ag in focus - autumn 2013

In this issue

Incorporating research and development news from:

Worm vaccine nears reality

Farming solutions from above

Solution to waterlogging

AG in F CUSAutumn 2013

International linkages

Department ofAgriculture and Food

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AG in Focus WA is a partnership publication between Kondinin Group and WA’s leading agricultural research bodies and industry experts. A unique publication, AG in Focus WA delivers the latest research and innovations that are of most relevance to agriculture, with the aim of helping you improve the productivity, profitability and sustainability of your farming operation.

What is AG in Focus WA

Contents

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24

26

Department of Agriculture and Food, WAMain office: 3 Baron-Hay Court, South Perth WA 6151Mailing address: Locked Bag 4, Bentley Delivery Centre WA 6983P: (08) 9368 3333 F: (08) 9474 2405E: [email protected]: www.agric.wa.gov.au

AG in F CUSBetter barley bred from Chinese collaboration 4

Unlocking the secret of waterlogging tolerance in wheat 5

Global approach to grain storage pests 6

Italian connection profits pasture production 7

Linking palatability to productivity 8

Sheep worm vaccine nears reality 9

Helping others to help ourselves 10

Improving agriculture from space 11

Necessity is the mother of invention 12

Controlling herbicide resistance 14

Mobile devices the next frontier in precision farming 16

Frost still the bane of growers 18

Probing leaves to improve yields 20

Carbon dioxide to help wheat beat drought 22

Confronting the big issues head-on 24

Soil carbon research to reveal toxic gas risk 26

Our cover: DAFWA senior research officer Dr Daniel Real (left) and Dandaragan farmer David Brown examine a trial of tedera.

Photo: DAFWA

AG in Focus WA is published by Kondinin Group

Mailing address: PO Box 78, Leederville WA 6902P: (08) 6316 1355 F: (08) 6263 9177E: [email protected]: www.kondiningroup.com.au

Corrigin Farm Improvement GroupAnita StoneSecretaryPO Box 2, Corrigin WA 6375E: [email protected] W: www.cfig.asn.au

Evergreen FarmingErin GorterExecutive OfficerPO Box 231, Kojonup WA 6395P: (08) 9833 7524W: www.evergreen.asn.au

Facey GroupFelicity AstburyExecutive OfficerPO Box 129, Wickepin WA 6370P: (08) 9888 1223F: (08) 9888 1295W: www.faceygroup.asn.au

Fitzgerald Biosphere GroupPO Box 49, Jerramungup WA 6337P: (08) 9835 1127F: (08) 9835 1329W: www.fbg.org.au

Liebe GroupChris O’CallaghanExecutive OfficerPO Box 340, Dalwallinu WA 6609P: (08) 9661 0570F: (08) 9661 0575W: www.liebegroup.asn.au

Mingenew-Irwin GroupJane BradleyExecutive OfficerPO Box 6, Mingenew WA 6522P: (08) 9928 1645F: (08) 9928 1540W: www.mingenew-irwin.asn.au

North East Farming FuturesChris WheatcroftExecutive OfficerPO Box 478, Geraldton WA 6531P: (08) 9971 1471F: (08) 9971 1284W: www.neffgroup.com.au

Ravensthorpe AgriculturalInitiative NetworkRodger WalkerProject OfficerPO Box 292,Ravensthorpe WA 6346P: (08) 9838 1018F: (08) 9838 1635

SEPWANiki CurtisExecutive OfficerPO Box 365, Esperance WA 6450P: (08) 9083 1125W: www.sepwa.org.au

Southern DIRTErin GorterExecutive OfficerM: 0429 833 752E: [email protected]

WA No TillageFarmers AssociationDavid MinkeyExecutive OfficerMO82, UWA,35 Stirling Highway,Crawley WA 6009P: (08) 6488 1647W: www.wantfa.com.au

West Midlands GroupAnne WilkinsExecutive OfficerPO Box 100,Dandaragan WA 6507P: (08) 9651 4008F: (08) 9651 4107W: www.wmgroup.org.au

Grower Group Contacts

DISCLAIMER: This publication is for information purposes only. The publisher and its agents or employees shall not be liable for any loss or damage suffered by any person as a result of reliance on any of the contents hereof, whether such loss or damage arises from the negligence or misrepresentation or any act or omission of the publisher or its agents. The opinions expressed in AG in FOCUS are not necessarily those of Kondinin Information Services. © Kondinin Information Services 2011. All material appearing in AG in FOCUS is the subject of copyright owned by Kondinin Group and is protected under the Australian Copyright Act (1968), international copyright and trademark law. No portion may be reproduced or duplicated by any process without the prior written permission of Kondinin Group.

DAFWA: Chinese grains


Australian and Chinese researchers are working together on a project to identify resilient barley breeding lines that can be developed into new, more robust varieties.

Dr Meixue Zhou (left), University of Tasmania, Dr Jing Chen, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dr Chengdao Li, DAFWA, and Professor Xiaoling Qiang, Tibet Academy of Agricultural Sciences, at the Lang-Ka-Zi Tibetan frost tolerance screening nursery, 5000 metres above sea level in Tibet.

Dr Chengdao Li l Principal research officer

At a glance:

• A research collaboration between Australia and China aims to develop barley lines from which more robust varieties can be bred.

• Conventional and molecular technology is being used, with breeding and commercial lines being trialed in Australia and China.

• Suitable germplasm has been identified for many selection traits, while molecular markers have also been identified for salinity and waterlogging.

The research involves the application of both conventional breeding techniques in the field and molecular marker technology in the laboratory.

Breeding lines and commercial varieties have been sown in field trials, including the Great Southern Agricultural Research Institute at Katanning, Loxton in South Australia, Launceston in Tasmania along with locations in Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Hubei and Tibet.

Sharing success

Department principal research officer Chengdao Li said the project had made significant progress and the data was already being shared with the Australian barley breeding community.

“We have managed to identify germplasm for all the traits that we have examined, including tolerance to drought, frost, waterlogging and salinity,” Dr Li said.

“The project’s success in identifying the genetic markers that control salinity and waterlogging will help fast-track the breeding process.”

Western Australia produces more than two million tonnes of barley each year, worth more than $400 million, with most of the malting barley destined for China.

As the project nears its end in June, Dr Li is hopeful that we can continue to collaborate with Chinese partners to advance the Australian barley industry.

“This project has made some tremendous gains that will help to advance barley breeding in Australia and China for both the malting and feed markets,” he said.

“It is now up to the breeding community to take the materials and molecular markers and transform them into new, high performance varieties.”

Contact Dr Chengdao LiPrincipal research officerP: (08) 9368 3843E: [email protected]

Better barley bred from Chinese collaboration

An international consortium is close to cracking the barley genetic code that will unlock the potential to breed new and improved varieties.

The consortium includes scientists from Australia, Germany, the United Kingdom, United States, Japan, China, Finland and Denmark.

The Department of Agriculture and Food is leading the Australian contingent, which has decoded ‘chromosome five’, one of the seven genetic units in the barley genome that contain important genes that control yield, malting quality, disease resistance and frost tolerance.

The process has involved decoding about 800 million of barley’s 5.1 billion genetic letters.

Department principal scientist Chengdao Li said the achievement was a major milestone for Australian barley breeding.

“Sequencing the barley genome will provide unique opportunities to isolate and characterise the genes that control yield, adaptation, quality and biotic and abiotic stress tolerance,” Dr Li said.

“These genes can then be used for the development of genome-wide molecular markers and genomic breeding tools and

to better understand genetic and environmental interactions for barley that can be adapted for climate variability.”

Dr Li said the discovery would have a huge impact on barley breeding and research in Australia and around the world.

“This barley genomic information will help improve variety selection processes, predict risks and eventually breed better quality varieties with higher yields a greater tolerance to drought, frost and salinity and resistance to pests and diseases,” he said.

“Not only that, our eventual understanding of the barley genome will provide a valuable template for understanding the wheat genome.”

Dr Li recently returned from a meeting in the United States where the project results were shared and updated.

The project is supported by the department and the Grain Industry Association of WA Barley Council.

Cracking the barley genetic code

AG in FoCuS Autumn 2013 www.kondiningroup.com.au4

DAFWA: India wheat


unlocking the secret of waterlogging tolerance in wheat

New and improved wheat varieties for the high rainfall region are on the horizon as a result of a long running research project between Australia and India.

Dr Tim Setter (left), DAFWA, and Neeraj Kulshreshtha (CSSRI, India) compare Australian and Indian wheat for waterlogging tolerance in India.

5AG in FoCuS Autumn 2013 www.kondiningroup.com.au

Dr Tim Setter l Principal research officer

At a glance:

• A research partnership between Australia and India has discovered a link between waterlogging and element toxicity.

• This information is being used to develop elite new wheat germplasm to be used by breeding companies to create new varieties with improved waterlogging tolerance.

• It takes at least eight years to develop a new wheat variety from germplasm.

The Department of Agriculture and Food is leading a project that has discovered a link between waterlogging and diverse element toxicities.

Waterlogging affects 10-15 million hectares of wheat worldwide each year, 2.4 million hectares of which are in Western Australia, comprising about 40 per cent of the area sown to wheat.

The Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) project started in 1995 with a goal to develop elite wheat with waterlogging tolerance.

Screening facilities were employed in India, South Australia and at the department’s Katanning research station, where up to 10,000 pots of varieties and breeding lines were evaluated in diverse soils each year.

Conflicting results

Research over several years was confounded by completely different results for waterlogging tolerance in Australia and

India, but in 2006 the trials determined the impact of waterlogging was dependent on soil nutrition.

The research team discovered when soils become waterlogged, roots become asphyxiated (oxygen deficient), which results in energy deficiency preventing roots from keeping out toxic concentrations of elements such as boron, aluminium and sodium.

Project leader and department principal researcher Tim Setter said the collaboration found waterlogging also increased concentrations of other elements such as iron and manganese, which become toxic in many soils.

“We have a complex set of element toxicities happening as a result of soils that are waterlogged,” Dr Setter said.

“This information finally gave us a hypothesis that waterlogging is a product of oxygen deficient and element toxicities and this is why waterlogging can be completely different in different countries and even in different paddocks.”

Pre-breeding phase

The second phase of the project started in 2006 to develop elite wheat based on this new knowledge of the waterlogging problem.

Five multi-disciplinary teams worked on developing wheat for a diverse range of waterlogging prone environments in Western Australia, South Australia and at three locations in India.

But trouble struck because the new wheat was significantly vulnerable to disease, particularly leaf and stem rust as well as diseases in India, such as Karnal bunt.

As a result, new screening processes for waterlogging, element tolerance and disease resistance were developed, including market assisted technology.

“The ultimate aim is to develop elite wheat and tools that breeding companies can use to produce new, better performing varieties in Australia and India,” Dr Setter said.

“We have the screening data and excellent genetic diversity, so it’s just a matter of time before new waterlogging tolerant varieties are developed.”

Industry benefit

These findings are now being communicated to the wheat breeding community and scientific circles to benefit the grains industry.

Dr Setter has recently returned from India where partners discussed the future of the project, which ends in June, and approaches for handing over the material and findings to breeding companies in Australia.

He said one of the rewards of the project was working as part of an international team with mutual benefits to both countries.

“A final benefit of this work is that preliminary evidence indicates that the findings here for waterlogging tolerance of wheat are also relevant to a range of other crops, including barley,” Dr Setter said.

Contact Dr Tim SetterDirector, Grains Industry Genetic and Product InnovationP: (08) 9368 3289E: [email protected]


DAFWA: China biosecurity

The Department of Agriculture and Food is set to participate in two major international projects to attack grain storage pests.

DAFWA/Murdoch University principal scientist Dr YongLin Ren (left) and DAFWA senior research officer Rob Emery are working with Chinese partners to improve grain storage methods.

Rob Emery l Senior research officer

At a glance:

• Two global research projects are about to commence to eradicate insect infestation in export grain and overcome the risk of chemical resistance in grain storage pests.

• One will test a chemical-free dust that can be applied to unsealed storage.

• Another project seeks to better understand the ecology of the flat grain beetle to enhance its control and overcome its resistance to phosphine.

Both research initiatives have been motivated by increasing incidences of resistance to phosphine, the chemical used to treat a range of grain pests, such as rust-red flour beetle, rice weevils and flat grain beetles.

Is estimated between one quarter and one third of the world grain crop is lost to insect damage each year during storage.

Chemical-free treatment

One project will evaluate a chemical-free, food-grade micro-fine dust alternative to phosphine fumigation developed by Chinese researchers.

