grdc growers' report - Grains Research & Development Corporation

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investment highlights The initiative will help growers and advisers to identify viable alternative crops and make effective crop-sequencing decisions, through a combination of tactical and strategic farming systems RD&E. Also funded under the Crop Sequencing Initiative, in partnership with DAFWA, a trial has commenced to examine the place of break crops in farming systems, through biophysical and whole-farm economic analysis. Mixed farming Grain and Graze 2 The second phase of the Grain and Graze program commenced in 2010–11. Over four years, Grain and Graze 2 aims to: • achieve increased water-use efficiency and regional profitability, and improved sustainability of mixed farming businesses, through better soil cover, reduced erosion and improved non-arable native vegetation • strengthen the resilience of mixed farming businesses, by equipping farmers to make complex decisions in relation to climate, market and natural resource management challenges. The program is supported and coordinated by the GRDC, with partial funding from the Australian Government’s Caring for our Country initiative. It is delivered by regional partners including state government agencies, research institutions, grower groups, agronomists and landholders. During 2010–11, more than 3,200 growers participated in activities conducted by Grain and Graze 2, including demonstration days and workshops. EverCrop and EverCrop Decide In partnership with the Future Farm Industries Cooperative Research Centre, the GRDC has established the EverCrop and EverCrop Decide projects to investigate the roles that perennials can play in addressing current and future production and sustainability challenges for mixed farming enterprises in three agroecological zones. The projects’ activities include field work at research facilities; on-farm trials; economic modelling; and the publication of technical reports. Examples of the findings so far include: • southern New South Wales— Economic modelling suggests that greater use of perennials such as lucerne and chicory, combined with higher stocking rates, could increase whole-farm profitability. • Northern Agricultural Region— Bio-economic modelling suggests that the use of subtropical pasture grasses, such as panic (Panicum maximum) and Rhodes grass (Chloris gayana), is likely to be restricted to poorer sands and meat production rather than grain-dominant enterprises. • Mallee zone of South Australia— Increased use of Old Man Saltbush (Atriplex nummularia) could assist mixed farmers to remove livestock from crop stubbles over the summer–autumn period, thus reducing erosion risk. Through these key findings the economic role of perennials in mixed farming enterprises is being established. Climate change focus Nitrous oxide emissions The Nitrous Oxide Research Program has a network of automated greenhouse gas measuring systems situated in all major agroclimatic zones and farming systems in Australia. At the program’s site at Tamworth, New South Wales, based on nearly two years of continuous measurement in four cropping rotations, a fourfold difference was observed in the cumulative nitrous oxide emissions between the rotation with no added nitrogen and the rotation with high nitrogen inputs (as shown in Figure 1). Heavy rainfall immediately after both wheat and sorghum sowing events led to significant nitrous oxide emissions in crops treated with nitrogen (applied as urea). Soil carbon sequestration The Soil Carbon Research Program aims to quantify the soil carbon stocks that exist under various management practices across Australia’s agricultural regions. The program’s collection of soil samples is being used to provide a snapshot of the current stock of soil organic carbon in cropping soils across Australia. In 2010–11, the program evaluated the NDM (gamma-neutron density meter), a more efficient and effective way of measuring the bulk density of soil. Determining the bulk density is essential for calculating the soil organic carbon stock number required in carbon-trading schemes. Figure 1 Cumulative nitrous oxide emissions from crop rotation treatments at Tamworth, New South Wales, plotted against daily rainfall Daily rainfall (mm) Cumulative N 2 O emitted (g N/ha) 1400 1200 1000 800 600 400 200 0 80 60 40 Canola & chickpea sowing Canola+N Chickpea Canola & chickpea harvest Month/Year Canola+N_Wheat+N Chickpea_Sorghum+N Chickpea_Wheat+N Chickpea_Wheat–N Wheat sowing Sorghum sowing Wheat harvest Sorghum harvest Jul-09 Aug-09 Sep-09 Oct-09 Nov-09 Dec-09 Jan-10 Feb-10 Mar-10 Apr-10 May-10 Jun-10 Jul-10 Aug-10 Sep-10 Oct-10 Nov-10 Dec-10 Jan-11 Feb-11 Mar-11 Apr-11 1400 1200 1000 800 600 400 200 0 80 60 40 20 20 Field peas in flower. Photo: Arthur Mostead 0 Jul-09 Aug-09 Sep-09 Oct-09 Nov-09 Dec-09 Jan-10 Feb-10 Mar-10 Apr-10 May-10 Jun-10 Jul-10 Aug-10 Sep-10 Oct-10 Nov-10 Dec-10 Jan-11 Feb-11 Mar-11 Apr-11 0 16 GRDC GROWERS’ REPORT 2010–2011
