While grain production research can’t make it rain, it can assist growers to make more profitable decisions and manage risk.
In late November, leading Central Queensland and national grains researchers will discuss practical solutions to some of the industry’s most pressing productivity challenges with growers.
Topics such as managing climate variability, future directions for wheat breeding, managing frost risk on slopes, cover cropping, time of sowing research, nutrition management and improving the performance of farming systems in Central Queensland will be analysed during two Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) Grains Research Updates.
The Updates will be held at Capella on Wednesday, November 27 and Moura on Thursday, November 28. Updates equip growers with the latest research information that’s practical and can assist their decision making in the paddock.
Presenters include CSIRO scientists Jeremy Whish and Greg Rebetzke, Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (DAF) researchers Doug Sands, Darren Aisthorpe and Andrew Erbacher, AMPS head research agronomist Matt Gardner and Northern Grower Alliance chief executive officer Richard Daniel.
Additional sessions will be held at each Update covering regionally-topical issues. At Capella, GRDC’s chemical regulation manager Gordon Cumming will discuss issues relating to marketing grain, chemical residues and maximum residue limits while Doug Sands and Richard Daniel will join local grower Brian Gregg in a Q&A-style panel discussion on managing nutrition for the 2020 summer crop.
At Moura, well-known Rolleston agronomist Jeff York will outline local experiences with cover crops, Doug Sands will discuss the latest research findings on time of sowing, plant population and row spacing for mungbean crops in the Dawson Callide region, and Rolleston district grower Lee Jones will offer a personal insight into his experiences growing mungbeans.
ICAN principal and Updates coordinator John Cameron said the agendas had been determined by local planning committees to ensure the topics were regionally relevant, practical and had potential to make a tangible difference to growers’ bottom lines.
“Updates present an invaluable opportunity for growers to open a line of communication with some of their industry’s leading scientists and agronomists,” Mr Cameron said.
“At its most powerful, learning is a two-way street. Growers can gain from understanding how to apply research findings on a broadacre scale and the profitability implications of doing so, while researchers appreciate opportunities to delve further into grassroots productivity constraints to help guide future research priorities.”
The Capella Update will be held at the Capella Cultural Centre on November 27 while the Moura Update will be held on November 28, at the Moura Tavern, 8 Bell Street.
Registrations open at 8:30am for a 9am start and the program will conclude at 3pm. Registration cost is $30 per person which includes morning tea, lunch and proceedings.
