June 27, 2018
Work placement Longerenong College student Cooper Henson will finish a 10-week farm experience at Brimpaen on Friday – Story, page 31 Picture: PAUL CARRACHER
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Victorian farmers bucking trend 95 Nelson Street, Nhill CALL 03 5391 2106
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national quarterly survey into farmer confidence has revealed Victorian sentiment remains ‘steady’, bucking a national trend.
There has been an overall decline in rural confidence across Australia, reflective of much of the country experiencing ongoing dry conditions. Details of a Rabobank Rural Confidence Survey released earlier this month, found the Victorian rural confidence index remained unchanged from last quarter, albeit sitting at lower levels than 2016 and 2017. The survey found the state’s grain and sheep producers to be the most positive about their prospects, while confidence improved markedly in the dairy sector, but lagged well behind in beef. Although Victorian farmers remained generally less pessimistic than many other primary producers across the nation, dry seasonal conditions
still weighed on the state’s rural sentiment. Rabobank southern Victoria and Tasmania regional manager, Hamish McAlpin, said the survey revealed there had been a heightened level of anxiety about the dry season, but recent rain had fallen in the ‘nick of time’ to put the winter crop back on track. The survey found the net rural confidence index for Victoria remained steady at minus two percent, though trailing the levels reported over the previous two years. It also revealed that half of the state’s farmers, at 50 percent, believed agricultural economic conditions would remain fairly similar to the past 12 months. The remainder were relatively evenly divided as to whether conditions were likely to improve, 22 percent, or deteriorate, 24 percent. Mr McAlpin said the state’s graingrowers had welcomed widespread rain, which fell a couple of weeks
after the average ‘break’ date, but follow-up rain would be critical with low soil moisture profiles.
Expectations
“After a very dry February, March and April, there was a fair bit of nervousness on the eve of this break,” he said. “Expectations are for winter crop plantings to be in line with last year, but canola hectares have been wound back in the Wimmera and Mallee by an estimated 35 percent and 45 percent, due to the dry start to the season and the comparatively high price of cereals. “Northern Wimmera and Mallee particularly will be looking for follow-up rain with the crop sown into low levels of soil moisture, while south and west of Horsham, crop emergence has been excellent with satisfactory soil moisture.” Mr McAlpin said pulses had also been a casualty of the dry start to the
season and of significantly lower yearon-year prices. Plantings are down in the Mallee and south-west of the state. Despite seasonal concerns, the survey found grain-growers to be the most positive about the coming 12 months, with 29 percent expecting agricultural economic conditions to improve and a further 49 percent with a stable outlook. Sheep producers also retained a relatively optimistic view on the year ahead, with nearly two-thirds, 65 percent, expecting conditions to remain comparatively unchanged. But in the beef sector it was a different story, with 49 percent expecting economic conditions to deteriorate. “While the season has been tough for graziers, with many feeding and offloading older classes of stock, record wool and high lamb and mutton prices are providing the incentive to feed sheep,” Mr McAlpin said. “But in beef, cattle prices haven’t
Pest workshops
New experiences Longerenong College student Cooper Henson has enjoyed hands-on experience in various aspects of the agricultural industry during work placement at Brimpaen. Cooper, 18, will finish his 10-week industry placement for Brimgower Farms on Friday. Brimgower Farms primarily focuses on sheep wool and meat production and incorporates cropping and cattle. Cooper said he enjoyed the variety. “I really liked cropping, which was something I had never done before,” he said. “I also enjoy the day-today farm work. There is always something different to do. “It’s been good working in a different area, as well.” Cooper hails from Hamilton and has been living at
Brimpaen while on placement. He has settled into his temporary home and has been playing football for Laharum Football Netball Club alongside Brimgower Farms owner Gerard Matthews and fellow employee Angus Martin. “It’s been a lot of fun and it’s a good opportunity to meet new fellas,” Cooper said. “Laharum has been pretty good to me.” Cooper said he hoped to pursue a career in agronomy after graduating. “I’m not sure what I’ll be doing at the end of the year – I have to pass first – but I am interested in learning more about agronomy,” he said. “I’d like to thank Gerard and Sarah for having me for the past few months and wish them all the best for the future.”
held up as well, although they are still above long-term averages.” The state’s dairy farmers posted the largest upswing in confidence, the survey found, with 20 percent expecting improving economic conditions in the coming year and 54 percent expecting stable conditions. Despite the mixed outlook for commodities, farmers across the state held strong investment plans for the coming 12 months – although those intending to increase investment declined slightly to 18 percent, from 25 percent in the previous survey. The percentage expecting to maintain investment at the same level as the previous 12 months increased to 75, from 66 percent. The Rabobank Rural Confidence Survey questions an average of 1000 primary producers across a wide range of commodities and geographical areas throughout Australia on a quarterly basis.
