GRDC Research Update in NACC NRM Region

Home 🞂 Newsroom 🞂 GRDC Research Update in NACC NRM Region
Growers and industry people in the Northern Agricultural Region were fortunate last month to be the first to hear the very latest in grain research at a Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) research update in Northampton.

Hosted by the Northern Agri Group, in partnership with the Grain Industry Association of Western Australia, the event attracted a great turnout of participants from across the region and a fantastic line-up of speakers who covered a wide range of timely and relevant topics.

These presentations included a talk by Peter Roberts of GRDC-West on future direction of GRDC; and various presentations on strategies to deal with soil constraints, crop varieties, crop nutrients, weeds, frost, pests and diseases.

Other highlights included a great presentation by Dr Greg Rebetzke of CSIRO who talked about how to handle heat stress at both ends of the season.

“Climate change models are revealing increasingly warmer air temperatures and increased likelihood of wetter summers to affect the sowing WA winter crops,” Dr Rebetzke said. “Making better use of this subsoil moisture will require a subtle change in the genetic controls of establishment and crop development to ensure crops emerge well and flower at correct time.”

“Warmer temperatures speed-up coleoptile elongation to shorten coleoptile length and reduce plan establishment with deep-sowing. Similarly, warmer air temperatures hasten crop development to increase the risk of frost damage with early flowering. There is a need for a breeding program that can look at identifying new genetics targeting improved wheat adaptation to the Northern Wheatbelt of WA.”

Other highlights of the day included a joint presentation by Wayne Parker and Bindi Isbister from DPIRD, who talked about the value of deeper deep-ripping to the growers in the region. They also presented the 2017 results of ripping trials in the Geraldton Port Zone, and facilitated a panel discussion with three local growers who are experienced deep ripper operators to explore if deeper ripping is the way to go.

“Research has shown in recent years the compaction layer has moved deeper, and ripping below 500mm will give larger yield benefits,” Wayne said.

“However, growers’ experience is showing there are challenges to ripping deeper – including plant establishment issues, the cost of deeper ripping is nearly double standard ripping, and often a smaller width implement is required therefore less hectares are achievable.”

The day concluded with a presentation from international guest speaker Martin Abell, who is a mechnatronic researcher of United Kingdom-based farming services company Precision Decision Ltd.

Mr Abell delivered a keynote presentation on how his company has become the first in the world to successfully plant, tend, and harvest a crop entirely with autonomous vehicles and drones – and without a single person ever setting foot in the paddock.

Mr Abell said the Hand-Free Hectare (HFHa) project attracted global attention when its researchers successfully grew one hectare of spring barley in 2017 without humans entering the field.

“This trial has proven that automated agriculture is possible and shown that there are no technological reasons why automated cereal farming should not take place commercially,” he said.

Carried-out by Harper Adams University in Shropshire UK, with Precision Decisions Ltd, the HFHa researchers created the world’s first automated field growing cycle that incorporated  drilling (sowing), agronomy practices, and harvesting, and produced a barley crop that yielded 4.5 tonnes per hectare. The project team used modified conventional agricultural machines equipped with an open-source autopilot from a drone.

Mr Abell said such automated agriculture practices are in early stages of commercialisation in the UK, with major equipment manufacturers and start-ups offering these types of systems to the market. One of the objectives of the one-year project was to utilise machinery and technologies that are currently available and affordable, not bespoke and expensive.

NACC Regional Landcare Facilitator Stanley Yokwe, who attended the GRDC research update in Northampton, said the event was a great success.

“The day was filled with a lot information that was relevant to the region – including the new information by Peter Newman of the Australian Herbicide Resistance Initiative (AHRI) on chaff lining technology fitted to the harvester funnels to reduce weed seedbank during harvest,” he said.

“It was also very useful to hear from the international experts such as Martin Abell – on how advances in technology is revolutionising farming globally.”

Stanley congratulated the GRDC-West, Northern Agri group, GIWA for organising an excellent event for growers to learn how to maximise the potential of their business operation in future.

For more information of GRDC Research Update, please go to www.giwa.org.au/2018researchupdates

 

Share

We'd Love to Hear From You!

Your feedback is important to us. If you have suggestions, questions, or would like to get involved in Natural Resource Management, please use the form below or contact our Geraldton office. We’re here to listen and help

Contact Us

Geraldton Office

4 Walton Close, Geraldton
Post: PO Box 7168, Geraldton, 6531
Phone: (08) 9938 0100
Office hours: 8:30am to 4:30pm

Forms

Expression of Interest Form 🞂

Suggest a Project Form 🞂

Membership Form 🞂

Donations Form 🞂

Contacts

NACC Board Members 🞂

NACC Staff 🞂

NRM Bodies & Groups 🞂

CEO’s Report

In 2020-21 I talked about ‘raising the bar’. In 2021-22 we worked on setting the bar on fire. Over the last 12 months, the team at NACC NRM has not stopped.

