Agronomic Acumen - Professional Agricultural Consultants based in the Great Southern Region of Western Australia
 


INDEX FOR 2007 CROPPING NEWSLETTERS

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December 2007 No. 147
  • Wheat prices compared to average wages in Australia since 1932.
  • Input costs up ~75% for 2008 :-(
  • 2007 in review
  • Variety comments
    • Eagle Rock wheat trumps in Great Southern and WA south coast
    • Mandelup lupins shedding after rain and wind
    • 46Y78 hybrid Clearfield canola awesome performance
  • Metribuzin pre-sowing wheat results in 2007 - excellent again.
  • Colwell and DGT phosphate tests - Colwell P alone is almost meaningless.
  • Summer weed control brews
  • Pickling seed update - cheaper Gaucho (imidacloprid) changes a few recommendations.
  • Liquid cart update - article available for download from www.agronomy.com.au/Articles.aspx
  • Canola trans-fat - McDonalds in Australia have ceased using trans-fat canola.
  • New herbicides for 2008 - at last we have some new modes of action for some problem weeds.
    • Expand, Conclude, Precept and Ecopar.
  • GM canola moratorium lifted in Victoria and New South Wales for 2008.
  • Frost tolerant wheat update from Green Blueprint International
  • Searching index of these newsletters - software is still in the making :-( .
    Hopefully ready in early 2008.
  • Paddock recording software - promotional offer from Back Paddock Software and CSBP.
    www.backpaddock.com.au
November 2007 No. 146
  • Caterpillar spray correction - Dipel SC the cheapest, not Dipel DF.
  • 2008 rainfall outlook - La Nina conditions likely to continue well into 2008. Hopefully with higher rainfall as a result.
  • Glume blotch in wheat - it was the year to do an "ear wash" fungicide spray. Nutrition the main cause though.
  • Rhizobium in a liquid stream/cart at seeding - -the easy way to add inoculum for your legumes.
  • Frost tolerant wheat - could soon be a reality via "Green Blueprint International".
  • Varieties for 2008 - A plethora of new varieties coming. Some excellent, many useless. Which ones are worth growing?
  • Gaucho (imidacloprid) about to halve in price and where to use it
  • Sending large files - www.yousendit.com a good and cheap way.
  • Summer crop variety update
  • Harvest load options - a large article from Rod Grieve (08-9842 1267) on using Arbitraging software to allocate which load of grain goes to which buyer for the highest price.
October 2007 No. 145
  • 2007 season and 2008 Rainfall outlook.
  • Find a hobby - horrible statistic re men who retire without a hobby.
  • Crop-topping cereals - the do's and don'ts.
  • Mawson's Penguins - false positive results of chemical residues on grain.
  • Aphid control failures - reasons why some cereal aphid sprays have not worked.
  • Russian Wheat aphids - not in Australia yet, but photo's of what to look for.
  • Setting up a liquid cart - a long article on farmers experiences of how they set up a liquid cart and what they would improve.
    This is the technique of applying a continuous liquid stream of trace elements, fungicides and liquid fertilisers such as UAN next to the seed in furrow. It is the cheapest and most efficient means of applying trace elements, and in-furrow fungicides.
September 2007 No. 144
  • Rainfall outlook - predictions were not accurate for most areas. Outlook is still to get wetter though.
  • Hay or grain? - high grain prices may change your mind whether to cut those hay crops or leave for harvesting as grain. Discussion on how to decide.
  • Late fungicides - how late is too late to apply fungicides this season?
  • Grain prices - Wow, what a ride!! Prices have gone higher than expected.
  • Phosphate and 2008 fertiliser prices - should we cut back on inputs and/or change phosphate sources?
  • Liquid carts - comments on observations of this technique to apply trace elements and other products.
  • Liquid phosphate - prices of phosphoric acid have come down to meet granular MAP. Should we switch?
  • Bare paddocks - a few options to get some ground cover on the bare paddocks.
  • A brighter future - a little glimpse at some exciting prospects in the future of agriculture.
  • Lack of moisture? - droughted crops can actually be droughted because of other factors, not just lack of moisture. Pictures and discussion on how to tell if the lack of moisture really is the biggest problem.
August 2007 No. 143
  • Aphid and rust risk ratings for this season
  • Aphid control options
  • Using BT (Bacillus thuringiensis) sprays to control caterpillars instead of broad spectrum insecticides
  • Rainfall outlook - has gone even drier for many, despite the models predicting good rainfall.
  • Copper deficiency symptoms - how to identify a deficiency in your crops
  • