse community.

“The survey covers a range ofissues, including horse hand-ling, stabling, nutrition andthe presence of flying foxes.

“All information providedis in confidence and no indi-vidual data will be released.”

Dr Wright said 10 hors-es on eight properties inNSW died due to infec-tion with the Hendravirus last year.

“These cases wereconcentrated in thenorth east of theState, in the locali-ties of Wollongbar,Macksville, Lismore,Mullumbimby and Ballina,”Dr Wright said.

“We encourage all those whoown or work with horses totake the time to complete thissurvey so we know how best towork with the horse commu-nity to limit any future cases.”■ The survey can becompleted online atwww.agriculture.nsw.gov.au

/info/hendra

Have a say on Hendra virus

A MAN who hid up a treeduring an operation near Ber-magui targeting an illegal aba-lone syndicate will face BegaLocal Court on a date to beset.

NSW DPI fisheries compli-ance director Glenn Trittonsaid the 36-year-old BatemansBay man was alleged to be inpossession of 161 shuckedBlacklip abalone.

That is 159 more than thelegal limit of two per personin NSW.

“He will face charges of traf-fic in an indictable species offish, which carries a maximumpenalty of 10 year’s impris-onment; possess more thanmaximum quantity of fish (incircumstances of aggrava-tion), which carries a maxi-mum fine $88,000 and/or 18

months imprisonment for asecond or subsequent offenceand possessing shucked aba-lone at unauthorised premis-es, which carries a maximumfine of $5500,” Mr Trittonsaid.

■ Read more of the story atwww.dpi.nsw.gov.au/aboutus/news/recent-news/fishing-and-aquaculture

Bay man busted up tree

■ Various sized worker ants in each nestfrom 2–6 mm■ Copper-brown with darker abdomen■ Aggressive, attack en-masse if disturbed ■ Burning, painful sting can last up to onehour, itchy blister or pustule can last a weekor more, may cause allergic reaction■ Various shaped nests often dome shapedmounds up to 40cm high, usually no clearentry or exit holes on surface, honeycomb-like internal structure beneath soil

Nasty truthsNasty truths

Vigilance nipsfire ants

www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/events

Beef Spectacular & Trade Field Day

NSW Department of Primary Industries is proud to sponsor the 2012 NSW Beef Spectacular and Trade Field Day.This event will showcase the best the NSW beef industry has to offer with over 800 head of cattle shown across two days.

The theme for the 2012 event will be Bringing beef and farming together, bringing the latest industry information to cattle producers and the general public of what is beef, where it comes from and how it finishes up on your plate and in your supermarkets and restaurants,

combined with all the necessary products, equipment and gadgets you need to run a successful farm, as well as some special deals.Come along and listen to the finalists in the LandLearn NSW Speech Spectacular. Students will be speaking live on topics relating to primary industries.

Dubbo Showground, Wednesday 14 to Thursday 15 March 2012

www.landlearnnsw.org.au

WWW. D P I . N SW. GO V. AU

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10 AGRICULTURE TODAY | Thursday, March 1, 2012● ● ● ●

THIS season is shaping upto be a big one for canolagrowers in central and

southern NSW but behind therosy picture lies a challenge.

Excellent yields last season,buoyant prices and good sub-soil moisture levels are behindthe optimistic outlook but gro-wers will have to keep on top ofblackleg to ensure the diseasedoes not economically affectyields.

In 2011, about 395,000 hec-tares of canola was grown inNSW.

“That is a lot of canola stub-ble hosting the blackleg diseasepathogen, ready for release ontothe 2012 canola crop,” said pul-ses and oilseeds technical spe-cialist Don McCaffery.

“Fortunately, growers can takea number of steps to reduceblackleg severity and the riskof yield loss.”

An integrated and plannedmanagement approach is requ-ired, starting with paddockselection.

Traditional recommendationssuggested canola should begrown only one year in four inthe same paddock, advice givenafter blackleg wiped out thecanola industry in the 1970s.

Mr McCaffery said duringthe 1990s the golden crop wasmaking as much money aswheat, to the point where manygrowers adopted a canola-wheat-canola-wheat rotation.

“This put enormous diseasepressure on crops for not onlyblackleg but also diseases suchas sclerotinia.

“This intensity of canola isnot desirable long-term, pri-marily because of the diseaserisk.”

But after the drought years,many growers are back in thatrotation in the higher rainfallareas of central and southernNSW.

Research in the past five to sixyears confirms that distancefrom the previous season’s stu-bble is more important in det-ermining the disease pressure

from blackleg than the one yearin four rule, or even one yearin three.

Today, there are many wellresearched tools and guidelinesavailable to reduce blacklegrisk, for example:

● Separating canola at least500 metres from last year’s stu-bble – one year old stubble isthe primary source of disease;

● Selecting varieties withgood blackleg resistance;

● Using fungicide seed treat-ments and fungicide amendedfertiliser; and,

● Sowing early.These factors, together with

the rainfall zone canola is beinggrown in and its cropping int-ensity, are brought together inan easy to follow decision guidecalled the Blackleg Risk Asse-ssor, available on the GRDCwebsite.

The Blackleg Risk Assessorenables growers and advisersto assess the risk of yield lossfrom blackleg down to the ind-ividual paddock level.

■ Contact Don McCaffery,Orange, (02) 6391 3648,[email protected], Kurt Lindbeck, WaggaWagga, (02) 6938 1608,[email protected]

Handing on the farm:Free farm succession andbusiness continuity planningworkshops will be held in Forbes on Wednesday,March 21, and Parkes onThursday, March 22, from 10am until 1pm.