WORK PLACEMENT: Longerenong College student Cooper Henson, left, will finish a 10-week industry placement with Brimgower Farms on Friday. He is pictured with Brimgower Farms owner Gerard Matthews, right, and employee Angus Martin. Picture: PAUL CARRACHER
Expert entomologist Sibohan de Little will be in the Wimmera this week to run a series of pest-management workshops for farmers. Dr de Little, who is a sustainable agriculture specialist with the Centre for Environmental Stress and Adaptation Research, cesar, will lead each of the half-day workshops, focussing on pest-management strategies and practices that can minimise the risk of insecticide resistance. She will share findings from the latest research and provide growers with an update on insecticide resistance in crop pests, monitoring methods and control methods that work best with beneficial insect populations. Agriculture Victoria extension officer Heather Drendel, co-ordinating the workshops, will provide farmers with practical advice about tools to effectively manage pests and minimise the risks of insecticide resistance. “As farming systems change in the Wimmera, so has the spectrum of pest species,” she said. “Farmers are also faced with the ever-increasing risk of insecticide resistance and need to be on the front foot to minimise the risk of more resistance issues emerging. “Dr de Little will provide tips on integrated pest management including differentiating pests from beneficial species, as well as information on pests that increase with high stubble loads.” The four, half-day workshops started yesterday at Kaniva and Woorak and continue today at Wallup Hall from 8.30am and Taylors Lake Hall at 1.30pm. Wimmera Catchment Management Authority is supporting the workshops through a National Landcare program.
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Am I too much of a sceptic?
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’ve long been a bit of a sceptic when it comes to the controversial topic of genetic modification.
Part of being a journalist and constantly questioning is a good dose of scepticism. I can remember when I was studying agriculture in the early 1980s when it was claimed genetically-modified foods were to be the next ‘green revolution’. For those too young to remember the first green revolution, it reached its zenith in the 1960s and was the introduction of new, higher yielding varieties of wheat and rice that revolutionised agriculture, particularly in the third world, all done with traditional plant breeding techniques. Scientists started successfully modifying the DNA of cells in the 1990s, with the first genetically modified plant, a delayed ripening tomato, and the first animal, a fish that glowed in the dark – not really terribly useful and one can’t help but wonder if the fish found many fishy friends. For Australia, there have only been two genetically modified crops in commercial production, genetically modified cotton and canola, nearly all of which were developed by global chemical giants Bayer and Monsanto. The companies have just been given approval for an official merger, with the condition being the crop sciences be sold to BASF, which incidentally, runs crop trials at Longerenong. All that has been done is to breed crops resistant to the herbicides those companies produce – not exactly a green revolution to feed the world. Just last week it was announced that scientists at the University of Edinburgh had bred a
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genetically modified pig resistant to one of the most costly endemic livestock diseases, Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome, which can kill pigs and, as the name suggests, leads to high piglet mortality. Lead researcher, Dr Christine Tait-Burkard, in an interview on Country Today, said the modification was not by introduction of a new gene, but by very specifically cutting part of the genome that is like a lock for a virus, so the virus cannot enter the cell and infect the pig. The ‘modification’ is done when the egg has just been fertilised and is still a single cell. All it takes is an injection of a protein and the resulting piglet is resistant to the disease. You do need a male and a female who have both been genetically modified, but all offspring will have the resistance. Of course the problem is, while we already eat foods from genetically modified plants, the only genetically modified animal that is consumed is actually a salmon in America that has been modified to have double muscling, a bit like Belgian Blue cattle. I don’t know about you, but I’m thinking, ewww… what’s wrong with wild salmon?
✘ TIME
new Grains Research Development Corporation investment will investigate opportunities to optimise canola, wheat and pulse plant establishment, density and spacings to maximise crop yield and profit in the southern and western regions.
Led by the University of Adelaide, Birchip Cropping Group will provide a Wimmera and Mallee part of the project by researching opportunities for precision planting and the potential gains by improving conventional seeders. BCG researcher Claire Browne said the purpose of the investment was to determine the typical rates of crop establishment achieved by growers, the factors influencing this, and to explore methods to improve the rate of crop establishment. She said there was a growing interest in precision planting and what potential that had to influence what happened onfarm. “Precision planters have the Wednesday, June 27, 2018
100 in the GRDC western region and 100 in the southern region, to be surveyed for establishment counts, interplant distance, germination percentage and soil moisture,” Ms Browne said. She said the surveying would allow the project team to better understand current practices given that significant gains could still be achieved in improving the operation of conventional seeders. “Southern Farming Systems will be surveying 15 paddocks – beans and lentils – while BCG will survey 35 paddocks of canola and lentils spread over the Wimmera and Mallee,” she said. Growers interested in looking at a trial comparing establishment, seeding rate and spacing between a precision planter and tyne seeder are encouraged to attend the BCG Main Field Day on September 12 in Narraport. Ms Browne said for more information on the BCG Wimmera research program, people should stay tuned to this column. Alternatively, they can call BCG on 5492 2787.
