Connecting DPI research to farmers for greater resilience

With the 50th AgQuip Field Days underway in Gunnedah, the NSW Department of Primary Industries is connecting farmers and agronomists to the latest R&D to build resilience and prepare for drought.

NSW DPI representatives presented at the annual Grower Forum breakfast this morning, co-hosted by the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) and NSW Farmers, where on-ground resilience was a key focus.

NSW DPI Director General Scott Hansen, said AgQuip is a key annual event for NSW DPI to connect its research with end users, and yet again this year a key focus has been on preparing for drying conditions.

“The Bureau of Meteorology is on alert for El Nino conditions, so drought preparedness is again at the top of everyone’s mind,” Mr Hansen said.

“Our latest State Seasonal Update has shown that drought conditions have continued to develop in the north, north-east and south-east regions of NSW, so NSW DPI is focused on supporting farmers to prepare for deteriorating conditions.

“It’s important to have conversations about drought now, as we know that with a clearer headspace we can learn from the past and improve our responses for the future.

“DPI has a long history of supporting farmers through varying seasonal conditions and we are proud that our research creates actionable knowledge that helps advance primary industries.

“Three NSW DPI scientists presented at this morning’s breakfast, connecting our research directly with farmers and agronomists, including the latest available research to inform decision making in dry times.”

NSW DPI’s newly appointed Research Agronomist Dr Mitch Clifton recently completed his PhD on the mechanisms of heat tolerance in wheat with the University of Sydney and GRDC. He shared a summary of his PhD research and discussed his current research into long coleoptile wheat and durum lines, as well as outlining how farmers can incorporate this research into their farming practices.

An update on the best management strategies for cereal diseases was delivered by DPI’s Director Northern Cropping, Dr Guy McMullen.

Another well-known local, Loretta Serafn who leads NSW DPI’s northern summer grains research program, presented the results of a fve-year research project on optimising sorghum agronomy, which has shown that moving the sowing window forward can be successful in soil temperatures as low as 13 degrees, compared to traditional sowing temperatures of 16-18 degrees for sorghum.

Alongside the DPI presenters at the Grower

Forum, attendees also heard from Arthur Gearon, chair of GRDC’s Northern Regional Panel; Xavier Martin, President of NSW Farmers; and special guest speaker Australian cricket legend Brad Hogg, as the National Ambassador of Grain Producers Australia’s Farmer Mates Mental Health program. Information on drought preparedness and management is available on the DroughtHub website at www.droughthub.nsw. gov.au.