The workshops are beingconducted in response to theNSW Department of PrimaryIndustries (DPI) receivingnumerous requests from farm

families who want moreinformation about how to startthe planning process.

Land tenure, conveyancing,stamp duty, wills, power ofattorney, interactive businessplanning and managing yourhealth and wellbeing will becovered.

Presented by the NSW DPI and the Rural Adversity MentalHealth Program, the workshopswill bring together local

solicitors, accountants, ruralfinancial counsellors, healthprofessionals and Centrelinkrepresentatives to explain theservices available to farmfamilies.■ People wishing toparticipate should register by Thursday,March 15, by contactingCheryl Pope,(02) 6391 3948,[email protected]

Making NewsMaking News Keep canola inand blackleg out

Gene breakthroughRESEARCH pathologistshave been able to identifythe resistance genes orgene combinations behindeach canola variety’sblackleg resistance.

This has allowed thepreliminary grouping ofvarieties based on theirblackleg resistance genes,much the same way asherbicides are placed indifferent groups based ontheir “mode of action”.

From 2013, growers will

be able to rotate canolavarieties as another toolto manage blackleg andreduce the risk of thepathogen overcomingvariety resistance.

This new tool will bemade available to theindustry in spring thisyear.

Plant pathologist KurtLindbeck is picturedinspecting blackleg on2011 canola stubble nearWagga Wagga.

Photo: Don McCaffery

LUCERNE and fodder producers have a final opp-ortunity to take advantage of the DAFF FarmReadyscheme with two upcoming NSW DPI Profarmcourses at Yanco.

“Irrigated Lucerne for Profit” and “Topfodder Sil-age” are comprehensive, practical courses designedfor anyone who wants to improve their lucerneand silage productivity and profitability.

The courses are conducted by NSW DPI profes-sionals with many years of experience.

Both courses are registered for FarmReady fund-ing.

Eligible primary producers can claim a 65 percent refund on the course fee, as well as funds fortravel, accommodation and child care.

The scheme will end in May 2012 and refundswill no longer be available.

● Irrigated Lucerne for Profit, March 27–29,● Topfodder Silage, May 8–10.

■ Contact 1800 628422 or Mary-Anne Lattimore(02) 6951 2695, or visit www.profarm.com.au forcourse information and www.farmready.gov.aufor information about FarmReady.

LEFT:RobertHoogers(stripedshirt),NSW DPIirrigationofficer atYanco,showsfarmerswhattheyneed toknowaboutsoils forlucerne.

Last chance forFarmReady refund

CropMate provides weather and climate information and access to a wide range of decision support tools to improve farm businesses.

Click on NSW, Queensland, Victoriaor South Australia, select a town and 100 years of climate data and current weather information willbe at your finger tips.

www.dpi.nsw.gov.au…a weather companion for advisors and grain growers

CropMate – a NEW interactive website…designed for grains industry advisors, agronomists and farmers across the eastern States

Information on the website is divided into five sections that follow the cropping calendar:

preseason planning,sowing, spraying,tracking the season, andharvest.

CropMate has been developed by NSW Department of PrimaryIndustries using real time data from the Bureau of Meteorology and the Queensland ClimateChange Centre of Excellence.

Find the CropMate website at http://cropmate.agriculture.nsw.gov.au

WWW. D P I . N SW. GO V. AU

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Page 11: Agriculture Today - March 2012€¦ · NSW DPI soils researcher Mark Conyers said after long term trials showed conservation farming did lit-tle to increase soil carbon levels, dis-appointed

AGRICULTURE TODAY | Thursday, March 1, 2012 11● ● ● ●

Newclovers

increasedrylandoptions

BISERRULA, serradella,bladder and gland cloverare some of the new

annual legume pasture speciescreating more options for dry-land farmers in NSW.

Mike O’Hare from “Green-dale”, Beckom in the state’ssouth-west has been growingthe new pasture species for thelast three years and so far isdelighted with their perform-ance.

“The beauty of these newlegumes is that they are toughand easy to grow, and theyproduce plenty of seed thatyou can harvest yourself whichincreases your options,” hesaid.

“They are also great for weedcontrol.

“Traditionally, sub clover wasthe mainstay of pastures inthis area and it worked fineuntil the drought.

“After that I was keen to tryvarieties better adapted todrier climates.”

Biserrula and serradella seemto fit the bill.

They have deep root systems,so make good use of limitedrainfall and provide green feeduntil early summer.

They also fix plenty of nitro-gen in the soil for subsequentcrops.

Mr O’Hare said unlike subclover, they are aerial seedersand produce large amounts ofhard seed which allows themto resist germination due tofalse breaks in summer.

“But they regenerate well

with late summer rains, so getaway earlier in the second year.

“Once established, theyregenerate well after the crop-ping phase.

“I particularly like biserrulafor its growth and weed con-trol.

“It’s a magnificent plant thatperforms well in both wet anddry seasons.

“It’s palatability isn’t greatbut I consider it the “Allbran”of pastures – it doesn’t tastethe best but it is healthy.

“The sheep preferentiallygraze out the weeds but per-form really well on it as well.”

According to Mr O’Hare, theonly downside is the risk ofphotosensitisation in sheep.

But he hasn’t seen any yetand understands that it is easi-ly remedied by moving sheepout of the paddock.

Establishing these pastures isa bit different.