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potential to both reduce variation in seeding depths, ensure even spaces between small seeds, improve seeding rate accuracy and reduce seed costs in crops such as hybrid canola, given the higher seed cost,” Ms Browne said. A precision planter differs to conventional air-seeding systems in that it has a rate meter on every shoot that allows one seed to be released at a time – singulation. “Precision planters are more commonly used in summer crops and are still being finetuned for small seeded crops, thus the need for the research in the southern grains environment,” Ms Browne said. The five-year project will include collaboration across Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria and Tasmania. Project partners include the University of South Australia, Hart Field-Site Group, Southern Farming Systems, Northern Sustainable Soils, Western Australian No-Tillage Farmers Association, Liebe Group, Facey Group, Corrigin Farm Improvement Group and BCG. “A large component of the project requires 200 paddocks,
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cience student Oscar Fung is now more certain than ever of his chosen career path following a two-week industry placement at Grains Innovation Park in Horsham.
Mentored by Agriculture Victoria research scientist Piotr Trebicki, Oscar said he gained valuable insight into agricultural science in practice, which had cemented his ambition to pursue a scientific career. During his time in Horsham, Oscar was involved in field and lab work including collecting pest and disease samples from wheat and faba bean plants and carrying out lab experiments. “The highlight has been talking to staff and getting insights into their career pathways,” he said.
Dr Trebicki said Grains Innovation Park regularly welcomed students, recognising it as an opportunity to inspire the next generation of science professionals. “Our staff also gain a lot from the chance it gives us to pass on some of our knowledge and skills, and to take a step back and explain why we are doing the work we are doing,” he said. The stay in regional Victoria was also a new experience for Oscar. Having spent most of his life in metropolitan Melbourne, he said it had not occurred to him that high-end science and research was occurring in rural and regional Victoria. “I had no idea Grains Innovation Park existed... I applied to work here because I am interested
in climate change and food security,” Oscar said. “Country life was a new experience for me; I really enjoyed the friendly and relaxed atmosphere.” Upon completion of his bachelor’s degree in June, Oscar hopes to undertake a Master of Science. Oscar said he was excited by the vast range of science career paths but was leaning towards something connected to agriculture. “The hard bit will be narrowing down my interests,” he said. “I’m really interested in genetics, plant biology and food security. “I’d like to contribute to a larger cause.”
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INSPIRED: Monash University student Oscar Fung sorts grain pests during an industry placement at Grains Innovation Park in Horsham.
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Horsham shines in crop-disease work
H
orsham’s reputation as an international hub for grains research continues to grow, especially in work involving crop disease.
Disease ratings from more than 55,000 commonly grown, notyet-released and experimental cereal lines will be the result of research in Horsham this year. Agriculture Victoria senior plant pathologist Dr Grant Hollaway said rigorous and disease data, produced in a timely manner, was enhancing the status of the department’s cereal-disease nursery in Horsham. “Thanks to a purpose-built precision plot seeder capable of planting more varieties across fewer hectares, Agriculture Victoria is well positioned to rapidly screen wheat and barley lines and to identify any new pathotypes that might emerge,” he said. “The seeder plants at a rate of 3000 individual rows per hour, which helps us run a very efficient program.” Dr Hollaway said this year his team would screen about 55,000
Wednesday, June 27, 2018
wheat and barley lines for 10 different foliar diseases, including cultivars in this year’s National Variety Trials. “Our precision plot seeder allows us to plant different varieties in each row within a plot, compared with traditional field trial methodology which involves larger plots being sown to a single variety,” he said. “This not only allows us to sow more lines over fewer hectares, but we can include experimental lines in our screening nursery when only a small amount of seed is available.”
Disease nursery
Scientists screen wheat plants at the Agriculture Victoria Plant Breeding Centre disease nursery for their ability to withstand leaf rust, stripe rust, stem rust and yellow leaf spot, and screen barley for spot form of net blotch, net form of net blotch, leaf rust and scald. A disease nursery at Agriculture Victoria’s higher-rain Hamilton site screens against septoria in wheat. Research involves introducing disease to the plants through a
range of means including artificial inoculation, spreading of infected stubble across the plots or natural infection. In its entirety, the disease nursery covers six hectares, which are flood irrigated to maximise optimum conditions for disease to flourish. The development of the disease nursery in Horsham has been a successful Agriculture Victoria project with private breeding companies using the facility. Dr Hollaway said so far, this year’s sowing program had progressed smoothly. “We won’t finish until around the first week of August because we deliberately spread our sowing time to favour the different diseases we work with,” he said. During the growing season, researchers will examine and score each variety at least once for signs of disease. “The aim is to ensure we can provide growers with the most up-to-date disease ratings that will assist them when making decisions about which varieties to grow,” Dr Hollaway said.