Made from the skeletal remains of plankton, initial testing by Chinese researchers and the department has indicated the dust could be used to control insects in stored grain at levels as low as 100 grams per tonne.

Department senior research officer Rob Emery said one advantage of the dust solution was that it could be applied to grain in unsealed storages, unlike phosphine which becomes ineffective.

The three-year research project will assess whether the dust will be effective on a range of grains and storage conditions as well as examine if it will control a pre-existing infestation,” Mr Emery said.

“We would have to test the dust to see if it can be used as a disinfectant and find out how long it works for.

“The department will contribute by conducting laboratory bioassays on a range of grains to assess efficacy and then move on to field evaluations.”

The project will also draw on researchers from Kansas State University and Murdoch University, as well as the Chinese Academy of Cereal and Grain Science.

As a visiting professor, Mr Emery will spend some time in China this year working on the project alongside colleague YongLin Ren.

Their visit is part of an exchange program on the management of insect resistance and ecology between the department, Murdoch University and several Chinese research institutes.

Phosphine resistance

A second three-year project involving the Kansas State University in the United States will study the ecology of the flat grain beetle, which has developed resistance to phosphine.

Near infra-red spectrometry will be used to help identify the resistant species, which is microscopic and can only be identified by dissection.

The project is being led by Queensland Department of Primary Industry. DAFWA will be assisting with identification of the beetle as well as complementary field trials to better understand the pest’s movement in and around storage areas.

“We’ll explore questions like whether the beetle leaves the storage and goes into nearby bushland before re-infesting, as well as whether the pests are limited to the storage environment, how far they disperse onto local and national land and how quickly they re-infest stored grain,” Mr Emery said.

International collaborations key

With grain pest and diseases a global issue, Mr Emery said international

collaborations were key to overcoming infestations and resistance.

“These insects are present in WA, but because we use sealed storage and manage resistance, we don’t have the super-resistant beetles found in the east and overseas,” he said.

“If we misuse phosphine or if resistant insects come over in shipments of grain or equipment, these super-resistant varieties could establish in WA.

“We need to work together to find solutions to protect grain from these pests and ensure global food security.”

Contact Rob EmerySenior research officer P: (08) 9368 3247 E: [email protected]

Global approach to grain storage pests

DAFWA/Chinese Collaborators:• Institute of Plant protection (IPP), Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (CAAS), Beijing• Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography (XIEG), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Urumqi• Institute of Zoology (IoZ), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing• Chinese Academy of Cereal and Grain Science (CAAGS), Beijing• Chinese Academy of Inspection and Quarantine (CAIQ), Beijing• Northwest Agricultural and Forestry University, Yangling, ShanXi• Fujian Agricultural University, Fuzhou• Central China Agricultural University, Wuhan• Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohot• Chengdu Grain Storage Research Institute, Chengdu, Sichuan


DAFWA: Italy pasture


Italian connection profits pasture production

A long-running collaboration with the Italian island of Sardinia which has helped open the way for exports of Australian pasture seed to the Mediterranean is about to conclude.

DAFWA senior research officer Dr Angelo Loi (right) talks to Sardinian farmers and agronomists at a research station in Sardinia.


Dr Angelo Loi l Senior research officer

At a glance:

• A long-running collaboration to help Sardinian farmers in Italy adopt new pasture species will soon come to a conclusion.

• DAFWA has helped with the adoption of the pasture species by providing agronomic support.

• The relationship has helped to cultivate new markets for Australian pasture seed and an improved understanding of the production potential in Western Australia.

Department of Agriculture and Food senior researcher Angelo Loi is about to make his final trip to the island of his birth as part of a project funded by the Sardinian Agriculture Research Service.

While the Mediterranean is considered home to most pasture species, plant diversity in the region has been eroded over centuries of livestock production.

Drawing on Dr Loi’s networks and experience, a partnership was forged to help establish a pasture agronomy project in Sardinia to provide alternative options to farmers.

Western Australian connection

In 2009, the first of several pasture legume seed consignments and some elite lines were delivered to Sardinia, including serradella, biserrula and some clovers from Western Australia

“WA leads the world in the selection of new annual pasture legumes,” Dr Loi said.

“Over the years, we have collected, domesticated and selected these pasture species and we are now selling them back to them.”

An estimated 99 per cent of annual pasture seed around the world is now sourced from Australia, in addition to Spain, Libya, Greece, Cyprus, North Africa, Portugal and Germany.

Pasture trials

Dr Loi was instrumental in preparing pasture mixes for trials and educating the Sardinians about pasture agronomy and farming systems.

“It’s the same work that I do with farmers in the WA wheatbelt and in the eastern states,” he said.

“We had a very advanced pasture program in Australia, supported by Pasture Australia, and we have developed tools like the online Pasture Picker model to help farmers select which pasture to grow. This model can also be used by farmers overseas by applying the same basic principles.”

During the past three years, Dr Loi has also consulted on several production trials on the island of Sardinia, which have been sown on more than 500 properties.

“These trials also benefit WA growers because we get to see how the species perform in their natural environment and what their true potential is,” he said.

“It’s always a learning process as these results can be incorporated into research in Australia.”

The pastures are now sown over a few thousand hectares on five hectare plots on small farms across the island.

opportunity

The relationship has also helped to generate sales of WA pasture seed to the Mediterranean.

“It’s hard to quantify just what the export volume is, but this project certainly has helped to build relationships and

knowledge about Australian pasture species and their potential use,” Dr Loi said.

“I’ve had feedback from the commercial sector that it has paved a great export opportunity for the future, not just in Sardinia but throughout the Mediterranean.”

Dr Loi’s final trip in April will include several seminars for farmers and agronomists, field days, a workshop to summarise the results of the project and the presentation of a book, Pasture legumes for Sardinian Mediterranean Systems, which he authored.

Meetings with Sardinian seed companies are also on the itinerary to discuss the potential of newly released pasture legumes and lupin varieties.

Dr Loi will just miss a group of Esperance farmers, who will meet with local farmers and seed companies to discuss possible export opportunities.

“This has been a very rewarding project that has benefited both WA farmers and those around the world,” he said.

“The value of this work will become evident through increased seed exports, which I envisage could help stabilise the WA local seed market and provide extra revenue to WA seed growers.”

Dr Loi’s travel expenses have been met by LAORE Sardegna (Regional Agriculture Council).

For more information about Pasture Picker visit pasturepicker.com.au

Contact Dr Angelo LoiSenior research officerP: (08) 9368 3907E: [email protected]

DAFWA: Mediterranean pastures


A hardy pasture from the Canary Islands may provide an out-of-season saviour to Western Australian sheep producers.

DAFWA senior research officer Dr Daniel Real (left) and Dandaragan farmer David Brown examine a trial of tedera, two weeks after grazing.


Dr Daniel Real l Senior research officer

At a glance:

• A perennial pasture from the Canary Islands could prove to be a beneficial autumn feed option for sheep producers.

• Tedera is now being evaluated for its livestock production benefits.

• A trial at Dandaragan is examining what impact the palatability of different varieties has on production performance.

Tedera has already proved its merit as a hardy feed source, when other pasture is dormant, in trials by the Department of Agriculture and Food across the wheatbelt.

The department has now turned its attention to livestock production and investigating if the perennial pasture preferences of sheep affect their performance.

An initial 1.4 hectare grazing trial in 2012 that examined seven different varieties on a property at Dandaragan and was continuously stocked for 21 days, showed promising results.

It ruled out any adverse impacts on the sheep, such as photosensitisation, from the pasture legume through visual and blood tests, and identified the two varieties preferred by sheep.

Autumn trial

A follow-up trial at the same site, to commence in April, will determine what impact the different palatability of the varieties has on production performance when they are offered to animals one by one.

In the three-week trial, 40 sheep will graze the same seven tedera varieties as in the 2012 trial, but each variety will be segregated, unlike the previous trial where the sheep could graze all seven varieties at once.

Internationally recognised senior research officer Daniel Real said the results would help the tedera breeding program to develop one or more varieties for release.

“We know that there is a difference in preference for some varieties, but we don’t know if this is important,” Dr Real said.

“The main question we are trying to answer is if the animals are eating something they prefer more, will they eat

more of it and become more productive in terms of weight gain, condition score or wool production.

“If the results are the same regardless of the one they like more, they may not be offered a choice in the future and only one variety will be released.”

The tedera breeding project is supported by funding from the Future Farm Industries Cooperative Research Centre and Meat and Livestock Australia.

Contact Dr Daniel RealSenior research officerP: (08) 9368 3879E: [email protected]

Linking palatability to productivity

Dandaragan sheep and crop farmer David Brown didn’t have much interest in perennials until he saw how well tedera performed on his property.

Mr Brown hosted a Department of Agriculture and Food trial on his property over summer to examine the palatability of seven varieties of tedera.

A pivot irrigator was used to establish the trial, which was planted in 2011, but the plot hadn’t been watered since November 2012.

In late December 2012, 1000 sheep were introduced to graze the plants for a week before they were removed to examine the results.

Mr Brown was surprised how much the sheep seemed to enjoy the pasture.

“At first they went for the nearby wheat stubble and did not seem to go for it,” he said.

“But once that was eaten down they really got into the tedera and ate it down to almost sticks.

“There was no doubt they preferred certain varieties, but they ate the lot.”

Mr Brown is looking forward to the new livestock performance trial starting on his property in autumn and would eventually like to see trials on the use of tedera alongside other pastures and hay.

With a drying climate, Mr Brown believes tedera could prove to be a useful alternative in many areas of the wheatbelt.

“I like the fact that it is nitrogen fixing as well, which is a big plus,” he said.

“If you could get it growing in three to five years and then grow a crop it could have a good fit as part of a crop rotation.”

Mr Brown is now considering dedicating some of his lighter country to the pasture in the future.

Tedera a good fit for farming systems

DAFWA: Scotland pathology


Sheep worm vaccine nears reality

The holy grail of sheep worm control is within grasp as a result of an international collaboration between Scottish researchers and the Department of Agriculture and Food.

DAFWA senior technical officer Jill Lyon (left), technical officer Darren Michael and principal veterinary officer Dr Brown Besier check worm yields for the new Barbers pole worm vaccine at the department’s Albany Animal Health Laboratories.


Dr Brown Besier l Principal veterinary officer

At a glance:

• DAFWA has cooperated with the Scottish Moredun Research Institute to develop a vaccine for Barbers Pole worm.

• Field trials have demonstrated the vaccine provides six weeks of protection, compared with most drench treatments that protect for 3-4 weeks.

• The vaccine provides another tool to control worms without exacerbating the risk of drench resistance.

A vaccine could be released within two years to control Barbers pole worm (Haemonchus contortus), the world’s most severe sheep and goat parasite, which costs Australian sheep producers millions of dollars each year.

The impact of Barbers pole worm is being compounded by increasing levels of drench resistance.

WA collaboration

After 20 years of research, scientists from the Moredun Research Institute in Edinburgh turned to Western Australia to source worms from which to produce the vaccine and to test the product in the field.

The department has also been involved throughout the development process, in

the design of the trials, advising on the application of the vaccine and developing the rigorous laboratory accreditation system.

Department principal veterinary officer Brown Besier was instrumental in establishing the partnership in 2008.

“To ensure the integrity of the vaccine it needed to be produced in a country free of major virus and other diseases, such as Scrapie, which we don’t have here,” Dr Besier said.

“Easy access to large numbers of sheep was also essential, a need we could easily satisfy in WA.”

The vaccine is produced from worms that are harvested from sheep and then frozen for storage.

The Moredun team extracts the antigens that are manufactured into the vaccine at the department’s Albany Animal Health Laboratories.

As a result, the size of the department’s laboratories is about to double as it takes delivery of more equipment to make larger quantities of the vaccine.

Dr Besier said the department’s contribution to the process was unique.

“There are not many groups in Australia that could provide the staff with the skills and knowledge, the facilities and laboratory back-up and the sheep management skills,” he said.

The department also conducted several field trials to demonstrate the effectiveness

of the vaccine, alongside other interstate and overseas trials.

The vaccine has widespread production benefits for sheep producers, not just in Australia, but around the world.

Barbers pole worm has a significant impact in summer rainfall areas, such as northern New South Wales and Queensland, and is a major parasite in many other countries, like Brazil and South Africa.

Dr Besier said the new vaccine would provide sheep producers with ‘peace of mind’ against sheep losses from Barbers pole worm.

“We have confirmed the vaccine provides a high level of protection for some six weeks, which is longer than most drenches, and it is not subject to drench resistance,” he said.

