With spring just around the corner, Riverine Plains is excited to host its annual In-season Update at Corowa on August 30.
Riverine Plains Senior Manager, Jane McInnes, said the day is a great opportunity for farmers to check-in on the season so far, prepare for the critical spring growth period and start planning for next season.
“Spring is when growth rates and water use really start ramping up, and it’s also when decisions on topping up fertiliser, fungicide and weed management need to be fine-tuned,” Ms McInnes said.
“Ryegrass weed management has been problematic for local farmers in recent years due to issues with timeliness of control and herbicide efficacy, especially in country prone to becoming wet, and we’re also seeing increasing herbicide resistance rates across the region.
“As such, our first visit of the In-season Update will be to the Riverine Plains and Grains Research and Development (GRDC) ryegrass management trial, where we’ll be looking at the effectiveness of different ryegrass control strategies and hearing early results,” she added.
Seasonal conditions are a big driver of decision-making during spring and will be a major focus of the day.
“We’ve had a dry autumn and late break, which has really impacted pasture production and feed availability for livestock, and Rob Inglis from Elders will speak on feeding livestock and measures farmers can take heading into spring and summer,” Ms McInnes said.
“There are also decisions still to be made around fertiliser and fungicides for this season, as well as crop choice for next season, and Ben Percy from Farmanco will speak about staying on top of the cost of production and managing gross margins, before Harry Lee from Graincorp provides a grain market update.”
Rob Inglis, Ben Percy and Harry Lee will also be joined by Nutrien Agronomist, Nathan Soulsby, for a panel discussion to further tease out seasonal issues.
The 2024 In-season Update will feature a “tech” session and will include presentations from Zetifi on solutions to improve phone and sensor connectivity, as well as Goanna Ag on weather stations and soil moisture monitoring technology. The Hone Lab will also demonstrate their portable grain protein and moisture analyser.
Scott Brown from Rural and Remote First Aid will also highlight the importance of being prepared for farm-related emergencies.
The Riverine Plains In-season Update begins at 8:30 am sharp on Friday 30 August, 2024 at the Corowa Distilling Co. From there, participants will be bussed to the trial site before returning to Corowa Distilling Co for lunch.
There will also be a Riverine Plains and GRDC grower consultation meeting to help determine future priorities, which will be attended by Graeme Sandral and Chris Minehan. This will be followed by a networking event at 3pm.
For further information, please visit the Riverine Plains website www.riverineplains.org.au.
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