GRDC Podcast

Improving claying efficiency on poor soils in WA

02 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Trials taking place in Western Australia aim to provide growers with information and resources to increase the effectiveness of claying on poor soil. ...

GRDC in conversation: Terry Horan

30 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

🎙️ Today's 'GRDC in Conversation' podcast interview is with Terry Horan. Joining us from central Tasmania this week is agronomic specialist Terr...

Endosymbionts – game changing bacteria in insect species

25 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

As part of the Australian Grains Pest Innovation Program’s (AGPIP) blue sky approach to tackling insect pests in Australian grain crops, endosymbion...

GRDC in conversation: Allan Mayfield

23 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

🎙️ Today's 'GRDC in Conversation' podcast interview is with Dr Allan Mayfield. In 2021, Allan was granted the GRDC Recognising and Rewarding Exc...

10 years of WeedSmart and the ‘Big 6'

18 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

WeedSmart provides solutions to control crop weeds using the ‘Big 6’ principles utilising herbicide, mechanical and cultural tactics. 2023 marks t...

GRDC in conversation: Lynne MacDonald

16 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

🎙️ Today's 'GRDC in Conversation' podcast interview is with Dr Lynne MacDonald. Dr Lynne MacDonald is a research scientist with CSIRO where she ...

Insights to maintain a healthy mindset under pressure

11 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Across the country, many growers have not had much of a break between harvest and this season's operations… and this comes on top of a tough couple ...

GRDC in conversation: James Hunt

09 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

🎙️ Today's 'GRDC in Conversation' podcast interview is with James Hunt. James Hunt is a Professor of agronomy at the University of Melbourne, bu...

Nail the Snails! More effective control of pest snails in Australian grain crops

04 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Dr Kym Perry from SARDI discusses all things snails including how they got to Australia and have spread across the whole country. He also discusses th...

GRDC in conversation: Lawrence Richmond

02 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

🎙️ Today's 'GRDC in Conversation' podcast interview is with Lawrence Richmond.  Growing up in Watchem in western Victoria, Lawrence Richmond ha...

Identifying and managing soilborne disease

27 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Soilborne disease and root health in cereals and pulses often doesn't get the attention it deserves because it's quite literally out of sight, out of ...

GRDC in conversation: Tanja Morgan

25 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

🎙️ Today's 'GRDC in Conversation' podcast interview is with Tanja Morgan.  Twenty years ago, Tanja took up a job in the Mallee for a better wor...

Soil amelioration in Irrigated crops

20 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

GRDC, the Irrigated Cropping Council and the NSW Department of Primary Industries have teamed up to explore the influence of soil amelioration and soi...

GRDC in conversation: Andy Barr

18 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

🎙️ Today's 'GRDC in Conversation' podcast interview is with Professor Andrew Barr. Andy is a valued SA local and well-known across the grains ind...

2023 Southern region slug update

13 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The southern region is experiencing its worst season of slug infestation. GRDC is so aware of the problems growers are having with slugs, that it curr...

GRDC in conversation: Terry Enright

12 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

🎙️ Terry is the chair of Grains Australia Limited and this year was presented with a GRDC Seed of Gold award. In this episode, Terry talks about ...

Sub-surface drainage ROI trial (The war on waterlogging)

06 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Camilla Plunkett attends a demonstration day at Dalyup, WA to look at the latest in tile ploughing, a solution being used in the GRDC investment trial...

GRDC in conversation: Kevin Moore

04 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

🎙️ Today's 'GRDC in Conversation' podcast interview is with Dr Kevin Moore. A renowned plant pathologist, Kevin was recognised in 2023 with GRDC'...

New genetics for improved canola establishment

30 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Deborah Bishop finds out about the latest in canola genetics from CSIRO’s Dr Matt Nelson. Dr Nelson gives an insight into the GRDC invested genetics...

GRDC in conversation: Dan Bingham

28 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

🎙️ Today's 'GRDC in Conversation' podcast interview is with Dan Bingham. Dan runs a large-scale contracting and farming business Bingham Agricult...

South to West: key learnings for growers across regions

23 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Sarah Sanderson catches up with Tom De Mattia, from Delta Ag and learns about the 3000km GRDC funded study tour which took a group of growers and advi...

GRDC in conversation: Cassandra Schefe

21 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

🎙️ Today's 'GRDC in Conversation' podcast interview is with Dr Cassandra Schefe.  In the Forbes RSL using coasters and the RSL carpet as a refer...

Update on herbicide resistance in WA weed species

16 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Deborah Bishop interviews Mechelle Owen from AHRI, Australian Herbicide Resistance Initiative about herbicide resistance in weed species in Western Au...