“Growers will need to vaccinate four to five times a year, but in the major Barbers pole areas they often need to drench up to six times a year. The vaccine will be cost-competitive and there are no side effects.”

The vaccine is now entering the registration process, while the distribution process is also being negotiated.

Contact Dr Brown BesierPrincipal Veterinary OfficerP: (08) 9892 8470E: [email protected]

DAFWA: African biosecurity

Retired DAFWA animal biosecurity director, Dr Ashley Mercy, helps Botswana biosecurity officers examine grain supplies for insects.


At a glance:

• AGWEST Food Security is an international consultancy within the Department of Agriculture and Food that facilitates capacity building in developing countries.

• These diverse projects provide a valuable insight into international food production issues, while also contributing to improved global biosecurity and trade opportunities.

The Department of Agriculture and Food has been involved in international development projects around the world for more than 40 years.

Staff have worked on a diverse range of projects across grains, livestock and irrigated agriculture industries in more than 30 countries.

While agricultural production in these developing countries has been enhanced, the lessons learned have been invaluable to Western Australian agriculture.

The department’s international consultancy, AGWEST Food Security, manages these projects using external funding from government agencies (AusAID), international initiatives and non-government organisations.

Service and skills

Its services include project management, specialist professional and technical services and capacity building.

Staff with specific expertise from across the department can be seconded to assist selected projects from different scientific disciplines, as well as industry and natural

resource management specialists, technical and biosecurity officers.

The department can also manage collaborations with other government agencies, Western Australian universities and agribusiness.

Current activities include projects to assist:

• Morocco - integrated sheep development and genetic improvement; review of research and agricultural training strategy;

• Botswana - development of a national biosecurity strategy (see story adjacent);

• Moroccco, Tunisia, South Africa - training in WA to build farm business resilience and drought preparedness to facilitate food security; and

• Iraq - training in WA to combat wheat rust.

Win, win

AGWEST Food Security manager Mar Hube said both the department and the WA agricultural industry would benefit from these collaborations.

“These projects give us the opportunity to learn more about international issues, such as climate change, chemical resistance and biosecurity risks,” Mr Hube said.

“In developing relationships with these countries we also develop relationships and trust, providing potential for trade opportunities with WA. It’s a win-win situation.”

For more information about AGWEST Food Security visit agwest.wa.gov.au

Contact Mar HubeManager, AGWEST Food SecurityP: (08) 9368 3129E: [email protected]

Helping others to help ourselves

Boosting biosecurity in Botswana

Botswana’s agriculture production is now more biosecure thanks to a Department of Agriculture and Food project to help protect the country’s valuable crop and animal industries from exotic pests and diseases.

Botswana imports 80 per cent of its food, which leaves the landlocked southern African country open to the threat of exotic pests and disease incursions.AGWEST Food Security was engaged by

the Botswana Ministry of Agriculture in 2010 to improve the country’s plant, animal and wildlife biosecurity systems, facilities and capacity.

The two-year project, jointly funded by AusAID and the Botswana government, was recently completed, setting the country’s agriculture sector on the road to a more productive and profitable future.

The project helped assess Botswana’s biosecurity situation, providing a gap analysis of what was needed for an effective biosecurity system.

The department provided guidance on policy, legislation, regulation, strategy, animal and plant health, entomology and pest management, border quarantine, plant pathology, risk assessment, veterinary pathology and disease investigation, weed management and laboratory quality assurance.

A total of 13 new inspectors and more than 190 Botswana biosecurity officers received training.AGWEST Food Security manager Mar

Hube said together with a new plant protection act and other endeavours, the biosecurity risk in Botswana had been significantly reduced.

“The new biosecurity strategy should help protect the rapidly developing grains industries of Botswana from pests and diseases and assist the country’s food security,” Mr Hube said.

The department’s staff have also benefitted from the international collaboration, with a better understanding of and exposure to potential exotic diseases, which will help them to react more quickly if there is an incursion of a new plant or animal disease in Western Australia.


Western Australia’s vast agricultural expertise is assisting global food security and global biosecurity, while at the same time generating benefits back home.

DAFWA: Japan/Germany technology


Improving agriculture from space

A multinational collaboration is developing new satellite technology that will improve soil management and agricultural profitability.

Left: Norihiro Yamate (left) and Yasuteru Imai, Japan Space Systems contractors, collect field data in a paddock near Mullewa as part of an international remote sensing research project.

Right: HyMap imagery showing the clay minerals of soils in the survey area, near Mullewa, overlaying Landsat TM imagery. Source: CSIRO and Japan Space Systems


Dr Dan Carter l Research officer

At a glance:

• New satellite sensors will be able to collect more detailed soil and vegetation data that current satellite technology cannot capture.

• The Department of Agriculture and Food has contributed vital information to an international collaboration to develop new satellite-borne imaging technology.

• Data from this new technology will be used to develop more detailed, interactive maps to improve paddock management and boost agricultural productivity.

The Department of Agriculture and Food has played a supportive role in the satellite remote sensing project led by Japan, Germany and the CSIRO.

Remote sensing is the acquisition of data from a remote platform, such as a satellite. It involves digitally recording reflected energy from targeted areas.

These measurements can then be used to determine the composition of the earth’s surface.

A new generation of hyperspectral sensors, which measure in more detail than previous multi-spectral sensors, are now being constructed for future use on satellites to characterise not only ground cover, but also soils, to a degree never seen before.

Department research officer Dan Carter said the new sensors would be able to collect data to identify soils and vegetation that current satellite imagery cannot capture.

“This includes soil mineralogy, like iron oxides, quartz, clay content, as well as plant

components, such as chlorophyll and cellulose content,” Dr Carter said.

“This more detailed information will assist with the identification, characterisation and digital mapping of mineral deposits, the impact of climate change, environmental degradation and agricultural productivity to support food security and other land-based pursuits.”

Ground validation

The department has contributed to the development of applications for these new hyperspectral sensors to be used in future Japanese and German satellites by providing important field data.

Drawing on their experience with remote sensing, Dr Carter and colleague Buddy Wheaton collected extensive soil and crop data over 200,000 hectares across nine properties in the Mullewa district over two years.

Imagery of the area was acquired via the aircraft mounted HyMap hyperspectral sensor, which is similar to those being developed for use on the satellites.

The field data was used to ‘ground-truth’ the data from the aircraft and to develop potential products for the satellite-borne technology.

Improved tools

Dr Carter said the new technology would enable the department to better monitor soil types, soil loss, salinity and desertification, and calculate the critical factors required to prevent erosion.

“By using hyperspectral technology we can improve yield and grain quality predictions by measuring soil quality at the paddock scale, which can be used to develop a suite of products for monitoring, mapping and the like,” he said.

“The long-term aim is to develop interactive maps and tools for use by

farmers and industry to identify issues like erosion hot spots and to help growers take action to improve agricultural productivity.”

The new technology is also more efficient, reducing the time and cost of intensive soil laboratory analysis and field campaigns.

While this project focussed on the agricultural region, the technology could also be applied to the pastoral region where it is virtually impossible to carry out large scale field studies.

In 2012, the department assisted with adjunct Japanese and CSIRO research focussed on salinity in the Buntine and Marchagee areas. This data is now being evaluated.

opportunity knocks

Although the first of the international hyperspectral satellites are not scheduled to be launched until 2015, Dr Carter said it was important to be involved with the new technology at this early stage and have some influence on the potential uses.

“This has been a great opportunity for the department and other collaborators to get involved in future research on the ground floor,” he said.

“The tools developed from the more detailed information coming from these new satellites will help to improve farm productivity and reduce off-site impacts of agriculture such as soil erosion,” he said.

“This work is a good example of how the department and the scientific community are working with farmers and landholders to improve profitability and sustainability by using new and innovative tools.”

Contact Dr Dan CarterResearch officerP: (08) 9368 3408E: [email protected]

CROPPING: App technology

Local problems called for a local solution for one WA cropper, with the creation of an app that can give growers reliable yield forecasts to help them better manager their businesses.

AG in Focus Autumn 2013 www.kondiningroup.com.au12

At a glance:

• App technology is revolutionising the way farmers are running their enterprises.

• The inventor of iPaddock Yield says the technology is designed to help producers manage their input costs more efficiently.

An innovative smart phone app that forecasts harvest yields is the next ‘big thing’ in farming technology.

The app is designed to give growers a reliable forecast of yield and will take less than an hour for each user to set-up, with no need for field inspections or tests.

Grains Research and Development Corporation, in partnership with the Australian Year of the Farmer, began searching for Australia’s most innovative home-grown invention for the grains sector in 2012 through the Grain Inventors competition.

The inventor of the iPaddock Yield app, Michael Fels, from Esperance, will receive $15,000 from GRDC to develop his concept.

“Having a reliable forecast of yield early in the season is the Holy Grail for grain farmers,” Mr Fels said.

“We’re really excited that we will be able to take the next step to achieving this by further developing iPaddock Yield.

“So far I’ve built the system on a PC, but we now intend to make it into an app for

an iPhone and iPad to make it easily accessible for growers.

“My primary motivation for developing the app is not to generate profits, but to make available to the wider industry a tool that can improve the viability of Australian farm businesses and make a profound difference to the way our major input decisions are made.”

Testing results

The iPaddock Yield concept has been tested on farms in low, medium and high rainfall zones, and has consistently made yield forecasts, as early as June, that have matched up with results at harvest.

Mr Fels and his wife Marnie have used their data modelling technique within their own business and have found one of the biggest advantages was the savings they could achieve by making more informed decisions about their input costs.

“We have saved literally hundreds of thousands of dollars over a number of below average seasons, purely through informed rational decisions that were made at a time when the crops were looking a million dollars,” Mr Fels said.

“Conversely, in high yield seasons we have been able to maximise our profits through higher nitrogen rates and fungicides in the knowledge that the potential return on inputs is very high.”

set to take off

GRDC chairman Keith Perrett is pleased to see the iPaddok Yield concept receive a boost from the Grain Inventors initiative.

“The iPaddock Yield app is a great idea and I can’t wait to see it take off and make it to smart phones of growers across Australia,” he said.

“Trying to balance seasonal pressures and get the best returns on your input spend is always trying for farmers, so I hope the tool will make decision-making easier for them.

“It’s great to see such a modern solution to an age-old problem because it proves Australian growers are continuing their tradition of developing ingenious solutions on their farms.”

Australian Year of the Farmer chairman, Philip Bruem, said Michael’s app is a fantastic example of Aussie farming ingenuity and innovation and a worthy winner of the Grain Inventors prize.

“There were many entries from farmers all over the country and in congratulating Michael we also want to thank all entrants for their terrific submissions.

“It’s all about increasing productivity from the sector.”

Necessity is the mother of invention

“It’s great to see such a modern solution to an age-old problem because it proves Australian growers are continuing their tradition of developing ingenious solutions on their farms.”

Farm insurance you can shake hands with.Insure with WFI and you’ll deal directly with a local area manager who will take the time to understand you and your needs as a farmer. So, your insurance will always be handled with a personal touch. Plus, you have the option to tailor your own insurance package to suit your needs. WFI, good people to know for insurance since 1919.

For farm, business and strata insurance call 1300 934 934 or visit wfi.com.auTo see if our product is right for you, always read the PDS from the product issuer, WFI (ABN 24 000 036 279 AFSL 241461).

CROPPING: Resistance

A recent global conference held in Perth discussed the control of ryegrass populations through the improvement of current management methods.


At a glance:

• Ryegrass is one of the most costly weeds in agriculture today, particularly in winter cropping systems in southern Australia.

• Many ryegrass populations have developed resistance to selective and non-selective herbicides.

• The Ryegrass Integrated Management model has been upgraded to give growers new tools to help combat the weed threat.

Evaluating the long-term profitability of ryegrass management methods is now easier and more effective following an upgrade of the Ryegrass Integrated Management (RIM) model.

The improved decision support tool for growers and agronomists was launched at the recent Global Herbicide Resistance Challenge in Perth by Australian Herbicide Resistance Initiative (AHRI) researcher Myrtille Lacoste.

With funding from the Grains Research and Development Corporation, Ms Lacoste, who is based at the University of Western Australia, led the upgrade of RIM a decade after it was first developed.

Integrating ryegrass biology, agronomy and economics in a dynamic and user-

friendly framework, RIM is free software, which simulates the effect of strategic and tactical control methods on ryegrass populations and paddock economic returns over a 10-year period.

Test before you try on-farm

Ms Lacoste said improvements to the model meant it would continue to be a key tool to help Australian growers control weeds sustainably, and it was an ideal way to test management practices before risking real dollars.