Apart from bladder clover,they don’t suit under-sowing(sowing pasture seed withcereal crops) because of theirhard seed.

Initially Mr O’Hare sowedblocks of scarified seed into aprepared seedbed, but thentried spreading legume seedinto cereal stubble close to theautumn break, with some suc-cess.

“I plan to sow about onethird of my pastures to biser-rula and the other two thirdsto a mixture of bladder andgland clovers.

“Bladder clover grows wellon the loams and lighter soilswhile gland clover suits bothheavy and light loams, is tough

and is tolerant of MCPA, soagain makes weed controleasy.

“This year I’ll disc the blad-der clover seed dry into thestubble in summer.

“The high temperaturesshould break down the hardseed enough to get germina-tion when it rains in autumn.

“I’ll spread the gland cloverand biserrulla later.”

All will have dry (clay-based)inoculum spread with the fer-tiliser before sowing.

“This is a bit hardier thanregular inoculant,” he said.

Both bladder and gland haveproduced excellent seed yields,though Mr O’Hare wouldn’tharvest the seed every year.

Harvesting with a conven-tional open front headerworks well but if the standgoes down in wet weather, hecan rake it into windrows anduse a pick up front.

This can be done after thecereal harvest, so fits in wellwith other farm activities.

Mr O’Hare also likes ser-radella as a pasture.

“It is palatable and growswell on light country, but issensitive to MCPA and there ismore work to be done on har-vesting this species”, he said.

“I’ve found that once it goesdown, the pods are difficult tothresh and it blocks up theheader.

“Once that problem issolved, I’ll be growing more ofit.”■ Contact Mary-AnneLattimore, Yanco(02) 6951 2695, [email protected]

MARY-ANNE LATTIMOREYanco

Mike O’Hare says the beauty of hislegumes at Beckom is they are tough,easy to grow and produce plenty ofseed that he can harvest himself toincrease options.

How risky is it to applynitrogen to the surface?RESEARCH in northern NSWis giving confidence to grow-ers who want to surface-applynitrogen as an in-crop appli-cation to winter cereals.

There are many benefits tosplitting nitrogen application.

A common approach is toapply a portion of the crop’stotal needs at or before sow-ing and apply the rest at midto late tillering.

Splitting nitrogen applica-tions prevents crops fromproducing excessive biomassearly, which uses up valuablemoisture.

Split applications also allowgrowers to assess seasonalconditions before making afinal decision on total nitro-gen application.

Many growers are concernedabout the risk of losing nitro-gen to the atmosphere throughvolatilisation when spread-ding nitrogen in crop.

Ideally nitrogen is appliedto dry soil before rain whichwill dissolve the fertiliser andmove the nitrogen into thesoil where it can bind to clay.

But what happens if it does-n’t rain?

Trials in the Edgeroi district(near Narrabri) and Mullaley(near Gunnedah) in July, Aug-ust and September 2011 exa-mined the losses resultingfrom crop application to wheatof solid urea, green urea, liq-

uid urea, liquid ammoniumnitrate and liquid UAN, dur-ing mid to late tillering.

The trials involved spread-ing fertiliser in 50 metre dia-meter circles in establishedcrops.

Solid products were handspread and liquid productswere applied with streamingbar nozzles at 10cm spacing.

A tower in the centre of eachcircle carried tubes whichcaptured ammonia producedthrough volatilisation.

The tubes were taken backto a laboratory for measure-ment at regular intervals.

Each application was mon-itored for one month after theapplication of fertiliser andtotal nitrogen losses were cal-culated.

All sites experienced relati-vely dry conditions followingapplication.

At Edgeroi there was littlerain during the trial period,at Mullaley several small fallsin the first 10 days after app-lication totalled less than10mm.

Despite these conditions,losses were minimal, approx-imately five kilograms perhectare of nitrogen of a totalapplication of 60kg/ha atEdgeroi and less than 10kg/haN out of a total applicationof 80kg/ha at Mullaley.

The crop protected the

ground surface from the windand air movement, which inc-reases the risk of loss.

This, combined with lowertemperatures in winter andearly spring is thought to beresponsible for the low lossesof applied N at these sites.

Additional work in Novem-ber and December looked atsurface application of ureaand ammonium sulphate tofallow ground prior to cropestablishment on two blacksoil paddocks in the Caroonaarea (near Quirindi).

One paddock had a relative-ly high level of carbonates inthe surface soil - 8.2 per cent.

Carbonate is known to inc-rease the risk of volatilisationbut is relatively rare in north-ern NSW cropping soils.

Losses were significant inthe high carbonate paddock,up to 30pc of the appliedammonium sulphate and10pc of the applied urea.

A very small fall of rain justafter application may havealso contributed to volatilisa-tion by dissolving the fertilis-ers without moving theminto the soil.

Much less volatilisation occ-urred in the second paddockwith low carbonate levels.

Slightly more rain may havealso assisted in making fertil-iser safe in this case.

– BILL MANNING

Trial co-operator Anthony Martin, Mullaley, in a crop of mungbeans. He crops black vertosol atMullaley near Gunnedah and hosted a surface-applied nitrogen trial site. Mr Martin frequently appliesnitrogen in-crop and monitors the resulting crop performance for yield and protein. He believes in-crop applications during winter are relatively safe and is confident to continue the practice.