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CELEBRATION: From left, Glenn Fitzgerald, Mahabubur Mollah, Piotr Trebicki, Russell Argall and Rob Norton celebrate Australian Grains Free Air CO2 Enrichment project’s conclusion after 12 years.
Final research chapter Researchers from across Australia gathered at Horsham Golf Club to discuss the findings from the Australian Grains Free Air CO2 Enrichment, AGFACE, project and to celebrate its conclusion after 12 years. The AGFACE project was an investigation into how plants will respond to higher carbon dioxide levels, and a changing climate, predicted in the future. Guests at Thursday’s forum included Professor Tim Reeves and Professor Snow Barlow from the University of Melbourne and Stephen Loss and Craig Ruchs from the Grains Research and Development Corporation. AGFACE research in Horsham was a joint collaboration between Agriculture Victoria Research and The University of Melbourne. The project produced almost 100 peer-reviewed papers and book chapters, 15 Masters and PhD theses, 120 conference presentations and dozens of media releases, field days and industry publications.
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Collaborations included: Harvard University, US; NASA/USDA-ARS; Rothamsted Reseach, England; University of Illinois, US; University of Freiburg, Germany; University of Birmingham, England; Other FACE programs in Japan, China, New Zealand, the US, and Germany; Spanish National Research Council, University of Idaho; Universidad Politécnica de Madrid; CSIRO, Monash University, La Trobe University and University of Southern Queensland. One of the project’s peer-reviewed papers appeared in Nature, one of the highest-ranked scientific journals in the world. AGFACE at Horsham was the only FACE facility in a semi-arid zone, allowing researchers to test the effect of elevated CO2 on crops in drought conditions. The main question the project sought to answer was: How can Australian agriculture maximise the positives and reduce the negatives of elevated carbon dioxide on crop production in a changing climate?
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Crop virus revelation 95 Nelson Street, Nhill CALL 03 5391 2106
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rowers across Australia are well aware of the potential destructive nature viruses can have on their crops.
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Viruses often cause reduction of yield and quality, or even complete crop failure. In a study published in the scientific journal Plant Disease, scientists from Agriculture Victoria in Horsham showed a higher incidence of yellow dwarf viruses in wheat and barley crops in Victoria than had previously been reported in the 1980s. The findings suggest yield losses due to yellow dwarf infection might also have been higher than estimated. Dr Piotr Trebicki, who co-authored the study, said the findings were the result of four years of Agriculture Victoria research, co-invested by Grains Research and Development Corporation. “Over the past four years, we surveyed randomly selected cereal fields across Victoria to understand virus infection levels, incidence and distribution,” he said. “All collected plant samples were tested in the lab for a range of viruses, which gave us a great insight into the current disease levels and also allowed us to compare our results to studies conducted more than 30 years ago.” Overall, the Wimmera and south-west of Victoria were found to be the hot spots for cereal viruses, with a 17-fold increase in virus incidence over the Mallee, which is typically hotter and drier. “In each year of the study, less virus was found in the Mallee than the Wimmera and southwest,” Dr Trebicki said. “Weather conditions, including rain and temperature during and before the growing season,
“Plant viruses are difficult to control, because there is no treatment to cure the plant when it is already infected, therefore prevention and minimising its spread is key”
– Dr Piotr Trebicki
largely influence virus and aphid levels, which influences the number and severity of infected cereal crops.” The incidence of yellow dwarf viruses varied considerably between years. Dr Trebicki said this highlighted the importance of regularly monitoring not only for viruses but the aphids that transmitted them, and ideally for multiple years. “Plant viruses are difficult to control, because there is no treatment to cure the plant when it is already infected, therefore prevention and minimising its spread is key,” he said. “As viruses rely on vectors to spread them across the crops, aphids, which are small sap-sucking insects, are mostly responsible.” Although Agriculture Victoria researchers have a few theories, Dr Trebicki said this worrying trend of increasing virus incidence was not well understood. “We need to revisit how we evaluate the yield losses because they might currently be underestimated,” he said. “Growers have quite a few options up their sleeves to protect crops from virus and aphid infestation, but their effectiveness can vary under different growing conditions and therefore needs to be better understood.”
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