“RIM won’t replace your expert judgement, but it will give you one more piece of evidence so you can make important changes with increased confidence,” she said.

Ms Lacoste said the upgrade included entirely reviewing and updating management options, including timing of crop seeding, soil preparation, herbicides, grazing, crop sacrifice, topping and harvest weed seed control.

“RIM now also has simpler, more flexible settings so the user can easily build strategies, observe the effects of the various options on ryegrass numbers and assess the financial implications of their choices,” she said.

New features include the ability to compare two different strategies or paddock profiles in terms of:

• Seed bank dynamics

• Ryegrass burden on yields• Weed control budget allocation and

economic returnsRIM was first developed by Professor

David Pannell from UWA and AHRI, with support from researchers from various organisations including the Department of Agriculture and Food.

The improved RIM can be downloaded for free along with an illustrated user guide and video tutorials at www.ahri.uwa.edu.au/rim

The Global Herbicide Resistance Challenge is an international, multidisciplinary research conference addressing herbicide resistance – a major threat to global and Australian agriculture.

controlling herbicide resistance

“RIM now also has simpler, more flexible settings so the user can easily build strategies, observe the effects of the various options on ryegrass numbers and assess the financial implications of their choices.”

4Farmers … For Farmers

If you truly want quality chemicals at the best value you would be dealing with 4Farmers now

Call your local 4Farmers distributor or head office for delivery of chemicals to you anywhere in WA

1800 038 445www.4farmers.com.au

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

4FARMERS – FOR FARMERS

IF farmers are serious about herbicide

resistance and preserving their number

one chemical Glyphosate they need to

consider alternatives like Paraquat.

Knockdown control with Paraquat is

also better than Glyphosate in

situations where weeds are small or

weeds maybe becoming stressed.

Rather than mess around with 110L

drums consider getting nearly 15%

discount by buying in 1000L IBCs.

To make handling safer and simpler

for May only receive a free micro matic

with every 1000L IBC of Paraquat sold.

■ 4Farmers Brown Out offers a cheap

alternative for Paraquat + Diquat

If Paraquat alone is not enough and you want Paraquat + Diquat

(equivalent to SpraySeed®) use 4Farmers Brown Out 250.

Brown Out will give better control than Paraquat alone where

broadleaves are a problem.

4Farmers prices are hard to beat from $7.20/L ex GST or $7.92/L

inc GST. Like Paraquat for this month we are offering free micro

matics with every 1000L IBC sold.

Extra Knock Down Kick with

4Farmers Brown Out 250

4Farmers BargainParaquat 250 from$3.15/L ex GST (or$3.47/L inc GST).May special freemicro matic for

1000L IBC.

4Farmers Pty Ltd Suppliers of agricultural chemicals to protect your crops.

Free Call 1800 038 445 70 McDowell St, Welshpool, WA 6106

Ph: (08) 9356 3445, Fax (08) 9356 3447

www.4farmers.com.au

Get serious with Paraquat 1000L IBC

4FARMERS and independent trials consistently prove granular

glyphosate like 4Farmers Glyphosate 875 SG has superior performance

to all others“4Farmers Glyphosate 875 SG product has been the best performing

Glyphosate in trials against other Glyphosate products including

Roundup® Attack™”, says David Eksteen 4Farmers agronomist.

“As far as rainfastness all the Glyphosates seemed similar

and rainfast after around two hours. None were significantly

better in spite of any advertising saying otherwise. If anything

I would say from trials the Glyphosate 875 was slightly best

in this respect too”.“As well as better field performance Glyphosate 875 SG

provides handling advantages especially over clients

otherwise using 110Ls or 20Ls”.

Newdegate farmers Stuart Chamberlain and Paul Harley

agree for their 6000ha cropping program that not only does

4Farmers Glyphosate 875 perform well, the high

concentration granules are a big advantage.

“Handling granules just suits us so much better than

messing around pumping liquid from 110L drums. And not

having the hassle of dealing with a few more drums is

fantastic’, says Stuart.

■ Stuart Chamberlain and Paul Harley standing in

front of pallets of Glyphosate 875 for their 6000ha

cropping program. Stuart says 4Farmers

Glyphosate 875 definitely works best for them.

The Best Glyphosate is in a Box

STOP

PRESS!OMETHOLATE 290 –

AVAILABLE NOW!

RED HOT PRICE!

KNOCK OUT KNOCK DOWN SPECIALS


4FARMERSFOR FARMERS

4Farmers Pty Ltd Suppliers of agricultural chemicals to protect your crops.Free Call 1800 038 445 70 McDowell St, Welshpool, WA 6106Ph: (08) 9356 3445, Fax (08) 9356 3447 www.4farmers.com.au

1361

746

WITH summer rains from Esperance to Geraldton it looms big for summer spraying in WA.Therefore get your orders in for summer sprayswith 4Farmers now. Not only might supply gettight but you are unlikely to find better value than4Farmers.Common alternatives for summer weeds;Glyphosate - 0.5-1L/ha. For stressed weeds ortough customers like Windmill grass 2+L/ha.Maybe add oil if humidity is low.Triclopyr – Paddy melon 100-150ml/ha. Afghandown to 75ml/ha

2,4-D Ester 800 – 300-500ml/ha Good spike forBrassica weeds, Stinkwort, Goosefoot, Afghanmelon. Could substitute for equivalent Ester 680rates.Metsulfuron – 5g/ha for Brassica weeds,Wireweed, Doublegee. Not on land for lupins.There are many other permutations of summerweed controls. More information can be foundon our reference notes for summer weed controlon our web site www.4farmers.com.au ordiscussion with one of our agronomists.

NEW 4Farmers seed dressings containing Imidacloprid have been proven toachieve consistent yield benefits especially in canola and barley, as well aswheat.Imidacloprid controls aphid feeding in crops which is in turn effectivelysuppresses spread of disease. In canola, control of green peach aphid (GPA)to suppress beet western yellow virus (BWYV) has increased yields up to 88%.In cereals it is also very impressive for consistently controlling cereals aphidsand managing barley yellow dwarf virus (BYDV).4Farmers has been marketing Imidacloprid 600 (similar to Gaucho® orEmerge®) for a year. Recently released is 4Farmers Imid-Triadimenol(similar to Zorro®) which is registered in cereals. Like the name suggests,aside from Imidacloprid it is mixed with Triadimenol (contained in Baytan®)which provides control of cereal smuts and bunts.

Big summerspraying looms

Ester 800 rules

4Farmers Ester800 continues tobe a very popularcost effectiveproduct

Imid-Triadimenol cereal seed dressing(similar to Zorro®) is an exciting newregistration says 4Farmers RegistrationOfficer Amanda Powell

ESTER 800 is a better herbicide than lowvolatile alternatives for situations farmerscan appropriately use it. Not only is there abundant antidotalevidence of this from farmers but it is alsosupported by CSIRO research that proves lowmolecular weight volatile esters like Ester800 are more active than the highermolecular weight low volatile esters.Ester 800 has superior efficacy and isdecisively cheaper gram for gram than Ester680.4Farmers Ester 680 prices are good, so thatmakes Ester 800 superb value.

New Imidacloprid seed dressingincreasing yields and profits

50% cheaperthan equivalentproducts

A 5% tariff is applied to a range

of common chemicals including Glyphosate, Atrazine, Simazine, Diuron, Triasulfuron and the active ingredient of Trifluralin and all 2,4-D phenoxy chemicals.

In 1993 the Federal Parliament of Australia instigated the Prices Surveillance Authority, the forerunner organisation to the current day ACCC, to do a study on farm chemicals. Interestingly they started this because they were concerned about high chemical prices. It was 4Farmers who in the mid 90s fixed that problem with some real action! I’m glad we didn’t wait for the PSA study or

Edition 2, 2010

Are you aware that unfair tariffs could be costing you over $1 per cropped hectare?

Glyphosate Price Review

government to save us.Of all the recommendations made including removal of all tariffs none were adopted. Tariffs had already come down from the 30% protection in the 80s and got to 15% during the early 90s. After the study during the 90s they got down to 5% but unfortunately it stopped there. Sadly farm organisations and federal politicians continue to ignore it for now almost 20 years later.

2,4-D has an additional 5% dumping duty. The 5% dumping duty is an extra penalty that has remained there because of government bureaucrats in Customs producing a sham report and being too lazy to get their research right. Chinese suppliers were too busy selling chemicals to answer bureaucrat’s surveys.I remember sitting in the Customs head office in Canberra back in August 1995

Intelligence about the farm chemical business

4Front4Farmers … For Farmers

70 McDowell Street, Welshpool WA 6106 Phone: 1800 038 445 | Fax: 9356 3447 www.4farmers.com.au

fighting for a tariff concession on chlorsulfuron (one of our first products of which we halved the price).The customs officer tried to tell me the company opposing our tariff concession claim (the second biggest generic at the time) made the product locally and had a 70 page report from them saying so. I told him it was bulldust! I was able to see his computer screen and pointed out they were also getting it from China (I also saw they were paying 35% less than us but were still selling it double our price) and bringing it in under another duty free tariff number. He was pretty mad with the other company and needless to say we got our concession.

I digress with this story because the skullduggery is still being played throughout this industry today (Don’t get me started with false factory registrations and many other lies). Any of the big companies being protected by tariffs of course are going to fight tooth and nail to uphold them.

We would not be so certain about a rise in Glyphosate prices, as suggested by some forecasters.Based on the information that we have, we believe prices are more likely to remain moderate unless the AU$ takes a dive. In our opinion there’s no need for buyers to be panicked into buying now ahead of a price rise.

Glyphosate 95% acid is currently priced at just under US$3/kg. This is at the lower end of the range.Since January 2005 to December 2009 prices have ranged from approx US$2.50/kg to over US$14/kg. If the period July 2007 to December 2008 is excluded, the price variation is much more stable with the median price being just over US$3/kg – close to the existing price.Technical grade material had a significant price rise leading into 2008. This aberration was due to

constrained capacity at the time combined with strong demand in America.It’s a strong contrast to the current situation where it is claimed Chinese herbicide production in 2010 is running at its lowest capacity operating rate “in history” – just 20%, according to Chinese stock market analysts, China Galaxy Securities.

Reports of a 9% export rebate on Glyphosate being withdrawn in China only affected technical grade material. It is likely to mean the relative competiveness of fully formulated imports will improve.None the less, retail prices are relatively low. If you feel more comfortable locking into current prices then you’re unlikely to get better value than 4Farmers Glyphosate 470.Glyphosate 95% acid USD / Kg price of exports from China to Australia

Continued on page 2.

See us at your next field day and sign our petition to remove tariffs on imported farm chemicals. Fields days we will be attending include SA - Cleve; WA - Dowerin, Newdegate, Mingenew; NSW - Walbundrie.

2007

Edition 2, 2011Intelligence about the farm chemical business

4Front4Farmers … For Farmers

Phone: 1800 038 445 | Fax: 9356 3447 www.4farmers.com.au

The recent mouse plague across eastern

Australia exemplifies what we’re about and why 4Farmers was started.

Firstly, 4Farmers wanted to help

farmers. Secondly, we wanted to do it at a fair price. The practice of charging what one can get away with is not us.

While low cost 4Farmers mouse bait might be gaining publicity in the East I’m pleased to say there are other products we have dramatically slashed the prices on by more than 75% in the last year.

I hope people who appreciate what we’ve done with mouse bait might consider us for other chemical requirements because we need farmer support to continue what we do.

Our loyal clients know they may not in all instances get the very cheapest price but they know it will be fair and a good quality product.

They also see the bigger picture of supporting a company that genuinely cares about them.

Our association with major players like those pictured shows we’re not a “two bob trader”. Worldwide contacts, particularly like these in China, as also in India, help us to know this market as well as anyone. The Chinese in return respect 4Farmers particularly for how we fought against Glyphosate dumping duties in 1996 and 2001.

I’m staggered about the outcome of the Federal Court case that resulted in the Trifluralin tariff being reinstated (see p3). It makes me very angry that Nufarm and Customs would play the game like this.

There’s little to gain for 4Farmers by having tariffs removed but that hasn’t stopped us from investing a heap of time and money in fighting them to reduce costs further for farmer benefit.

It’s another case of wanting to put farmers, like you and me, first.

Welcome

Phil Patterson, Managing Director

From left Mr. Feng Shan YIN, Business director for Feng Shan Chemical (the biggest Trifluralin manufacturer in China who 4Farmers registered after much persistence in 2005), Mr. Shou Hai YANG, Board Chairman for Red Sun Group (the biggest Paraquat manufacturer and collectively the biggest agchem exporter in China), Mr. Liang JIANG, Board Chairman for Good Harvest Group, Mr. Bao Song TANG, Board Chairman for Wynca Group (the last two gentleman are with the two largest Glyphosate manufacturers in China).