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Page 12: Agriculture Today - March 2012€¦ · NSW DPI soils researcher Mark Conyers said after long term trials showed conservation farming did lit-tle to increase soil carbon levels, dis-appointed

Walgett improves water

12 AGRICULTURE TODAY | Thursday, March 1, 2012● ● ● ●

The first series of droughttolerance trials begins

TWO new mango varieties areunder development for the smallbut dynamic NSW mango ind-ustry.

“The varieties, selected from aQueensland breeding trial fortheir suitability to the coolerclimate in NSW, are receiving ahigh level of interest from localgrowers,” said NSW DPI tropi-cal horticulture industry leaderMark Hickey.

“The flavour and appearanceof these new selections is veryencouraging.

“Some of our NSW growersare keen to get growing materialfor evaluation in their orchards– when it becomes available.”

Mr Hickey said the most com-mon variety in Australia and inNSW was Kensington Pride, alsoknown as Bowen, but newer var-ieties such as Calypso and Hon-eyGold are proving popular.

“With the mango harvest und-erway in NSW, varietal perform-ance is a talking point amonggrowers.

“The Northern NSW crop isonce again patchy this season,with Kensington Pride cropsfailing on most farms, and vari-able reports on performance ofother varieties.

“Calypso and Honeygold haveonce again proven more reliablethan KP, even with the cool start

to the season and wet spring.”Mr Hickey said the North

Coast mango industry extendsthe growing season and the ava-ilability of fruit.

“While most mangoes aregrown commercially in the Nor-thern Territory, Queenslandand Western Australia, NSW isa small but important player.

“You might say NSW growersprovide the last chance each sea-son for Australians to have amango.

“Everybody thinks once Christ-mas is over, so are the mangoes.

“But NSW is giving people anopportunity after Australia Dayand onwards.”

Growers from South EastQueensland, the Coffs Harbourregions and the NSW NorthernRivers met last month at theNSW DPI Centre for TropicalHorticulture at Alstonville for aworkshop and farmwalk.

“The prevalence of fungal dis-ease as a result of the recent wetweather has focused growers’ att-ention on better disease man-agement,” Mr Hickey said.

“Speakers at the field day emp-hasised the importance of main-taining orchard hygiene, byremoving infected wood andprunings from the orchard, eff-ectively reducing the inoculumlevels in the orchard.”

A FIRST series of trials aimedat improving wheat yield andquality in drought-prone envi-ronments has been completedat the Managed EnvironmentFacility (MEF) at Yanco Agri-cultural Institute.

Data has been collected fromapproximately 2500 trial plotsand preliminary results areexpected shortly.

Following a national reviewof drought research facilitiesacross Australia, the GrainsResearch and DevelopmentCorporation (GRDC) recom-mended the establishment ofthree MEFs to conduct fieldresearch of broadacre crops inkey targeted environments.

Yanco was selected as onesite representative of drylandwater-limited environmentsin southern NSW and north-ern Victoria.

In a joint initiative with theNSW Department of PrimaryIndustries (DPI), the GRDC isinvesting $1.63 million over

five years to build

essential infrastructure andprovide support for field res-earch projects aimed at identi-fying adaptive traits (pheno-typing) and management stra-tegies.

“Emphasis is on cereals grow-ing in water-limited or drought-prone environments,”said NSWDPI technical officer at theMEF, Rick Graham.

Other facilities have been est-ablished at Narrabri in northwestern NSW, and Merredinin Western Australia’s centraleastern grain belt.

Located in major wintercereal production zones, theMEFs will apply controlledwater-stress treatments andhigh temperature stresses dur-ing grain fill.

“These conditions are achie-ved through the timing andapplication of adequate con-trolled irrigation and by timeof sowing,” Mr Graham said.

“Differential irrigation willbe used to generate dominantstress patterns.

“The Yanco MEF will enableresearchers to produce accu-rate, repeatable and relevantdrought response phenotypesfor key winter cereals underfield conditions.

“These phenotypes will pro-vide the basis for gene discov-ery and marker development,improving the rates of geneticgain in Australia’s water-limit-ed environments.”

Yield and quality improve-ments are needed to sustainthe grains industry under cur-rent conditions of low rainfalland seasonal variability, giventhe predicted impacts of cli-mate change.■ Contact Rick Graham,Yanco, (02) 6951 2723,[email protected]

BELOW: Participants in a GRDCworkshop at Yanco MEF hear DrDavid Deery from CSIRO explainsoil moisture monitoringequipment in the trial plots.

Photo: Rick Graham

NSW extends themango season SATELLITE technology is

on trial for its capacity tohelp irrigators in

northern NSW monitor cropwater use.

IrriSAT technology is a web-based system that uses bothsatellite images and localweather data to monitor crop water use.

The technology can also be used to det-ect in field crop growth variability dur-ing the season and conduct end of sea-son benchmarking to compare wateruse between fields.

IrriSAT’s ability to function as a yieldprediction tool is also being explored inthe trial, by irrigation officers from NSWDPI and CSIRO Land and Water.

Funding for the project is being pro-vided by the Cotton Research Develop-ment Corporation.

Irrigators’ interest in the technologyhas grown rapidly since it was first tri-alled with cotton growers three yearsago, thanks to extension activities byNSW DPI officers Janelle Montgomery,Rod Jackson and Tim Weaver.

The cotton area being monitored innorthern NSW has increased five-foldfrom 20,000 hectares in 2010-11 to100,000ha in 2011-12.

This season NSW DPI invited mem-bers of the Walgett Cotton Growers’Association (CGA) to participate in theIrriSAT trial.