GRDC in conversation: David "DJ" Jochinke

14 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today's 'GRDC in Conversation' podcast interview is with David "DJ" Jochinke. DJ is the vice president of the National Farmers’ Federation, third ge...

Re-thinking management options for redlegged earth mite

09 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Deborah Bishop catches up with Dr Lizzy Lowe from Cesar Australia to discuss redlegged earth mite resistance and the surveillance measures being taken...

GRDC in conversation: Ann McNeill

07 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today's 'GRDC in Conversation' podcast interview is with Ann McNeill. A semi-retired soil scientist Ann started life in the UK, spent time in Syria wo...

GroundUp Agtech Accelerator

02 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Darryl Anderson comes live from Showcase Day at the Agtech and Logistics Hub in Toowoomba, Queensland. Darryl speaks with Agtech coordinator, Thomas H...

GRDC in Conversation: Lou Flohr

30 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today's 'GRDC in Conversation' podcast interview is with Lou Flohr.  Lou is a mixed cropping and livestock farmer running her enterprise alongside he...

Predicting Nitrogen Loss – better data better decisions

25 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Darryl Anderson interviews Professor Mike Bell and Dr David Lester to find out about GRDC’s $11.9 million investment into predicting nitrogen cycles...

GRDC in conversation: Harm van Rees

23 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Today's 'GRDC in Conversation' podcast interview is with Harm van Rees. Harm’s story starts in the Netherlands where he was raised until he was 14. ...

Novel solutions for pest management

18 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It’s estimated the Australian grains industry loses more than $350 million a year – due to insects.  GRDC has invested in the Australian Grains P...

Nutrition in the West – Gaseous nitrogen losses in WA Crop systems (4/4)

13 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Sally Maguire looks at ammonia volatilisation in depth with Associate Professor Louise Barton from the University of WA. They discuss the extended fin...

The most expensive herbicide is the one that doesn’t work

11 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Deborah Bishop catches up with spray application specialist, Bill Campbell at the GRDC Western update, to discuss the awareness and understanding of m...

Nutrition in the West – Factors driving nitrogen decisions for WA growers (3/4)

06 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Deborah Bishop interviews Dr. Elizabeth Petersen from the University of Western Australia about the results from a survey of four hundred West Austral...

Key messages for the Northern region

04 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Sally Maguire interviews experts at the 2023 GRDC Grains research update held in Wagga Wagga. They discuss the latest advice for the season ahead. Th...

Nutrition in the West – Potassium response on loamy soil in Western Australia (2/4)

30 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Deborah Bishop interviews Richard Bell from Murdoch University (SoilWest Alliance), to discuss widespread Potassium deficiencies in soils and report o...

Using pre-emergent herbicides at seeding this season

28 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Pre-emergent herbicide applications at seeding. What to apply? How? And what chemicals really don’t get along well together in the spray tank? There...

Nutrition in the West – Yield response to P fertiliser (1/4)

23 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome to the first podcast in our new limited series focusing on Nutrition in the West. Each Friday for the next four weeks, we’ll release an addi...

Optimising Flowering to Improve Farm Profits | More than Modelling

21 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Forecasting how optimal flowering windows and crop yields will be impacted by the warming climate, and what growers can do about it, has been unexplor...

Regional Panel Member Recruitment

14 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

If you’re a grain grower, an agribusiness practitioner, scientist, or industry expert – GRDC wants you.  That’s right, GRDC is looking for Regi...

Native budworm in… wheat?

07 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Determining the economic impact of native budworm in wheat crops was not something Dustin Severtson from the Department of Primary Industries and Regi...

Managing Cereal Disease in 2023 (Part 2)

28 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

For many South Australian grain growers, 2022 was a cracker season, but the weather and other factors did lead to some cereal disease.    So, what ...

Managing Cereal Disease in 2023 (Part 1)

21 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

For many South Australian growers, 2022 was a cracker season, but the weather and other factors did lead to some cereal disease. So what does 2023 hav...

Heat Tolerant Chickpea; update on heat tolerant chickpea lines

14 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Hot finishes in Australia’s northern region are resulting in lower chickpea quality and yield.  In a bid to improve heat tolerance in chickpea, GRD...

Financial Benchmarking, the importance of financial benchmarking and how to go about it

07 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The economics of farming are a crucial component for all growers, and it’s not always a skill set that comes naturally.  That’s why a group of Vi...

Stripe Rust Disease Ratings

31 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Last year along the east coast of Australia, stripe rust was a huge issue and experts are warning that in 2023, growers will continue to experience st...

Solving the mystery of potassium deficiency in the Southern Region

24 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Growers and advisers in South Australia and Victoria are increasingly reporting underperforming crops, which they believe could be attributed to a lac...