The Sustainable Agriculture team has extended the program’s reach through collaborations with grower groups in the regions. Specifically, the Beyond Reasonable Drought project and Grower Group Alliance – South West WA Drought Innovation Hub – Geraldton Node project. The Beyond Reasonable Drought partnership with grower groups supported farmers across the region to improve the environmental sustainability of their agricultural production and drought resilience. The outcomes of this project have been consolidated through our successful Expression of Interest to the South West WA Drought Innovation Hub, with support from grower groups across the region, to host the Geraldton Node of the Hub. The program continues to focus on working with agricultural networks to share technical expertise and provide opportunities that will improve land management practices in agriculture across the region.

The conservation outcomes of ranger teams have expanded through work on several land tenures. Maintaining Heritage sites such as Willi Gulli, Racecourse Paddock and Buller River has long been a priority. During 2021-22, the teams have increasingly focused on threatened species and ecosystems.

To this end, Western Mulga rangers have improved management across 19,000 ha for the conservation of Malleefowl through firebreak and access management. They completed the maintenance of water holes and supported the monitoring of over 90 Malleefowl mounds.

Similarly, the Kwelena Mambakort Aboriginal Corporate ranger team have contributed positively to Carnaby’s Black Cockatoo populations by installing artificial hollows and habitat restoration.

All ranger teams have collected native seed, propagated native plants for restoration, and planted native vegetation in key locations across the NAR. Seed collection provides valuable industry experience and has facilitated the planting of over 100,000 seedlings during the year.   

In September 2021, the NACC NRM team delivered the WA Threatened Species Forum, held in tandem with the National Malleefowl Forum. Given the impact of COVID and the timing of this event, having more than 100 delegates from all over Australia was a significant achievement. The two Forums brought together 12 events over five days and featured 14 local artists, 25 businesses and 36 youth participants.

Following the successful relaunch of our updated NARvis, NACC NRM was invited to help lead a significant piece of strategic planning work for the region with Mid West Development Commission and the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development. With funding from the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund, the consortia delivered a Regional Drought Resilience Plan covering the shires of Northampton and Chapman Valley and the City of Greater Geraldton, along with significant technical analysis of drought vulnerability for the South West land division. The development of this plan also included extensive community consultation to ensure that local knowledge and technical advice guided the development of priorities for action.

This planning work links to existing NACC NRM on-ground projects, including Beyond Reasonable Drought and the Chapman Catchment Collaborative regeneration project.

It was a busy year for events with face-to-face events becoming commonplace again. During 2021-22 we hosted events in Gingin, Moora, Dalwallinu, Cervantes, Jurien Bay, Walkaway, Nabawa, Perenjori, Kalannie and Morawa. We supported events in Karakin, Thundellara, Perenjori, Paynes Find, Wubin, Cataby, Warradarge, Northampton, Yuna, Dalwallinu and Dandaragan.

We also supported on-ground works throughout the region, including at the following locations Yuna, Dalwallinu, Dandaragan, Merkanooka, Goodlands, Kalannie, Bunjil, Yardarino, Canna, Kondut, Latham, Kadathinni, Nabawa, Red Gully, Sandy Gully, Waddy Forrest, Devils Creek, Perenjori, Bowgada, Ellendale, Wandana, Namban, Hill River, Warradarge, Gillingarra, Regans Ford and Moonyanooka.

Our region is vast – slightly larger than Tasmania, which for comparison, is serviced by three separate NRM organisations. Covering the NAR region and its many environmental threats is challenging. We continue to focus on partnerships and collaboration to address this challenge. We know that by working with our community through passionate delivery of collaborative on-ground projects and education, the community will value and actively protect our region’s natural capital.

This year we have launched a new Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP). The RAP Working Group consulted widely and developed an Innovate RAP which Reconciliation Australia approved in March 2022. The activities to fulfil these commitments are now in full swing.

Sadly, at the end of 2021, we farewelled former NACC NRM CEO Shelley Spriggs, who lost a long battle with cancer. Shelley was an inaugural inductee to the NRM Leadership Honour Roll. I will always be grateful for her guidance and no-nonsense approach, not to mention her passion for life.

While we have said farewell to some, we have welcomed many new faces across all programs, including our Administration team. We have also hosted a school-based trainee from Nagle Catholic College who has been working towards a Certificate II in Conservation and Ecosystem Management. This trial position has been very successful, and we look forward to making this opportunity available again in 2023.

During 2022 we have taken on new projects that align with our organisational and program objectives, and we have successfully completed some great initiatives that support continued conservation and sustainability outcomes. I want to thank the whole team who continue to go above and beyond for the organisation and each other proving their ongoing commitment to our purpose and our values.