While Walgett has sustained two floodsin the past six months and some of thebest rainfall in decades, drought andzero water allocations in the precedingseven years made irrigators determinedto look for new ways to save water andincrease water use efficiency.

“It would be great for them to bench-

mark against other irrigators so theycould then improve or change their stra-tegies,” said president of Walgett CGAand local irrigator Toby Moore.

John Norman, Norman Farms, Too-beah, was another who signed up all hiscotton this season.

“Measuring crop water use across mywhole farm allows me to compare theefficiency of individual fields,” MrNorman said.

“IrriSAT measures what water actuallygoes through the plant, there is noguessing, so it gives an accurate measureof crop water use.”

To help Walgett CGA participate inthe trial, NSW DPI also assisted theirapplication to Cotton Australia to funda weather station capable of measuringand relaying real time weather informa-tion.

Decisions relating to further trials orpossible commercialisation of the tech-nology to industry will be made at theend of the 2011-12 cotton season.■ Contact Tim Weaver, Walgett,0409 069 277,[email protected],Rod Jackson, Narrabri,(02) 6799 1537,[email protected]

Irrigators James Moore and Toby Moore with Agronomist Lori Nemec (centre) and thenew weather station located at “Walma”.

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Department of Primary Industries – PROfarm…we’ve got the right course for youThrough PROfarm, farmers across NSW now have access to an expanded range of new and improved courses and training opportunities to improve skills and keep up-to-date with the latest farming practices.

There are now over 130 PROfarm courses available. Courses available over the coming months include SMARTtrain

chemical risk management & OHS risk management on farms, Better bull buying, Safe tractor operation & maintenance, Topfodder™ silage, Wean more lambs, and Prograze™. Many PROfarm courses are subsidised, reflecting the benefits to the community of land managers adopting sustainable farming practices.

To find out more about PROfarm courses in your area:

see the PROfarm website in northern NSWphone 1800 025 520in southern NSWphone 1800 628 422.

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Page 13: Agriculture Today - March 2012€¦ · NSW DPI soils researcher Mark Conyers said after long term trials showed conservation farming did lit-tle to increase soil carbon levels, dis-appointed

RECENT increases in fleabaneinfestations have spurred theneed for better understanding

and improved management.Eight fleabane populations are con-

firmed resistant to glyphosate innorthern NSW and southern Queens-land and the weed is now severelyinfesting cropping lands, roadsidesand other non-agricultural areas.

Focusing control efforts on themajor emergence flushes in winterand spring using mixtures of knock-down and residual herbicides, withthe option of strategic tilling in fal-lows, will be most effective.

“Integrated management, incorpo-rating chemical and non-chemicalcontrol options should be adopted tomanage fleabane and prevent therapid development of herbicideresistance,” said Wagga Wagga seniorresearch scientist Hanwen Wu.

“A landscape approach, targetingcrops, pastures, fallows, fence lines

and roadsides is necessary, otherwisere-infestation and new infestation inuntreated areas will occur.

“Flaxleaf fleabane produces massiveamounts of seeds that spread rapidlyon the wind and a small percentageof survivors is enough to maintainhigh seedbank levels in followingyears.

“Stopping seedset is of paramountimportance, but unfortunately, manymature plants are left unchecked insummer and continue to produceseed.”

The unique protective leaf structureof mature fleabane (Conyza bonar-iensis) restricts foliar herbicide uptake,so use of residual herbicides is animportant strategy.

Residual herbicides often controlmultiple flushes of fleabane in wintercereals, pastures and fallows but careshould be taken when using them asthey may restrict the choice of rota-tional crops.

Herbicide mixtures are generallymore effective than single herbicidessuch as glyphosate or paraquat.

Adding a suitable phenoxy herbi-cide to glyphosate greatly improvescontrol in fallows.

A timely follow up application ofparaquat will help achieve consistentresults.

Applications of tank mixtures ofparaquat and triazine herbicides (forexample, atrazine or simazine) in earlyJuly provide excellent control of

seedlings in established lucerne-based pastures, but will damage und-ersown subclover and chicory.

Dr Wu said fleabane was a poorcompetitor.

“Growing competitive crops andavoiding wide row spacing can helpreduce fleabane populations,” he said.

“Another potential control tactic isstrategic tillage in fallows.

“Fleabane seed is very sensitive to

burial and seedlings will only emergefrom seed on or near the soil surface.”

Aggressive re-growth of matureplants after slashing or grazing andthe prolonged emergence duringwinter and spring requires multiplecontrol actions.

Seedlings are easier to control, so itis best to apply herbicides when theplants are small and actively growing.

Fleabane prefers cool and moist

conditions and temperatures between20-25°C for optimum germination.

It cannot germinate below five deg-rees or above 35°.

This is why fleabane emerges mainlyin winter and early spring, with lim-ited emergence in summer and the dryautumn period in southern NSW.■ Contact Hanwen Wu, WaggaWagga, (02) 6938 1602,[email protected]

AGRICULTURE TODAY | Thursday, March 1, 2012 13● ● ● ●

Integrate winterfleabane control

Hanwen Wu inspects herbicide control efficacy on fleabane in a degraded lucerne pasture. He says winter control is mosteffective using a mixture of knockdown and residual herbicides.

Photo: Bill Littlewood

Leading national scientists andagronomists will present researchupdates on key issues associated withfleabane management.Growers and advisors are welcome toattend, at the CSU Convention Centre,Wagga Wagga, March, 21-22.■ Register atwww.grahamcentre.net

Two Wagga WorkshopsTwo Wagga Workshops

Silage helps to manage seeds:The fate of weed seeds incorporated insilage has been investigated.