From the frontline in the ‘mouse war’One of the worst mouse plagues

in many years across South Australia, Victoria and New South

Wales has been a massive problem for many farmers in these areas.

Bait before this year costing farmers over $10/kg needed to be spread at 1kg/ha sometimes several times. This cost would make growing crops, particularly in marginal areas where the problem has generally been worse, almost unviable in average years.

A critical need for mouse bait emerged in autumn as the established suppliers struggled to meet demand and farmers had to wait over a month for supply in many cases while crops got eaten out.

The dire shortage and high cost of bait resulted in many farmers resorting to making their own illegal baits. Besides less efficacy these baits presented greater risks for off target species and the farmers own health.

4Farmers, which had already been working on registration for mouse bait, swung into action seeking an emergency permit to help save the situation.

Originally we fought for a permit for farmers to do their own on farm baiting. This was rejected at the time but we continue to hold hope of developing an effective on farm solution in the near future.

Finally, in mid June we obtained an emergency permit that allowed manufacture at regional baiting stations. The 4Farmers model of regional baiting stations allowed farmers to use their own grain. At time of writing this permit was due to expire 30th September 2011.

We were not only pleased to help meet a short fall in supply to people in a desperate situation, but were able to supply product for less than $2.50/kg (excluding farmer seed and packaging) or less than 25% of the other commercially available sources.

4Farmers is associated with some of the biggest players of chemicals in China. We have significant relationships which have been cultivated over many years.

At a recent Chinese Expo 4Farmers MD Phil Paterson caught up with some of his Chinese friends. Probably few others could have assembled the same group.

Mixing with the Chinese Kings of Chemical


Glyphosate 875 best rainfastness

No Profit/No Drum Glyphosate specialSOWING early crop with little germination? Or you may have already

used Glyphosate? Spraying small weeds is a situtation where people should be

considering spraying with Paraquat or Paraquat/Diquat (BrownOut)

instead of Glyphosate. Or consider spraying Paraquat on weeds

before crops germinate.

Using Paraquat takes some pressure off Glyphosate and hopefully

puts you a little further away from the disaster of Glyphosate

resistance.Price is no excuse.Paraquat and BrownOut are cheaper than ever.

GET cash purchases of Glyphosate 875 at less than cost

price!!Mention this ad and purchase 4Farmers Glyphosate 875 SG

for cash and pay only $142.69/20kg inc GST ($6.49/kg ex GST).

Based on active only that’s equivalent to paying only $3.34/L ex

GST for 450g/L product.

You’re left without the hassle of any drum and you have

one of the best performing Glyphosates available.

This special is only available while stock lasts.

There has never been a better time to try this

revolutionary product.Order your requirements now!

■ Stuart Chamberlain and Paul Harley standing in front of

pallets of Glyphosate 875 for their 6000ha cropping program.

Stuart says 4Farmers Glyphosate 875 definitely works best

for them.

Propyzamide performs on resistant ryegrass

Knockdown with Paraquat NOW

Survival (% of non treated) of resistant (solid circle) and susceptible (open circle) ryegrass.

1.5l/ha Glyphosate 450 (bottom set) v equal

rate of Glyphosate 875+0.25% wetter. Results

7 days after spraying with rainfall events 60

minutes, 120 minutes and no rain after

spraying. Glyphosate 875 decisively better

results observed (top row). Photo taken April

3, 2012.

Trials done by David Eksteen, 4Farmers

agronomist, Walbundrie NSW, March/April

2012

4FARMERS FOR FARMERS

4Farmers Pty Ltd Suppliers of agricultural chemicals to protect your crops.


Ph: (08) 9356 3445, Fax (08) 9356 3447 www.4farmers.com.au

IN RECENT trials comparing 4Farmers Glyphosate 875

Granules to Roundup® Attack™, a conventional 450g/l

Target formulation and a 500g/l potassium salt

formulation, the 4Farmers Glyphosate 875 SG was

observed to be the best performing glyphosate product.

“4Farmers Glyphosate 875 SG product had the best

brownout of weeds over time,” says David Eksteen

4Farmers Agronomist.

“As far as rainfastness all the Glyphosates seemed

similar and rainfast after around two hours. None were

significantly better in spite of any advertising saying

otherwise. If anything I would say from trials the

Glyphosate 875 was slightly best in this respect too.”

Newdegate WA farmers Stuart Chamberlain and Paul

Harley agree for their 6000ha cropping program that not

only does 4Farmers Glyphosate 875 perform well, the

high concentration granules are a big

advantage.

“Handling granules just suits us so much

better than messing around pumping liquid

from 110L drums. And not having the

hassle of dealing with a few more drums is

fantastic,” says Stuart.

1375853

ANOTHER4FARMERS BARGAIN:

Paraquat 250 as cheapas $3.47/L inc GST($3.15/L ex GST).

Even cheaper for cash &

4Farmers customers!

Avoid diseasein your cereals.

For the cheapest and most

cost effective in furrowcontrol use

Triadimefon 500 Dry.

■ Field trial with base treatment of 1.1kg/ha Atrazine pre

sowing and 1kg/ha Atrazine PSPE. Distinct boomspray line

where 1L/ha Propyzamide added pre sowing with Atrazine

on right and much improved ryegrass control.

RESEARCH by Walsh et al (2011) proved Propyzamide at

250g/ha achieved greater than 95% control of multi resistant

ryegrass including that resistant to Trifluralin.

In contrast Pyroxasulfone (Sakura®) was similar performance

and Prosulfocarb+s-metolachlor (Boxer Gold®) was less

effective. Diuron at best offered only suppression.

Propyzamide is not presently registered on any broadacre

crops like lupins or canola but there have been some positive

trials and registration may happen in the future. It does have a

registration on pasture.4Farmers still has stocks available as cheap as $24.20/L inc

GST ($22.00/L ex GST).

60 minutes 120 minutes Control - no water

1337568


4Farmers Pty LtdSuppliers of agricultural chemicals

to protect your crops and animals.

Free Call 1800 038 445

Ph: (08) 9356 3445 Fax (08)

9356 3447 – 70 McDowell St,

Welshpool, WA 6106

4FARMERS

FOR FARMERS

Farmer trial with base treatment of 1.1kg/ha Atrazine pre-em

and 1kg/ha PSPE. Area on left had addition of 1L/ha

Propyzamide 500 pre-em.

Imidacloprid (Gaucho®) and other

seed dressings get cheaperFARMERS wanting to Imidacloprid or the equivalent of Gaucho® to protect crops

like canola from insect attack after planting should check out 4Farmers recently

released generic copy, 4Farmers Imidacloprid 600.

4Farmers also continues to offer fantastic pricing on traditional seed dressings

Tebuconazole 25T (similar to Raxil®) and Triadimenol 150C (Baytan ®) in liquid or

powder form.

Propyzamide beatsResistant RyegrassPROPYZAMIDE continues to demonstrate exciting

potential in an integrated strategy to economically

control ryegrass resistant to all other herbicides.

It’s only registration presently in broadacre is for a

range of grasses that Propyzamide has traditionally been

restricted to horticulture uses due to its high cost.

Presently in broadacre its only registration is for a range

of grasses in legume pastures. Trials in crops like

Canola have been encouraging and suggest grain

residues low enough that will possibly gain registration

in the future. For best efficacy, like many herbicides, good moisture

conditions are important. It has also generally worked

better applied pre-emergent, and incorporated in a

strategy with other chemicals like Atrazine.

4Farmers is proud to be at the forefront providing

Australian farmers with economical herbicide

alternatives. 4Farmers are continuing to run a crazy “No

Profit Special” on a limited amount of Propyzamide 500

with prices in the low $20’s per unit for liquid and

granules. Talk to 4Farmers quickly to secure your

supply.

Generic version of Flame® available

(and possible On-Duty®)CLIENTS with a need for Flame® (Imazapic) this season are advised that a

generic version, 4Farmers I-PIC 240, will be available shortly.

There is also a good chance a generic version of Arsenal® (Imazapyr) will be

available prior to this season, 4Farmers Imazapyr 750 WDG. Also possible from

4Farmers this season is a copy of On-Duty® which is a mixture of Imazapic and

Imazapyr.

NEW PRODUCTSTrifluralinavailableat 4FarmersTHERE have been rumorsabout scarce supplies ofTrifluralin. Stocks have been

an issue for some companies

but it’s not envisaged for4Farmers. 4Farmersconfidently expect to supply its

current orders and more.To secure your supplies at

good prices put your order with

4Farmers now.


4FARMERSFOR FARMERS


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Glyphosate 875 granules provebest performer

Bush Myths and Misinformation

IN recent trials comparing 4Farmers’ Glyphosate 875granules to Roundup® Attack™, a conventional 450g/lformulation and a 500g/l potassium salt formulation, the4Farmers Glyphosate 875 SG was observed to be the bestperforming glyphosate product.“4Farmers Glyphosate 875 SG product had the bestbrownout of weeds over time,” said David Eksteen4Farmers agronomist. “As far as rainfastness all the Glyphosates seemedsimilar and rainfast after about two hours. None weresignificantly better in spite of any advertising sayingotherwise. If anything I would say from trials theGlyphosate 875 was slightly best in this respect too”.Newdegate farmers Stuart Chamberlain and PaulHarley agree for their 6000ha cropping program that notonly does 4Farmers Glyphosate 875 perform well, thehigh concentration granules are a big advantage.“Handling granules just suits us so much better thanmessing around pumping liquid from 110L drums. Andnot having the hassle of dealing with a few more drumsis fantastic,” Stuart said.

MAY SPECIALSTHERE has never been a better time to try Glyphosate 875granules than now with a big 6% discount for cashpurchases which reduces the price after discount to$142.69/20kg inc GST ($6.49/kg ex GST).Based on active only, a 450g/l product would need to be$3.34/L ex GST to be equal value. Even allowing forwetter the granules are likely to compare better valuethan any Glyphosate liquid in 110 or 20L containers.Anyone who wants the best Glyphosate, wants easierhandling, and cheaper product then call 4Farmers nowfor Glyphosate 875 SG.Buy a pallet or 480kg (24x20kg boxes) of Glyphosate875 or more and receive a 6% discount on cash purchasesof Triadimefon 500 Dry or Propyzamide 500 SC.

1.5l/ha Glyphosate 450 (bottom set) v equal rate ofGlyphosate 875+0.25% wetter. Results 7 days after sprayingwith rainfall events 60 minutes, 120 minutes and no rain afterspraying. Glyphosate 875 decisively better results observed(top row). Photo taken April 3, 2012.Trials done by David Eksteen, 4Farmers Agronomist,Walbundrie NSW, March/April 2012

■ Stuart Chamberlain and Paul Harley standing in front ofpallets of Glyphosate 875 for their 6000ha croppingprogram. Stuart says 4Farmers Glyphosate 875 definitelyworks best for them.

THERE is plenty of nonsense we get frustrated with, frommisinformed independent experts as well ascompetitors. Some of them are;1. Triadimefon 500 Dry is a past product? Not true!Triadimefon is at least as good if not arguable betterefficacy than Flutriafol for in furrow disease control.It's also the cheapest fungicide control for $2.40/hainc GST and it is very easy to apply right up untilbefore going out to the paddock. Dust and smell havealso been minimised with 4Farmers Triadimefon 500Dry and far better than product of the past and

certainly better than any competitor. Don’t overlook itin a year likely bad for disease and tight for cash.2. Glyphosate can be rainfastness in half an hour?Nonsense. No Glyphosate 4Farmers has trialled asdemonstrated it is significantly better than anotherdespite any advertising saying otherwise.3. All generic Glyphosates need wetter added to them?Not 4Farmers 470 which contains 15% wetter. Intypical winter spraying in Southern Australia youshouldn’t usually need to add wetter to 4FarmersGlyphosate 470.

60 minutes 120 minutes Control - no water


4FARMERS

FOR FARMERS4Farmers Pty Ltd Suppliers of agricultural chemicals to protect your crops.


Ph: (08) 9356 3445, Fax (08) 9356 3447 www.4farmers.com.au

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40% of paddocks have

resistance to Trifluralin!

Propyzamide another

resistance toolPROPYZAMIDE is another chemical proving

very useful for those with increasing

ryegrass resistance problems on their farm.

