Field Day highlights innovation and development

If ever you thought crop farming was easy, a visit to Pacific Seeds Field Day would soon show you the wealth of knowledge our farmers possess and the amazing behind the scenes research and development carried out at Pacific Seeds in an endeavour to give our farmers the latest in seed innovation to help them adapt to changing climatic conditions.

Melvin and Joshua Mengel’s Nobby farm was the scene of Pacific Seeds Field Day last Thursday and farmers turned up in big numbers to hear about the latest in seed development.

Bill Smith, Territory Manager of the Central & Southern Darling Downs for Pacific Seeds, said the Mengels’ ‘Kia-Ora’ property has been the testing farm for Pacific Seeds for over 30 years and their preparation for the Field Day is always first class.

The Mengels have been on “Kia Ora” since the 1880s and young Cameron is the 6th generation of Mengel.

Farmers turned up to view first-hand the new Pacific Seeds summer forage lines and discuss the future directions of summer forage.

Thanks to Melvin and Joshua farmers were able to view first hand the new seed lines developed by Pacific Seeds as numerous strands of the new seed lines were available for inspection as mature plants.

Pacific Seeds’ Wayne Chester explained to the eager audience the various characteristics of the new seed lines some of which have yet to be officially named.

One topic of discussion by Wayne was the collaboration of Pacific Seeds with the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) to develop frost tolerant plant species.

On the topic of climate change Wayne said the company was looking 5 to 10 years into the future in development of new seed lines.

Farmers took the opportunity to discuss their summer forage options and gained good feedback on the various trial plantings of sorghum on the Mengel farm.

Other lines of discussion on forage for beef or dairy and corn for grain or silage were also welcomed as was an update on new wheat varieties and Canola grazing varieties “FEAST”.

Bill Smith of Pacific Seeds had numerous presentations to the army of workers who had organised the day and they each received bottles of wine or spirits for their efforts.

Bill didn’t forget lunch and he organised workers from Rabobank to prepare an outdoor barbecue of steak and sausages that was very much appreciated by everyone.

There is no doubt all who attended, be they farmers or agronomists, were impressed by the work of Melvin and Joshua in preparing the strands of test crops and the information passed on by the crew from Pacific Seeds.

Field Days such as this one help keep Australian farmers ahead of their overseas rivals and Pacific Seeds are very much helping Australian farmers adapt to the challenges presented by a changing world.

Beekeepers asked to ‘bee’ alert for varroa mite

Beekeepers throughout Queensland are being asked to check and report on the condition of their hives in regards to the presence of the varroa mite, detected in New South Wales, as this pest can decimate hives.

Queensland’s beekeepers have been set a goal of 15,000 beehive checks to ensure the state is free of varroa mite.

Minister for Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries and Minister for Rural Communities Mark Furner said commercial and recreational beekeepers should report all checks they make on their hives, even if they don’t find any suspect mites.

Having apiarists report as many checks as possible will support Queensland’s efforts to remain free of the pest, protecting the important role bees play in our ecosystem and the many jobs they support both directly and indirectly.

Beekeepers can report hive checks using the Bee 123 online form, or by calling 13 25 23.

Beekeepers should also ensure their record-keeping is upto-date so that all bee movements can be traced in the event of a bee pest or disease outbreak.

Detailed information on how to check hives and report results can be found at daf.qld.gov.au/varroa

Beekeepers are invited to join in a free webinar, presented in conjunction with the Queensland Beekeepers Association, at 6pm on Wednesday 19 April 2023.

The webinar, “Bee informed: Seasonal update for Queensland beekeepers”, will cover the importance of reporting hive checks, and what beekeepers can do to support the beekeeping community.

Anyone can join by clicking on the ‘seasonal update for Queensland beekeepers’ link on the DAF Engagement Hub, and a recording of the webinar will be available at a later date on the Biosecurity Queensland YouTube channel.

“Everyone wants to make sure Queensland remains free of varroa mite,” Mr Furner said.

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“Beekeepers need to be vigilant to protect Queensland beehives, our honey industry and the crops that bees pollinate.

“Hive checks are a quick and easy way to protect our state’s biosecurity.

“Alcohol washing is an effective method of detecting the presence of varroa mites, along with other exotic pests.

“Checking hives and reporting the results to Biosecurity Queensland should be part of beekeepers’ routines,” he said.

Queensland Beekeepers’ Association State Secretary, Jo Martin also commented on the importance of the issue.

“Australia as a nation is dependent on the health of the honey bee industry.

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“The outcome of the response rests on the shoulders of every beekeeper in Queensland actively looking for varroa mite, undertaking the test, and reporting all the results, with an emphasis on the need for negative data.

“Industry is calling on all beekeepers to be accountable to your bees, be accountable to yourself, be accountable to your industry, and be accountable to the common good,”she said.