Research has involved recovering weedseeds after they have being ensiled inchopped cereal silage for three months todetermine germination and viability.

The research also looked at the viability ofseeds after being in the rumen of cattle for48 hours.

The weeds investigated included barleygrass, brome grass, silvergrass, wild oats,Paterson’s curse, silverleaf nightshade, wildradish, wireweed, prairie ground cherry andmarshmallow.

“Our research showed that almost all theweed seeds lost all viability after beingstored in silage,” said Charles Sturt Universityweeds research officer Rex Stanton.

“The major exception was marshmallowseed, which after both digestion and ensilingstill had more than 40 percent viability,” DrStanton said.

He and silage expert and NSW Departmentof Primary Industries livestock researchofficer John Piltz conducted their researchthrough the EH Graham Centre.

They also found viability of seeds frommost species was also reduced in the rumenafter 48 hours, though the effect was lessthan ensiling.

Other notable results were that seed fromtwo summer weeds, silverleaf nightshadeand prairie ground cherry also survived thedigestion process with little loss in viability.

Livestock could graze on mature berriesin the field and potentially spread theseweeds.

“Overall, silage was far more reliable forreducing weed seed viability than digestionin the rumen, and the combination of bothprocesses had the biggest effect, destroyingmost seeds,” said Mr Piltz.

It is not yet fully understood what aspectsof silage are critical for killing weed seeds.

Plans are underway for further research,

which will include a wider range of weedseeds and silage types.■ Contact Rex Stanton,(02) 6938 1618, [email protected],John Piltz, (02) 6938 1839,[email protected]

Risk management review: Theprotocol for guiding the most efficient use ofresources for weed management at regional,State, territory and national levels is underreview.

The goal is to target management ofweeds that pose the highest risk and have ahigh feasibility of co-ordinated control.

Analysis of the impact of climate changeon weeds is part of the review.

So is a new section on how to risk assesscontentious or “commercial” weed speciesperceived to have economic value that alsopose a risk to different sections of primaryproduction systems, the environment orcommunity.

Weed ecologist Dr Stephen Johnson saidthis expanded coverage would improveoptions for land managers.

“The project will review and documentnational and international best-practice, usinga number of case studies and will includehow to best risk assess aquatic weeds, theimpacts of weeds on human culture and howbest to assess economic costs,” he said.

Dr Johnson, based in Orange with NSWDepartment of Primary Industries, is co-ordinating the review, involving weed riskassessment staff from all States andterritories and several universities until May.

The work is funded in partnership throughthe National Weeds and ProductivityResearch Program, managed by the RuralIndustries Research and DevelopmentCorporation for the Australian government,and State and territory participants.■ Contact Stephen Johnson, Orange,(02) 6391 3146,[email protected]

Making NewsMaking News

THE EH Graham Centre will collaboratewith the University of Adelaide to inves-tigate emerging weed issues and how toimprove integrated weed management,especially in summer weeds.

This GRDC-supported project will col-laborate extensively with farming systemsgroups, district agronomists and keyconsultancy groups across the southernregion, for three years.

“Changes in farming systems and farmpractices, combined with variation in cli-mate, can leave farmers facing new weedproblems,” said Professor Leslie Weston,strategic research professor with theGraham Centre.

Widespread adoption of no-till agricul-ture has decreased soil disturbance andled to an increase in small-seeded sum-mer active weed species such as fleabane,windmill grass and hairy panic.

These weeds can be difficult to control

with glyphosate alone and often usevaluable summer fallow moisture andnutrients, as they complete their lifecyclebefore dispersing large numbers of viableweed seeds into the soil seedbank.

“A better understanding of these keyweeds will be gained through studies look-ing at their biology and ecology,” ProfWeston said.

“Knowing the weak point in the lifecy-cle of a weed lets us know when and whereto focus our control efforts.

“This helps with developing practicalrecommendations to minimise theimpacts of these weeds.”

Studies by Prof Weston, project manag-er Dr Rex Stanton and their team willfocus on the integration of stubble, till-age, herbicides and crop rotations to man-age weeds during the summer fallow per-iod.

Field trials will identify new herbicide

options and other treatments that can pro-vide cost effective control of these weeds.

“New herbicide options or strategies forcontrol of summer fallow weeds could beidentified,” Prof Weston said.

There is evidence that crop stubbles caninhibit crop and weed emergence.

Trials will be conducted to investigatehow best to manage stubble to reduceweed establishment.

Weed suppressive cover crops includingforages may also be effective rotationsconsidered in this project.

“Managing weed seed is also an impor-tant part of a good weed control program,”Prof Weston said.

“Technologies need to be evaluated forintegration of weed seed managementduring harvest.”■ Contact Professor Leslie Weston,(02) 6933 2429, or Dr Rex Stanton,(02) 6938 1618.

Collaboration targets summer weeds

Rex Stanton examines witch grass atWagga Wagga Agricultural Institute.

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Page 14: Agriculture Today - March 2012€¦ · NSW DPI soils researcher Mark Conyers said after long term trials showed conservation farming did lit-tle to increase soil carbon levels, dis-appointed

14 AGRICULTURE TODAY | Thursday, March 1, 2012● ● ● ●

‘Spectacular’ DPI feedback program

IN THE dynamic ebb and flow ofinternational demand for Australianbeef, the emergence of new marketshelps to keep prices to producersreasonable.

