Increasingly volatile weather is predicted to impact southern New South Wales farming systems into the future, but what can grain growers and farm advisers do in response?
Leading climate and agricultural scientist Peter Hayman will offer answers to this complex question as one of the keynote speakers at the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) Grains Research Updates in Wagga Wagga later this month.
Dr Hayman is the Principal Scientist in Climate Applications with the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI) and will discuss how growers can continue to adapt to lower rainfall and increasingly variable weather patterns.
He is one of several highly acclaimed experts speaking at the two-day GRDC Updates being held on February 18 and 19 at Charles Sturt University in Wagga Wagga.
International agricultural consultant Keith Norman, who has 35 years’ experience in the United Kingdom (UK), France, Germany, Spain, Russia, Ukraine and Zambia, will also present at this year’s annual Wagga Wagga update. Mr Norman will offer insights into how his UK peers have managed restrictions and regulations around pesticides use.
Professor Tim Reeves from the University of Melbourne will explain how intensive cropping has exacerbated herbicide resistance and organic carbon depletion and share what is being revealed by the search for more sustainable and profitable farming systems.
Other presenters include Roberto Busi from the Australian Herbicide Resistance Initiative (AHRI) talking about new herbicides and tips to prolong their efficacy, and Steve Marcroft from Marcroft Grains Pathology discussing the latest strategies in canola disease control.
In conjunction with the GRDC updates in Wagga there will be a new free session for graduate and early career agronomists. An initiative of the GRDC the Emerging Agros Network sessions are designed to help agronomists develop their ‘soft skills’ in areas like negotiation, communication with difficult clients and conflict management.