Expanding chickpeas in the west

17 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Chickpea production in Western Australia took a king hit in the early 2000s when a fungal outbreak hammered grower confidence and reduced crop coverag...

Talking mental health in a tough year

10 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Unprecedented spring rainfall and flooding in 2022 has made for a particularly tough year for many growers. In this special GRDC podcast, NSW Riverina...

Cucumber Mosaic Virus (CMV): Minimising the impacts of CMV, particularly in lentil

20 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Cucumber Mosaic Virus - also known as CMV - is a seed transmitted virus that can cause yield losses of almost 100 per cent. That’s why GRDC is inves...

GRDC in conversation: Yannik Heller

18 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Today's 'GRDC in Conversation' podcast interview is with Yannik Heller.  Yannik grew up in the Wimmera region of western Victoria. At 16 he left scho...

Determining the value in your crop - what to harvest first this season

13 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

For most Australian grain growers, 2022 has been a challenging year. Weather conditions across the country continue to be volatile meaning that this h...

GRDC in conversation: Jenny Davidson

11 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Today's 'GRDC in Conversation' podcast interview is with Dr Jenny Davidson.  After briefly considering medicine as a career path, Jenny decided treat...

Pre-harvest safety: Managing people and safety during harvest season

06 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It’s harvest time across most of Australia and for many growers this year they will have the added challenge of harvesting in water-logged condition...

GRDC in conversation: Jeanette Long

04 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Today's 'GRDC in Conversation' podcast interview is with Jeanette Long.   Astoundingly, until 1992, women weren't allowed to officially name their o...

Improving wheat yields through improved heat tolerance

29 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Improving wheat yield and yield stability through better heat tolerance is the focus of research being undertaken at the University of Sydney’s Plan...

GRDC in conversation: Bill Long

27 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Today's 'GRDC in Conversation' podcast interview is with Bill Long.  Bill is a farm consultant, but a farmer 'first and foremost' calling it one of t...

Recovering waterlogged crops

22 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Unprecedented rainfall in 2022 has resulted in extensive waterlogging across many cropping regions of eastern Australia. In this podcast, Greta Duff f...

GRDC in conversation: Chris Preston

20 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Today's 'GRDC in Conversation' podcast interview is with Chris Preston. In the 1980s Chris spent three years studying biofuels in the USA before retur...

National Variety Trials: how growers and agronomists use NVT data

15 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

GRDC’s National Variety Trials - or NVT - program is the largest coordinated trial network in the world. Across Australia there are more than 650 tr...

GRDC in conversation: Peter Hayman

13 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Today's 'GRDC in Conversation' podcast interview is with Peter Hayman. As Principal Scientist, Climate Applications, at the South Australian Research ...

Agtech and logistics hub accelerator

08 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

GRDC continues to support grains focussed innovators to develop and bring their technology to growers. One way of doing that is by partnering with acc...

GRDC in conversation: Mark Merrett

06 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Today's 'GRDC in Conversation' podcast interview is with Mark Merrett. Mark is a sixth-generation farmer from Kaniva in western Victoria where his fam...

Breeding high yielding, disease resistant faba beans

01 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

More information: Australia is the world's largest exporter of faba beans, to help growers stay on top, breeders are developing new varieties suited t...

GRDC in conversation: Kate Burke

30 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Today's 'GRDC in Conversation' podcast interview is with Kate Burke. Kate’s working career has seen her in roles as an agronomist, a commercial mana...

Grain storage during a wet harvest

25 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

After a wet 2021, growers across Australia’s northern and southern grain growing regions are again bracing for widespread, heavy rainfalls at harves...

GRDC in conversation: Barry Mudge

24 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

GRDC in Conversation is a limited series of the GRDC Podcast. It features in depth, long-form interviews with growers and other experts in the grains ...

Dual paraquat and glyphosate resistance in annual ryegrass

18 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

For the first time in WA, there’s been a confirmed case of glyphosate and paraquat resistance in annual ryegrass. The discovery has prompted Univers...

Stripe rust insights from a high-pressure year

11 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Wheat growers in the northern grain growing region are currently experiencing one of the worst stripe rust epidemics in recent memory. To help growers...

Lupin seed integrity and establishment

04 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Lupin seed integrity and establishment With split seed resulting in yield penalties higher than 70% in some areas, a new GRDC investment is looking at...

Farmers2Founders (F2F): How F2F is supporting innovators to solve challenges in the grains industry with technology.

27 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

GRDC has a history of working with different business accelerators to deliver grains focussed, start-up accelerator programs across Australia. Farmers...

Grower insights on managing ironstone gravel soil

20 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Gravel soils account for 24 per cent of land used for crop production in southern Western Australia, and are also characteristic of major production r...