Russia has proven to be a goodmarket for Australia – to get an idea,tally up five per cent of the annualvalue of approximately four billiondollars – and a lot of effort has gone

into developing this trade.Russia takes manufacturing beef and

a lot of our offal, especially liver.It is likely that most of our export

abattoirs supply this Russian offalmarket, from a big percentage of bothdairy and beef cattle killed inAustralia.

Even if the cattle Australianproducers sell are not directly targetedat the Russian market, the offal maygo there.

So the Russian market is reallyimportant, worth the effort to developand protect.

However, unlike other countries weexport to, this market has a virtual

zero tolerance for certain antibioticresidues, in particular oxytetracyclineand chlortetracycline.

These tetracyclines are antibioticswidely used in beef and dairyproduction and it is important theirresidues are not present in productsdestined for Russia.

Like all antibiotics they must beused according to label instructions soabsence of residues can be shown.

If the label says inject in the neckand not the rump, this must be done.

If it says inject only a certainamount in each site, this must also bedone.

Different antibiotics and different

brands with the same activeingredient can have different ExportSlaughter Intervals (ESI).

It is really important these beadhered to.

SAFEMEAT has now implemented a90-day provisional Russian ESI for alltetracycline products, except Alamycin10 Injection which is 35 days, toprotect the market.

Producers must declare the status oftheir livestock against this ESI on theirvendor declaration.

Producers who have not usedproducts containing oxytetracyclineor chlortetracycline or whose cattlecomply with the 90 day (or 35 for

Alamycin 10) ESI must write “RussianEligible” at Question 9 on their NVD(or Question 8 for EU cattle).

If you have treated cattle within 90days then you should not write thestatement.

Sheepmeat is also of interest to theRussians and the same information isrequired at Question 7 on any sheepNVD.

Accurate declarations are a criticalfactor in maintaining this market.

Talk to your vet or livestock advisorto clarify what you are required to doand to declare.■ Read Brian’s column online atwww.dpi.nsw.gov.au/agtoday

THE Steer Feedback Trial co-ordinated by a team of NSWDPI beef cattle livestock offi-

cers will be a major drawcard at theNSW Beef Spectacular and DubboFarms Expo in Dubbo this month.

The Beef Cattle show and TradeField day will be held at DubboShowgrounds March 14-15 andthousands of NSW beef producersare expected to attend.

NSW DPI beef industry leaderSteve Exton says the trial will providepractical help to producers.

“This is a great opportunity forcommercial beef and stud producersto gain valuable feedback, so theycan learn more about how their cattleare performing at all the points of the

supply chain and make informedbreeding decisions,” Mr Exton said.

“The trial attracts hundreds ofentries from across Australia, lastyear’s champion pen was a Blue-Eentry by the Wright family fromWoodstock in NSW.”

Teys Australia, Certified AustralianAngus Beef and The Land are sup-porting the Steer Feedback Trial.

Another highlight of the event willbe the LandLearn NSW SpeechSpectacular, which aims to give pri-mary students from across the State achance to talk about topics closelyrelated to agriculture.

Fourteen primary school childrenhave made it into the final round ofthe annual public speaking competi-

tion at Dubbo, and will be speakingon the topic: “Australian versus for-eign produce. How can Australiawin?”

The 2012 winner will be invited todeliver the speech at the SydneyRoyal Easter Show in April.

Beef Spectacular also provides visi-tors the opportunity to meet some ofthe State’s top breeders and industryexperts.

The NSW DPI livestock officers willbe hosting daily seminars on currentindustry challenges.

“Our staff will also be on sitethroughout the event to give infor-mation on programs that help pro-ducers improve their productivityand profitability,” Mr Exton said.

INTERNATIONAL scientistshave reinforced the impor-tance of bovine Johne's dis-ease (BJD) control measuresfor beef and dairy producersin NSW at a recent conferencein Sydney.

Experts from around theworld who are working onJohne's disease in animalscame together at the 11thInternational Colloquium onParatuberculosis in February.

NSW chief veterinarian IanRoth said it was clear from thepresentations that the healthstatus of NSW livestock is in afavourable position relative toother countries.

“Maintaining and improv-ing this status is important forour future export opportuni-ties – not to mention the on-farm benefits of controllingBJD,” he said.

BJD is a chronic disease ofcattle which has no cure.Affected animals become thinand can ultimately die.

Mr Roth said BJD can beintroduced when you buy cat-tle – but there are tools toreduce your risk of bringingaffected animals into yourherd.

“All cattle buyers should askabout the BJD status of stockbefore purchase and buy onlylow risk cattle – people sellingdairy cattle must declare theBJD Assurance Score of everyconsignment offered for sale.

“The Dairy BJD AssuranceScore is a herd scoring systemout of 10, based on the level of

risk of BJD associated with theherd.

The higher the BJD AssuranceScore the lower the risk,” hesaid.

“Beef only producers areadvised to avoid buying dairycattle or to only buy dairy cat-tle with a BJD Assurance Scoreof eight or more (from a CattleMAP herd).”

Mr Roth said presentationsover the four days of the con-ference gave an update on lab-oratory tests, which livestockare affected and the impact ofthe disease on production.

“It seems likely that better

tests will result from some ofthe new developments andthat vaccination will have arole in controlling disease inthe future.”

Mr Roth said the conferencewas a timely opportunity,given developments in NSWin Johne’s disease control andmanagement in cattle.