investment highlights C A S E S T U D Y : Working together to contain spray drift In 2010 the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) reviewed the use of certain agricultural herbicides and pesticides, and commenced a process to implement new regulations for chemical spray application. The GRDC has been a leader in coordinating the industry response to the review and the proposed regulations. The APVMA review raised concerns that growers could face the imposition of large mandatory spray buffer zones under specific circumstances. Under the proposed regulations, label instructions for new and existing chemicals, including phenoxy herbicides such as 2,4-D and MCPA, could require mandatory downwind no-spray (buffer) zones of up to 300 metres for spray applied at ground level. In response to such concerns, rural industry participants—including producer and industry associations, government agencies, RDCs, chemical companies, and groups representing the grains, horticulture, grape and wine, sugar, cotton and new crop sectors—formed the National Working Party on Pesticide Applications, in March 2010. The working party was established to coordinate industry-led research into improved technologies which reduce the risk of spray drift, and demonstrate that current use of these technologies by growers exhibits good stewardship. Attendees at the National Working Party on Pesticide Applications meeting in April 2011. (From left) Rohan Rainbow, GRDC Manager Crop Protection; Andrew Hewitt, Centre for Pesticide Application and Safety, University of Queensland; Greg Kauter, Cotton Australia; Brad Wells, Horticulture Australia Limited. Photo: Greg Kauter The GRDC is a major investor in the working party, and is represented on its executive committee, which was endorsed by a meeting of more than 50 stakeholder representatives in April 2011. The meeting also resolved that the working party would: • provide a forum to help growers and other stakeholders to understand current APVMA policies and work with regulators to achieve realistic and practical risk management • facilitate the development of a national training framework for pesticide application which would support the implementation of drift reduction technologies (to reduce mandatory buffer distances); best management practice; and improved product efficacy. The GRDC’s direct investments in spray drift research during 2010–11 included a project to obtain data on newer spray nozzles which produce coarser droplets, reducing spray drift. Results from this research have been provided to the APVMA. It is hoped that such evidence of the effects of using current drift reduction technologies will lead to a reduction of mandatory buffer zones. Ashley Ramm uses a self-propelled boom spray fitted with low-drift nozzles. Photo: Evan Collis Managing Climate Variability The Managing Climate Variability program aims to help farmers to manage risk and make business decisions using reliable climate forecasts, tools to translate the forecasts into applications, and the necessary knowledge to use these resources effectively. In 2010–11, the program invested in research to: • assess and manage heat stress in cereals • understand frost risk • model the links between climate drivers and regional climate • improve weather forecast accuracy, particularly for multiweek forecasting • model the impact of temperature extremes in Western Australia. On-farm demonstrations To help farmers adapt to and mitigate climate change effects, the National Adaptation and Mitigation Initiative is demonstrating technology and knowledge on farm, at 25 demonstration sites across northern, southern and western Australia. The initiative is engaging with farmer groups and researchers to demonstrate established techniques and new research outcomes. The on-ground demonstrations give farmers and advisers direct access to locally relevant information which will help them to maintain or enhance the viability of their farms. Climate Kelpie The Climate Kelpie website is a ‘one-stop shop’ for climate risk management information and tools. It provides links to the best available tools and information about climate, helping farmers and advisers to make farm business decisions. The website’s content is sourced from the Bureau of Meteorology and the Managing Climate Variability program. Climate Champions Through the Managing Climate Variability program, 21 grain growers have been selected as Climate Champions. These growers are keen to understand how increased climate variability will play out in their regions, and how they can adapt to the changes while continuing to run a sustainable and financially viable farm business. The Climate Champions program gives them the opportunity to assess new tools, information and management practices coming out of climate-related research, and to influence the research while it is still underway. As Climate Champions, they share their new knowledge and their on-farm experiences with their peers, and provide feedback about the concerns and needs of grain growers to the GRDC. Extension Precision agriculture education and training In 2010–11 the University of Sydney developed eight precision agriculture education and training modules for the GRDC. The developers considered the great variety of PA knowledge levels and information requirements within the diverse grains industry, and designed the modules to be interacted with at multiple levels to suit the skills and needs of different target audiences. GRDC GROWERS’ REPORT 2010–2011 17
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