National Grower Network

13 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The National Grower Network is a GRDC initiative set up to directly communicate with growers and help progress locally relevant research, development ...

Guide - Machinery investment and replacement for Australian grain growers

07 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Grain growers around Australia have a new tool, in the form of a comprehensive guide, to support informed decision making around machinery purchases. ...

Flaxleaf fleabane rust fungus

31 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

For the first time in Australia, there is a biocontrol option to help tackle flaxleaf fleabane. A rust fungus from fleabane’s country of origin, Col...

Growing community trust

23 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

How much does the general public trust the grains industry? Recent community survey work, made possible through GRDC investment, has painted a clear ...

WeedSmart, science backed weed control solutions for growers

17 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Weeds are one of the largest costs to Australian growers - affecting management, yields and input costs. That’s why GRDC is a platinum partner in We...

Reducing the impact of blackleg in canola

10 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Australia’s canola industry continues to grow from strength to strength - despite the presence of blackleg, a common disease that has the potential ...

Investing in water use efficiency yields results

03 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

One of the greatest barriers to improving farm productivity in Australia is water. Over the past ten years, GRDC investment in water use efficiency (...

Predicting Nitrogen cycling and losses in Australian cropping systems

20 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Excessive rainfall has hit northern growers over the past six months. With water logging across paddocks, growers are at heightened risk of losing n...

Improving crop establishment with long coleoptile wheat

13 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Long coleoptile wheat is getting a lot of grower interest and some new research been delivering some exciting results. This genetic approach is focus...

New agronomy insights for irrigated grains

05 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

When it comes to maximising the productivity of irrigated crops, research is proving it isn’t as simple as adding water and lots of nitrogen fertili...

Summer chickpeas show red-hot promise

29 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A 90-day summer chickpea crop could soon be a reality for the north, giving growers a pulse option to plant in February and harvest in June. Research...

Setting up your mungbean crop for success

22 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

What does it take to optimise mungbean yields in Australia’s northern growing region? It's the focus of a significant GRDC investment underway with ...

Managing fusarium wilt in mungbeans

15 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Fusarium wilt is significant mungbean disease that can result in up to 80 per cent yield loss. In an effort to arm growers with information about this...

A new era for oat breeding

08 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The National Oat Breeding Program, backed by joint $5.4 million investment from AgriFutures Australia and GRDC, is being propelled into a new era unde...

Optimising irrigated grains

31 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Most irrigated crop research involves wheat or cotton - but the Optimising Irrigated Grains project is different. It’s focused on the agronomic and...

The versatility of vetch

25 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Vetch got a bad rap back in the 1990s when a variety that looked like red lentils was substituted for the higher priced commodity and sold into export...

Slug control across southern Australia

17 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

As many southern growers know, good growing conditions for crops also means good ground conditions for slugs. After favourable springs in both 2020 a...

Grower insights on grazing crops under irrigation

11 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Dual-purpose crops under irrigation offer an attractive graze and grain return. But what's the best set-up to maximise potential at the paddock level?...

Area wide management for cropping systems weeds

04 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Weed seeds and herbicide resistant genes have the potential to move across farm boundaries and between different land uses. A collaborative project, c...

Mouse control in Western Australia

26 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Across Western Australia’s grain growing regions, farmers are reporting increased mouse activity, sparking new concern about risks heading into the ...

Beat the heat with late winter sown sorghum

19 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The main summer grain crop in the northern grains region, sorghum is ordinarily planted between September and January. But for the past two years, sc...

Annual ryegrass resistance to pre-emergent herbicides snapshot

13 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

For the first time ever, a national survey on herbicide resistance has been conducted as part of a GRDC investment. As Dr Peter Boutsalis from the Uni...

Stripe rust outlook for 2022

06 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

2022 is likely to be a high-risk year for rust, based on the widespread distribution of rust in 2020 and 2021 and the wet summer. Dr Grant Hollaway f...

Getting the upper hand on annual ryegrass this season

29 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Perth Update Event 2022 – Dr. Mike Ashworth The cost of constantly evolving weed infestations in Australia is staggering. Growers spend around $2.5...

Grain storage

01 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Grain storage is a long-term investment so it’s important to get it right from the start. Considerations need to include storage design and structur...

Seed of Gold – Emeritus Professor Stephen Powles

17 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The Seed of Gold is one of the grains industry’s most prestigious awards. First presented in 2007 only four people have received this honour. The la...

The invisible fenceline – how virtual fencing is reshaping weed control

03 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

It’s an unusual thing to see – a mob of cattle grazing contentedly in a patch of paddock, held there by an invisible border. But virtual fencing t...

Applying fungicides for economic return with Nick Poole

31 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Nick Poole from FAR Australia provides an excellent explanation of how to target fungicide applications for the best economic return. He describes the...