The national Animal HealthCommittee and the NationalJohne’s Disease SteeringCommittee are working onproposed changes, which arecurrently being considered forintroduction, to the way BJD ismanaged in Australia.

LandLearn NSW education officer Carolyn Smith with the overall winner of the2011 Speech Spectacular, Callum Hislop from Leeton.

NSW DPI cattle health co-ordinator Graham Bailey (right) andveterinary officer Rob Barwell heard at the recent conference onParatuberculosis that the health status of NSW livestock is in afavourable position relative to other countries.

Get antibiotic declarations right to protect Russian market

Conference backs theBJD control measures

www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/bookshop

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AGRICULTURE TODAY | Thursday, March 1, 2012 15● ● ● ●

ATHREE-year researchproject will focusresearch on grazing

management options thatboost sheep production, natu-ral resource outcomes and soilcarbon sequestration.

Australian Wool InnovationLtd has committed $540,000.

NSW DPI research agrono-mist, Warwick Badgery, saysthere’s been a growing moveto intensive rotational grazingsystems but little scientificresearch to help farmers getthe full benefits.

“There is considerable scopeto adapt cell and time con-trolled grazing systems toimprove per head production,increase stocking rates andimprove overall productionwhile boosting environmentaloutcomes,” Dr Badgery said.

“We’ve taken results fromour four-year EverGraze trialnear Orange, which comparedset stocking and rotationalgrazing systems, and will bebuilding on those findings to

determine the optimum rota-tional grazing system.

“The project demonstratedthat a 20-paddock intensiverotational grazing systemcould be managed to enhanceground cover and standingherbage, which can bufferagainst feed deficits.

“The intensive rotationalgrazing system was able to runa higher stocking rate but perhead production was lowerthan in the set stocking sys-tem.

“Lifting per head produc-tion while maintaining envi-ronmental benefits is a chal-lenge and we will be exploringa variety of managementoptions to deliver both.

Dr Badgery said that the in-built flexibility of rotationalgrazing systems can takeadvantage of seasonal condi-tions and pasture growthcycles.

“Flexible grazing manage-ment can use pastures whenthey are growing quickly andreduce stock pressure whengrowth slows.”

Research will focus on stock-

ing rate, paddock numbersand the timing of rotationsfor typical native and intro-duced pastures to determineoptimum grazing.

Trial sites of introduced pas-ture at the Orange Agri-cultural Institute and nativepastures at farm near Cargohave been established thisyear.

Trial results will be linked toother NSW DPI investigationswhich are measuring theimpact of land use on broad-scale levels of soil carbon inthe catchment.■ Contact Dr WarwickBadgery, Orange,(02) 6391 3814,[email protected]

LEFT: Researchers Dr AaronSimmons and Dr WarwickBadgery set up the new AWIgrazing trial at the OrangeAgricultural Institute. They aremonitoring pasture, soil carbonlevels and livestock productionas the three-year trial exploresintensive rotational grazingmanagement options.

THE demands of producinggood pork profitably are put-ting pressure on farmers whomay have run a few pigs on theside for a bit of extra cash.

“The days of giving the pigssome grain and putting themin the paddock – set and forgetmanagement – are just aboutover,” said Jayce Morgan, piglivestock officer at Tamworth.

“Low input pig farming maybe low cost but it is a false econ-omy and risks producing aninferior product – not to men-tion animal welfare issues andthe potential ramifications forthe owners.

“The pig welfare code is legis-lated and there are specific ani-mal health and care require-ments.”

Ms Morgan said producingpork requires time and effort –and healthy, well-fed pigs forgood returns.

“Looking after sows, in par-ticular, is vitally important,” shesaid.

“The pork producing poten-tial of the pig is determinedbefore it is born.

“Sow care and nutritionaffects foetal development and

the numbers and type of mus-cle fibres in the foetus.

“Poorly fed sows may stillraise their litter but they do soby drawing on the fat and mus-cle tissues of their own body tomeet the needs of lactation.

“This in turn affects theirreproductive capacity in thefuture in terms of the length oftime it takes to get them preg-nant again and the litter sizepossible.”

Ms Morgan said nutritionalstress for the sow means lessmilk production and slowergrowing piglets.

“So begins a cycle whereeverything takes longer,” shesaid.

“The longer it takes to getpigs to market the more feedthey eat and feed costs increaseas a result – even if you areusing a cheap ration.

“The longer it takes to get asow back into pig, the fewerpigs per year are produced forsale – another hidden cost.

Slow growing piglets takelonger to reach market weightand their muscle productionpotential is impaired – musclemeans meat.

“When a growing animal eatsfood, a proportion of that foodis directed to body mainte-nance – keeping the existingbody functioning.

“Any extra food is then usedfor growth.”

Ms Morgan said young, wellnourished pigs have a goodpotential for muscle growthbut as they age this potentialdecreases and extra food resultsin more fat.

“Slow growing pigs do nothave meaty carcases and if fedextra food later in their lifetend to use that food for fatproduction.

“Over fat carcases are heavilypenalised at abattoirs.

“Poorly grown pigs withunderdeveloped hams attractlow prices at sale yards and areavoided by meat buyers.”

Ms Morgan said raising pigswas a seven day a week respon-sibility.

“Producing pork requirestime, effort and attention to thenutritional needs of the pig forgood returns.”■ Contact Jayce Morgan,Tamworth, (02) 6763 1257,[email protected]

Strengtheninggrazing success

BERNADETTE YORKOrange

Pigs on the side requiremore effort than you think

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