Discuss with 4Farmers how it might best fit

into yourresistancestrategy.Those whowant it areunlikely tofind itcheaperthan at4Farmers.

Glyphosate losing control

THE loss of Glyphosate in our cropping system would be

disastrous.One strategy to manage the potential problem is incorporating

Paraquat or Paraquat/Diquat into your system where ever possible

such as through a “double knock” technique or where there are

small and/or stressed weedsmore suited to these knockdowns.This strategy is especiallyimportant to the increasingnumber of people considering

Roundup Ready® crops andincreasing reliance onGlyphosate.Price is no excuse.

Talk to 4Farmers about howcheap Paraquat and Brownout are today.

FORTY per cent of paddocks have ryegrass that is

resistant to Trifluralin. This was part of the alarming results found in a GRDC

2008 survey for herbicide resistance in the mid north of

Sout Australia. Results in other areas of SA were 39pc

in the south east, 19pc in the Mallee and 5pc for the

Eyre Peninsula. We don’t mean to be alarmist, and other areas in

Australia haven’t yet demonstrated the same level of

resistance, however it does illustrate the potential for

how things could head even with a chemical like

Trifluralin if used extensively like it has been in SA.

If Trifluralin resistance is no concern to you then the

cheapest and most effective pre-emergent control of

ryegrass is more Trifluralin.

However if you perceive there is a need to rotate away

and relieve pressure on Trifluralin which is a Group D

chemical, then options you could consider are Triallate

which is Group J and/or Metolachlor a group K.

These alternatives should arguably be considered

before jumping to other expensive and highly touted

chemicals Boxer Gold® and Sakura®.

There are pluses and minuses with any of

these alternatives. For example Triallate can be

useful for control of Wild Oats.

The other significant advantage of a three way mix of

Trifluralin, Triallate and Metolachlor is that it might be

possible to achieve the most effective ryegrass control

at a cheaper cost.Whether you need Trifluralin, Triallate or Metolachlor

it is unlikely you will find a better price or quality than

4Farmers.

SOURCE: Funded GRDC, conducted at Hart SA by Gill et. al. (2010)

Ryegrass plants per square metre (% control)

Herbicide TreatmentJuly

Average AugustAverage

Nil (untreated control) 385 325

Trifluralin 480 1.5L/ha (IBS) 157 (59) 156 (52)

Triallate 500 3L/ha (IBS) 132 (71) 119 (63)

Boxer Gold 2.5L/ha (IBS) 89 (77) 136 (58)

Sakura 118g/ha (IBS) 106 (72) 75 (77)

Outlook 1.0 L/ha (IBS) 128 (67) 186 (43)

Trifluralin 480 1.5L/ha +

Triallate 500 2.0L/ha (IBS) 70 (82) 78 (76)

Trifluralin 480 1.5L/ha

(IBS)+Triallate 500

2.0L/ha BS)+Metolachlor720

1.0L/ha (PSPE)

30 (92) 33 (90)

(PSPE or knife point pre)


4FARMERSFOR FARMERS

4FARMERS has been encouraging farmers to consider Triallate and/orMetolachlor in mixes with Trifluralin for pre-emergent cereal spraying.Triallate is a Group J chemical and Metolachlor is Group K so gettingaway from Trifluralin that is a Group D chemical.Why bother with Boxer Gold® or wait for Sakura®when combinations ofthe above chemicals give such comparatively good control and such goodvalue.Especially with prices for Triallate as low as$8.20/L exGST and Metolachlor $5.95/L exGSTthis alternative becomes even more attractive.

1340802

RED HOT 4Farmers prices helpfarmers beat Ryegrass ResistanceFARMERS should be consideringalternative chemicals in their sprayingstrategy to beat herbicide resistantryegrass.

4Farmers is slashing its prices on aselection of products to achieve this,which is particularly helpful if coming offa tough season.

4Farmers still has time to ship in theproducts below in time for the coming season.Get your orders in now. These specials willclose 4th March or when stocks run out.Paraquat cheaper thanGlyphosate prices!

PARAQUAT at prices as low as $3.60/L ex GST means it’scheaper than some Glyphosate prices.There has never been a better time to consider rotating toParaquat as an alternative knock down if weeds are small. Resistance to Glyphosate is very serious but unfortunatelythe reality for some farmers. Protect Glyphosate andincrease its longevity. At very least farmers consider usingParaquat in a “double knock strategy” in tandem withGlyphosate.4Farmers also has BrownOut (Paraquat & Diquat mix likeSpray.Seed®) at low prices too.

Triallate, Metolachlor take pressure off Trifluralin

“Especially this cheap, Triallate or Metolachorcombinations with Trifluralin must be considered if seriousabout resistance,” Terry Piper, 4Farmers Agronomist.

“Paraquat or Brown Out is abargain at these price. Thinkabout them instead ofGlyphosate,” Neil Mortimore4Farmers GM.

ONLY at 4Farmers are you likely to get Propyzamide thisseason. Field results for control of resistant ryegrass withPropyzamide have generally proved very good. Particularlyif used early, conditions are moist, and also if in combinationwith other products like Atrazine.Prices as low as $19.95/l exGST makes Propyzamide aserious consideration. This price has been out there for sometime but the window of opportunity is likely to close soon.4Farmers is hopeful to widen registration past pasturesinto other crops like canola in the future if residue testing inharvested grain is satisfactory.

PROPYZAMIDE ONLYAT 4FARMERS

Farmer trial with base treatment of 1.1kg/haAtrazine pre-em and 1kg/ha PSPE. Area on lefthad addition of 1L/ha Propyzamide 500 pre-em.



4FARMERSFOR FARMERS


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ARE the chemicals you’re buying really stack up against 4Farmers?Take Glyphosate for example. Even if what you’re buying is cheaper does it really compare?

DupedTHE only thing worse than buying cheap inferior product is buying over priced product hyped up with advertising.

Take the claims of a certain glyphosate product that claims rainfast is less than an hour and no evidence to support thoseclaims. Don’t get fooled!! Get a product proven as good and much cheaper from 4Farmers.

Imazapic andImazapyrWHAT are these new chemicalsfrom 4Farmers ???

Talk to 4Farmers or youragronomist and if they have aplace on your property?

Why not buy the cheapest and bestquality chemicals from 4Farmers?

Bargains for this week only!Limited Stock…be quickPara…what…under $3/L ($3.30/L inc GST)!!For one week only, until 16th March, if you have bought or committed to buyingall your pre-season Glyphosate and Trifluralin through 4Farmers then you’re entitledto buy Paraquat 250 in 1000L for $2.95/l ($3.25 inc GST)A more cost effective resistant ryegrass solution withTriallate & MetolachlorBefore you introduce Sakura® or Boxer Gold® into your programme considerTrifluralin, Triallate and Metolachlor. Trials prove that a mixture of these chemicalscan be cheaper and more cost effective.For one week only, until 16th March, if you have bought or committed to buyingyour pre-season Trifluralin through 4Farmers you can also get a 4% discount ofeither Trifluralin or Metolachlor in 1000L or 200L containers.These discounts make Triallate as cheap as $8.66/l inc GST ($7.87ex) andMetolachlor $6.23/l inc GST ($5.66/l ex). WOW!!OTHER GREAT PRICESHERBICIDES

Imazapic 24020L $858 inc GSTSEED DRESSINGS

Tebuconazole 25T (like Raxil®) 10L $154 inc GSTImi-Triadimenol (like Zorro®) 10L $165 inc GST

BRAND Buy a trusted known brand that’s stands behind the productACTIVE 4Farmers usually have what is stated on the drum 470g/l or more.Others often have less, hopefully within legal limit?SURFACTANT Fully loaded. 15% surfactant.Others might have little or poor quality surfactant.TECHNICAL SUPPORT Yes 4Farmers have agronomists and chemists you can talk toDRUMS No deposit and we take back the emptyPAYMENT End of next month, possible June terms

WaginWoolorama4FARMERS can be found atWagin Woolarama in the sameplace as it was last year at site471.

Everyone is welcome. We willdefinitely make it worth yourwhile to drop in!


4FARMERS – FOR FARMERS

GET on top of RLEM and buy Omethoate insecticide cheaper thanshops that are probably buying wholesale.

4Farmers Omethoate is ridiculously cheap. Better hear the pricefrom your local distributor or call 4Farmers otherwise you will thinkit a misprint.

4Farmers Pty Ltd Suppliers of agricultural chemicals to protect your crops.Free Call 1800 038 445 70 McDowell St, Welshpool, WA 6106Ph: (08) 9356 3445, Fax (08) 9356 3447www.4farmers.com.au

WE recently saw so called “specials” touted by a well knownonline seller that were over 20% more than 4Farmers regularprices.

Farmers who might be buying from this competitor areprobably thinking they are getting a bargain when they are reallypaying well over the odds.

The lesson is if you want the best value chemicals you call4Farmers.

If you aren’t serviced by a local 4Farmers distributor you callus on 1800 038 445 and we can deliver anywhere in the State.

■ Don’t get sucked into phony “specials” says4Farmers GM Neil Mortimore. For mostchemicals including Diflufenican, Bromoxynil,LV MCPA/DFF and Omethoate you are unlikelyto find better value than 4Farmers

Beware of high price specials

Azoxystrobin fungicide

at affordable prices

available this season.

1377001

STOP

PRESS!

Specials that weren’treally specials• LV MCPA 250g/l + Diflufenican 25g/l (Tigrex® like pre mix)

so called special $11.50/l ex GST.4Farmers price for the same thing is down to $9.65/l ex GST.

• Bromoxynil 250g/l + Diflufenican 25/g/l (Jaguar® like premix) so called special $11.80/l ex GST.Why pay so much when you can tank mix 4FarmersBromoxynil 200 (down to $6.40/l ex GST) 4FarmersDiflufenican (also very cheap!) and make up equivalentproduct for $9.60/L, nearly 20% cheaper!!

4FARMERS have the best value on all the knockdowns.Glyphosate 470 – Astute growers will like our legendaryGlyphosate 470 for the fact it is packed with 14% wetterand easier flowing in cold weather. If you want liquidGlyphosate big 1000L IBCs are the way to go.

Glyphosate 875 – If 1000L is too much go for 20kgboxes of granules. They dissolve easier than any othergranule, the formulation of granular glyphosate is betterthan all other forms, and there are no drums to botherabout.

Paraquat & Brown Out – Ifgetting late with stressedweeds or small weeds maybeswitch to Paraquat or BrownOut. It also gives theGlyphosate a break and restsconcerns about resistance. Geteither of these in a big 1000L IBC at anunbeatable price and receive a free micro matic soremove any concerns in handling from the big drum.

Omethoate…Outrageous!!!

For Knockdowns – Stop at 4Farmers

Who are you buying your cropprotection chemicals from?

Phone: 1800 038 445 | Fax: 9356 3447 www.4farmers.com.au

Page

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3 4 5

4FrontIntelligence about the farm chemical business • Edition 1, 2013

4Farmers … ...For Farmers

Crooks, fools, cheats and chemical tariffs

Credit to the grain

industry that

fought and won

the removal of the Wheat

Industry Authority and

saved $0.25/t.

In perspective, though,

this saving is only about half what

chemical tariffs cost the same farmers.

How about industry leaders, lobby

groups and politicians start paying some

attention to this tax instead of picking the

easy fights?

We have to concede that for all 4Farmer’s

ranting about the tariffs and spending huge

sums fighting a Supreme Court case against

Nufarm over Glyphosate Tariffs, the reality is

the number of chemicals carrying tariffs has

increased!

Local manufacturer, Imtrade was recently

successful in getting the Tariff Concession

removed from the following products.

Therefore imported products containing

these chemicals will now incur a 5% duty.

Herbicides that have had their tariff

concessions revoked.

Ironically, there are some tariffs that

benefit 4Farmers. We have our own local

manufacturing plant that tariffs help, but our

prime motivation is and has always been to

help the cause of farmers.

Crooks & Fools

If farmers and their leaders ever get

motivated about dismantling protectionism

from chemicals they will have a tough fight

on their hands.

Firstly, they are up against the multinational

company, Nufarm, whose fanaticism for the

retention of tariffs is extraordinary. Their

ferocity in the fight for tariff retention makes

them a tough opponent .

What’s more, it never ceases to amaze us

that some farmers continue to buy from

them. It’s like supporting someone who is

working against you.

Secondly, you have to battle against the

amazing decision making ability of the

Deputy President of the Administrative

Appeals Tribunal (AAT).

The AAT is the independent government

body set up to review “wrong” government

department decisions like those made by

Customs.

When presiding over a case to remove the

tariff on Trifluralin raw material, Deputy

President was misled by Nufarm into

believing 2,4-D is a substitutable chemical

for Trifluralin. The decision was that as 2,4-D

raw material has a duty, a substitute like

Trifluralin should have one also.

Cheats

We would love to simply ignore the tariff and

pass the savings on to you in lower chemical

costs.

It seems that another company may have

tried to do this and as a result Customs is

investigating farm chemical importers over

mis-declaration of goods and avoidance of

duty.

Aside from cutting quality and using non

registered sources, the non-payment of

duty would be another tactic to get the price

down. As much as we don’t like duties we

don’t intentionally cheat. This sort of cheating

only makes it unfair to honest companies

doing the right thing.

The best solution all round would be for

farmers and their leaders to start making a

stand and say NO CHEMICAL TARIFFS!

Phil Patterson, Managing

Director

Herbicides Containing Like Products

Clethodim Select®

Clodinafop Topic®

Clopyralid Lontrel®

Oxyfluorfen Goal®

Dicamda

Quizalofop-p-ethyl Targa®

Tricolpyr Garlon®

4Farmers can guarantee the quality of its chemicals as a result of having a first

class laboratory. The laboratory is about to gain international accreditation

for Good Laboratory Practice standards. Our laboratory team is pictured with

Manager, Keith D’Costa. SEE STORY ON PAGE 4.

Understanding

Dangerous Goods,

Safe Handling and

Transport

Our laboratory

New Products

Safe transport

Australian Made

Tested and

Guaranteed ▪ Sulfosulfuron 750

▪ Glufosinate

Ammonium 200

The 4Farmers

quality team

Sulfosulfuron 750WG (similar to Monza®) now available

Get a quote on your seeding requirements now

In the latest 4Front newsletter read about:

• Your responsibilities transporting chemicals

• HV 24D 800 Ester Drift Fact or Fiction?• and much more...

For your free 4Front newsletter contact your local 4Farmers now

TECHNOLOGY: Precision farming

Integrated precision agriculture farming tools and mobile device technology was the focus of a demonstration day for growers near Esperance.


At a glance:

• Mobile device technology is driving the uptake and efficient use of precision farming methods.

• There has been an explosion in farming app technology, which growers are adopting in the pursuit of productivity gains.

Helping growers overcome the obstacles to adopting variable rate technology (VRT) was the focus of the ‘Quick and Dirty Variable Rate Day’ at Hopetoun recently.

Run by the South East Premium Wheat Growers Association (SEPWA), the event was supported by the Grains Research and Development Corporation, the Department of Agriculture and Food and the Ravensthorpe Agricultural Initiative.

The event was instigated by the Esperance port zone GRDC Regional Cropping Solutions Network (RCSN) and held at Stott and Charmaine Redman’s farm, providing a quick, hands-on demonstration of how to:

• Create zones• Soil test/ground truth• Create VRT prescription mapsSEPWA project officer Nigel Metz said

the day showed how to integrate precision agriculture (PA) farming tools and mobile device technology.

He said this had been the key research focus of the Mobile devices – the next step in PA project funded by GRDC and conducted by SEPWA.

“The Quick and Dirty Variable Rate Day included a demonstration of how to use your iPad to navigate to locations in the paddock, mark out areas of interest and export them back to your computer for sharing or making VRT maps,” Mr Metz said.

“Local PA service providers were also on hand to talk about their assistance to farmers to adopt VRT.

“The event had a hands-on component to ground truth agronomy problems in a demonstration paddock and there were a number of people on-hand from DAFWA to give expert input on soil constraints, liming/pH and soil hydrology.

“It concluded with the integration of these factors into a variable rate prescription map ready for the tractor monitor.”

smooth future for growers

Consultant Tywen Dawe, from Farmanco, said the next step in PA project found that improved smart phone/tablet software apps for farming and mapping offered the potential for a smoother transition to VRT and PA systems.

“A review into VRT adoption and mobile device technology highlighted that mobile devices (primarily the iPad) and existing smart technology apps can simplify and enhance the VRT and PA process, fast-track adoption and improve information management,” she said.

The project included a survey of 20 Western Australian growers, 11 national service providers and farm consultants

from across Australia and collated online responses from more than 150 people.

“Farmers surveyed indicated that VRT was not a replacement for key agronomy practices such as weed control and timely sowing, but that it did have economic benefits, particularly in soil amelioration,” Ms Dawe said.

The SEPWA review also included a study of more than 62 farming apps that were on the market in late 2012 and an online survey of more than 150 app users across a range of age groups.

“The review found there were many apps available with the potential to enhance farmer adoption of PA and VRT and improve production efficiencies,” Ms Dawe said.

“While noting that this technology was constantly changing, the project found there was a gap in the availability of apps at mid-range prices.”

More detailed findings from the research project are available at www.sepwa.org.au

Mobile devices the next frontier in precision farming

“The review found there were many apps available with the potential to enhance farmer adoption of PA and VRT and improve production efficiencies.”

dailygrain.com.au 08 9416 6244 [email protected]

EDS_

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Current research is doubling its efforts to control frost in Western Australian paddocks to help reduce hundreds of millions of dollars lost in damage to crops.


At a glance:

• Frost causes significant reductions in wheat yields and many farmers do not recognise the damage until harvest.

• New research hopes to provide growers with information that can help them select varieties that are more tolerant of frost events.

significant yield losses caused by frost in Western Australia last year have underlined the importance of continued investment in research, development and extension (RD&E) to address the issue.

It is estimated that frosts in this state last growing season, particularly in the central and southern cropping regions during September, caused losses totalling $100 million.

Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) western regional panel chairman Peter Roberts said frost remained a high priority issue for GRDC and the western panel, but was a ‘tough nut’ to crack despite ongoing and significant research investment.

With frost costing the national grains industry more than $360 million on average each year, GRDC is about to

embark on new RD&E investments in addition to an existing stable of frost research projects.

New programs to combat frost events

Two new projects to commence this year will provide the grains industry with an accurate source of background data to inform future frost research and management decisions as well as access to wheat and barley frost tolerance data relating to the impact on yield.

A two-year frost situation analysis project will quantify the incidence (severity, timing and frequency) of frost in different agro-ecological zones through historical data analysis and simulation modelling, enabling the grains industry to improve current risk management tools.

A new three-year project to generate frost tolerance data that specifically relates to yield will provide growers and advisers in GRDC western and southern regions with essential information upon which to make varietal selections as part of their overall frost risk management process.

This data will be made available through crop variety guides and the GRDC National Variety Trials (NVT) program.

Mr Roberts said these new areas of research will complement existing RD&E initiatives.

“Frost is a major issue that the grains industry continues to grapple with and so it remains a high priority in terms of GRDC investment,” he said.

“Frost is an incredibly difficult constraint to research. Frost events can be unpredictable and their impact can vary depending on the nature of the frost and the stage of crop growth.

“Research indicates that the incidence of frosts across Australia has increased and more frost events are occurring later in the year.”

Mr Roberts said while cultural practices such as delayed time of sowing could reduce the risk of frost damage, yield potential losses caused by such frost avoidance strategies could be sizeable.

“It is therefore important that GRDC also encourages and funds significant scientific effort in the area of genetics-based research because that is where the

Frost still the bane of growers

“Frost is an incredibly difficult constraint to research. Frost events can be unpredictable and their impact can vary depending on the nature of the frost and the stage of crop growth.”

CROPPING: Frost


most gains in combating frost are likely to be made,” he said.

Long-term management

GRDC has long acknowledged the severe implications of frost and since 2000 has invested more than $13.5 million into frost-specific projects including, investments in genetics, farming systems and climate predictions and modelling.

A further $45.3 million has been invested in projects aimed at delivering data and tools needed by growers to manage the impact of frost such as variety specific agronomy information, online sowing time tools and improved long-range frost forecasting capacity.

Among these initiatives is the Australian National Frost Program (ANFP), which was established last year by GRDC, University of Adelaide and the Department of Agriculture and Food (DAFWA).

The ANFP has been set up to provide a national frost screening facility and through this frost sensitivity ratings are being developed for current wheat and barley varieties to assist growers manage the risk of frost.

National frost pre-breeding research is also aiming to develop the capacity to identify and select frost-tolerant barley and wheat germplasm for use in breeding programs to reduce the frost sensitivity of commercial varieties.

For information on frost damage and what steps to take when it occurs see GRDC Back Pocket Guides, www.grdc.com.au/GRDC-BPG-FrostCereals and w w w. g r d c . c o m . a u / G R D C - B P G -FrostPulses

A GRDC Managing Frost Risk booklet is also available for download via www.grdc . com.au/GRDC-Bo ok le t -ManagingFrostRisk

National frost pre-breeding research is also aiming to develop the capacity to identify and select frost-tolerant barley and wheat germplasm for use in breeding programs to reduce the frost sensitivity of commercial varieties.

CROPPING: Frost

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Promising research on the use of miniature pressure probes to gauge the water status of wheat leaves could ultimately help farmers adapt to the effects of climate change.


At a glance:

• Research in the area of irrigated horticulture is now being applied to broadacre farming.

• Probes are being used to determine the water content in wheat plant leaves under stress from drought to see how they react.

Researchers from the University of Western Australia’s Institute of Agriculture (IOA), working with the CSIRO and German scientists, have trialled ZIM-probes, invented by German Professor Ulrich Zimmerman, for use in irrigation scheduling of horticultural crops.

Scientists wanted to find out if the tiny probes, which measure 10mm in diameter and weigh only 5.5g, would work with agricultural crops, especially wheat, which has more delicate leaves than the kinds of plants the probes were originally designed for.

Their results, published in Plant and Soil, an international journal on plant-soil relationships, shows the probes can be used to successfully measure how well wheat plants maintain the water balance of their leaves, particularly when challenged by poor water supply.

opening a new frontier

The research is expected to pave the way for breeders to identify more drought-resistant genotypes and in turn offer farmers stronger strains of wheat to help cope with changing climate conditions.

The pressure probes are clamped to leaves using small magnets and connected to transmitters, which radio detailed continuous data on the water status of plants to a nearby control box.

The control box uses mobile phone technology to convey the real-time data to a server, enabling the data to be accessed anytime, from anywhere in the world, via the internet.

Dr Helen Bramley, a research associate with IOA, said previous measurement methods had been time-consuming and destructive to plants while providing only limited information.

In contrast, the Zim-probes were non-invasive, quick to set-up, and could be safely left on the plants for weeks at a time.

The probes, along with the continuous monitoring, also provided far more

detailed information at a resolution not previously achievable, an unexpected but welcome development, which has paved the way for new research into plant water use.

“In addition to the potential for screening more drought-tolerant germplasm in a range of crops, there are a lot of things I want to do now because it has opened up new avenues to explore in terms of the physiology and the mechanisms controlling water use and leaf hydration,” Dr Bramley said.

The research is part of a wider focus on researching the impacts of the predicted future climate on cereal crops, particularly wheat, to adapt to future conditions and ensure a sustainable future for the production of wheat, which is Australia’s most important agricultural crop.

The probe study is a collaboration between CSIRO Plant Industry and UWA, which is supported by the Group of Eight Australia-DAAD German Research Cooperation Scheme.

Probing leaves to improve yields

The research is expected to pave the way for breeders to identify more drought-resistant genotypes and in turn offer farmers stronger strains of wheat to help cope with changing climate conditions.

TECHNOLOGY: Water probes

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Metering systems on Gason air seeders are renowned for their accuracy and ease of operation. Testing of a Gason 1880 model by the independent Kondinin Group found that calibration was one of its best features.

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Distribution across the machine showed repeatable results with seed distribution ranging from 6% at both 40 kg/ha and 80 kg/ha, to 6.4% at 120 kg/ha.

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Increased carbon dioxide levels caused by climate change may help wheat cope with drought, according to researchers at the University of Western Australia.


At a glance:

• Climate change will have a dramatic impact on agriculture in Australia over the next 50 years.

• Scientists have discovered that when wheat is exposed to elevated levels of carbon dioxide it is able to cope better with reduced amounts of water and higher temperatures.

In a world first study, PhD student Eduardo Dias de Oliveira found that when wheat is exposed to more carbon dioxide it is better able to cope with high temperatures and water restrictions.

As long as temperatures do not rise two degrees more than average, combining the effects of elevated carbon dioxide and higher temperatures, with water restrictions actually improves biomass and grain yield.

Mr Dias de Oliveira findings could have a significant impact on the future of crop production in the Mediterranean climate of Australia’s wheat growing regions, where climate change is expected to have a severe impact on annual yields of about 20 million tonnes of wheat over the next 50 years.

Mr Dias de Oliveira compared three scenarios in a specially designed tunnel at the UWA Shenton Park research station, with and without drought and elevated carbon dioxide conditions at two, four and six degrees above ambient temperatures.

Two bread-wheat genotypes, the vigorous line 38-19 and the non-vigorous cultivar Janz were grown in the tunnel.

Janz is a high yielding semi-dwarf cultivar widely adapted in Australia.

The scientists expected to find that higher carbon dioxide and higher temperatures could compensate for the negative effect of end-of-season drought on biomass and grain yield in wheat, through an increase in the rate of leaf photosynthesis and biomass.

Research co-author Winthrop Professor Kadambot Siddique said what they found was that while at two degrees above ambient temperature, yields were indeed enhanced regardless of whether they were well watered or not.

He said the combination of elevated carbon dioxide at four or six degrees above the ambient temperature tended to decrease wheat biomass and grain yield.

“Our studies unravelled the impact of interaction between elevated carbon dioxide, high temperature and water stress in wheat,” Professor Siddique said.

“The vital information generated from the project will help towards developing climate ready wheat for the future.”

The PhD project is supported by UWA, CSIRO and the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF).

The paper: Can elevated CO2 combined with high temperature ameliorate the effect of terminal drought in wheat was published in the journal Functioning Plant Biology.

Mr Dias de Oliveira was supervised by researchers from UWA’s Institute of Agriculture, the School of Plant Biology and CSIRO Plant Industry.

For more information about UWA: www.uwa.edu.au

carbon dioxide to help wheat beat drought

The scientists expected to find that higher carbon dioxide and higher temperatures could compensate for the negative effect of end-of-season drought on biomass and grain yield in wheat, through an increase in the rate of leaf photosynthesis and biomass.

CROPPING: Climate change

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A4 Ag in Focus FT 8310_Layout 1 7/12/11 11:40 AM Page 1

CROPPING: Managing future

David Cox, an Australian Farmer of the Year grain grower finalist, crops 8000ha across two properties in Western Australia and he and wife Sally-Anne still find time to handle an 800-head cattle herd.


At a glance:

• Esperance properties are classed as sand plain and have an annual rainfall of 500mm and being close to the south coast enjoy wet winters, mild springs and some summer rain.

• One of the main issues currently facing agriculture in Western Australia and across the country is the public perception of farmers and also farmers’ perception of farmers.

The cox family’s Waterhatch Farms runs a big business split between a south coast enterprise near Esperance and 400km inland at Hyden.

It gives them a contrasting mix of high and low rainfall cropping operations into which they blend 800 breeder cattle – 300 Wagyu on a long-term agistment and 500 mainly Angus used as embryo recipients for one of Australia’s leading Angus studs.

David Cox has no hesitation saying he, wife Sally-Anne and their two young children have the best of both worlds – and love it.

David said the Esperance properties are classed as sand plain and have an annual rainfall of 500mm.

Main enterprise

Their main enterprise is canola and barley production over 4000ha with yields around 1.5t/ha for canola and 3t/ha for barley.

The cattle are a secondary enterprise and grazed on unproductive soils and amongst the cropping program.

“Our low rainfall country was only purchased four years ago for geographical diversification and to offset the high rainfall/high input/high risk farming on the south coast,” David said.

“These properties receive only 310mm of rain per year and are 100 per cent crop, but with some poor seasons we have made the stubbles available to neighbours for summer grazing.

“Yields should average 1.5t/ha on wheat and 700kg/ha on canola.

“Our current expansion is in this area, with a target of 8000 ha of low rainfall wheatbelt country under wheat and canola.

“Currently income is split 80/20 in favour of cropping and this is projected to stay the same into the future.”

Farm staffing

Waterhatch employs four full-time staff, with extras at seeding and harvest.

David’s position in the business is owner/manager and the office is run by Sally-Anne.

Apart from a day-to-day agronomist and an accountant, no professional consultants are used.

The bulk of grain grown is delivered directly off the header into the CBH system and sold mainly for cash, although pools have been used for some sales in the past.

David said their marketing strategy is to forward-sell a third of production as physical grain during the growing season, another third for cash at harvest and the balance as cashflow as required into the following season.

He said as their business is only six years old, aggressively expanding and debt funded, cash is king.

“Our farms are run to a level of best practice, including minimum till, stubble retention, controlled traffic, rotating crops and chemicals, but we are also flexible enough to manage costs and take advantage of opportunities which arise,” David said.

“For example, straw and hay sales if the season fits and of course agistment, which we already do.

“Scale and labour/machinery efficiencies are pushed to the limits as a part of our management of costs.

“An example of this is by seeding all 7000ha across 400km, with one seeding rig.”

shared issues

David said a lot of the physical issues their area experiences are now being dealt with by most farmers on a day-to-day basis and as a result he no longer views them as issues.

He said some of these in the past would have been non-wetting, wind erosion, water logging, salt encroachment, nutrient leaching and labour.

Like many of his peers, David is also finding chemical resistance is a continual challenge in his farming systems.

“The introduction of Roundup tolerant canola (GM) has given us a great

confronting the big issues head-on

David said a lot of the physical issues their area experiences are now being dealt with by most farmers on a day-to-day basis and as a result he no longer views them as issues.

Photo: Dan Paris Photography

opportunity to drive down weed seed banks in a safe and economical way.

“We hope this technology will be expanded to assist with the management of insect attack, salt and frost.

“In the past nitrogen management was also a major issue in our high rainfall country.

“This prompted an application for a Nuffield scholarship in 2004 and through my research I was able to develop a unique calculator using nitrogen-rich strips and a hand-held sensor to measure the deficiency of nitrogen in a crop and then make an accurate nitrogen recommendation.

“This calculator is unique to the southern hemisphere and is the only calculator which works regardless of our varying spring conditions.

“We are using this system on our farms and also with the help of four agronomists making nitrogen recommendations for approximately 60 other growers in the Esperance area and across the state.

“I have developed the system to not only do wheat, but also barley and canola.

“We also calculate protein outcomes for growers to take the guesswork out of trying

to hit grades (noodle wheat, APH or malt barley).

“Our long-term clients refer to this system as ‘the only way to calculate nitrogen’ and one grower referring to it as ‘the greatest breakthrough in farming since no-till’.”

The other big issue facing his farming system was filling the winter feed gap and improving the profitability of mixed farming operations.

Farming perceptions

David said the public perception of agriculture and farmers has to change for the good of the industry.

He said this is not helped by a negative media and articles about doom and gloom.

“The influence minority groups have on farmers and the public perception of farmers is frustrating to say the least.

“A classic example of this was last year when our staff got banned from a roadhouse because we grow GM canola.

“The owner’s response to my challenge was ‘someone’ told her GM was bad.

“Currently we are doing our best to tackle these problems by discussion with everyone and anyone.

“Talk about it to everyone, from your parents and friends to the car salesman in Perth to the lady who runs the holiday units in Busselton.

“Nine times out of 10 when a person sees the family, the community and the reasons for doing what we do, they do open their minds and will question some of the information they are exposed to on a daily basis.”

“We are using this system on our farms and also with the help of four agronomists making nitrogen recommendations for approximately 60 other growers in the Esperance area and across the state.”


CROPPING: Managing future

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A research project hopes to uncover what impact increasing soil carbon has on nitrous oxide gas, which is more damaging to the atmosphere than carbon dioxide.


At a glance:

• A new study is underway to determine if increased carbon in the soil triggers an increase in soil nitrous oxide levels.

• Nitrous oxide is a greenhouse gas that is hundreds of times more harmful than carbon dioxide.

A study led by the University of Western Australia is investigating whether increasing soil carbon in grain production to offset greenhouse gas emissions may also increase nitrous oxide emissions, which are nearly 300 times more damaging than carbon dioxide.

The project is based in WA’s wheatbelt and funded by the Federal Government’s Filling the Research Gap project, which forms part of its Carbon Farming Futures Program, in partnership with the Grains Research Development Corporation (GRDC), the Department of Agriculture and Food (DAFWA), and the Liebe Grower Group.

UWA researchers will examine whether there is a risk that increasing soil carbon will also increase soil nitrous oxide emissions and burden famers with

additional nitrogen fertiliser requirements for cropping soils.

“Increasing carbon in soil is promoted as a means of off-setting greenhouse emissions from grain production, however, we need to check that this benefit is not negated by increased soil nitrous oxide emissions or additional nitrogen fertiliser requirements,” Associate Professor Louise Barton, from UWA’s Soil Biology Group and the UWA Institute of Agriculture, said.

“Nitrous oxide is a particularly potent greenhouse gas because it is almost 300 times more damaging than carbon dioxide, so it is crucial that we ensure emissions of this gas from agricultural soils are minimised.

“Furthermore, nitrogen released from the soil into the atmosphere represents a loss of nitrogen fertiliser available to crops.”

The three-year study has been established at Buntine, about 250km north west of Perth, where the Liebe Grower Group has successfully increased soil carbon as part of a previous research project which commenced in 2003.

Nitrous oxide emissions will be measured at the Liebe Group’s Long Term Soil Biology Trial using an automated chamber system.

At the same time crop responses to nitrogen fertiliser will be measured in experimental plots of contrasting soil carbon, which will then be compared further with data from other sites in other grain growing areas.

“The trial site at Buntine provides a unique opportunity to study the effect of increasing soil carbon on other greenhouse gas emissions and we are very pleased to have the opportunity to work with the Liebe Group,” Associate Professor Barton said.

Results from the study will be used to inform growers and policy on the effects of increasing soil carbon on the carbon footprint of grain production in the state.

For more information about UWA: www.uwa.edu.au

soil carbon research to reveal toxic gas risk

“Nitrous oxide is a particularly potent greenhouse gas because it is almost 300 times more damaging than carbon dioxide, so it is crucial that we ensure emissions of this gas from agricultural soils are minimised.”

TECHNOLOGY: Soil carbon

Spreading EvolutionFor over 30 years the design of the Marshall Multispread has been constantly evolving to meet the demands of modern Australian farmers. Latest innovations include the Type D Spinner System for wider more accurate spreading at widths up to 36m for granulated fertilisers and 16m for Lime; the Multispread mobile app for precise machine calibration and a dedicated 3m track model for controlled traffic farming.

Continual R&D and design improvements have enabled the Marshall Multispread to remain Australia’s most popular spreader with over 8000 units now in use. Available in 2.5 to 16 tonne capacities, trailed or truck mounted with optional equipment including Loadcell Weighing Systems, VRT Hydraulic Drives, 3m Tracks, Roll Tarps and Hopper Screens, your Multispread can be customised to suit your farming requirements.

Manufactured by Roesner P/LHarvey Western AustraliaFreecall : 1800 651 288www.marshallmultispread.com.au

AUSTRALIAN DISTRIBUTORS :SA/NT : RURAL MERCHANDISE TRADERS, ADELAIDE : 1800 833 335 QLD : DAVID EVANS GROUP, TOOWOOMBA : (07) 4634 3911VIC, NSW & TAS : EASTERN SPREADERS, KERANG : 1800 625 968WA : ROESNERS, HARVEY : 1800 651 288

Spreading EvolutionFor over 30 years the design of the Marshall Multispread has been constantly evolving to meet the demands of modern Australian farmers. Latest innovations include the Type D Spinner System for wider more accurate spreading at widths up to 36m for granulated fertilisers and 16m for Lime; the Multispread mobile app for precise machine calibration and a dedicated 3m track model for controlled traffic farming.

Continual R&D and design improvements have enabled the Marshall Multispread to remain Australia’s most popular spreader with over 8000 units now in use. Available in 2.5 to 16 tonne capacities, trailed or truck mounted with optional equipment including Loadcell Weighing Systems, VRT Hydraulic Drives, 3m Tracks, Roll Tarps and Hopper Screens, your Multispread can be customised to suit your farming requirements.

Manufactured by Roesner P/LHarvey Western AustraliaFreecall : 1800 651 288www.marshallmultispread.com.au

AUSTRALIAN DISTRIBUTORS :SA/NT : RURAL MERCHANDISE TRADERS, ADELAIDE : 1800 833 335 QLD : DAVID EVANS GROUP, TOOWOOMBA : (07) 4634 3911VIC, NSW & TAS : EASTERN SPREADERS, KERANG : 1800 625 968WA : ROESNERS, HARVEY : 1800 651 288

WHAT HAPPENS BELOW THE GROUND IS JUST ASIMPORTANT AS WHAT HAPPENS ABOVE.

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ag in focus - autumn 2013

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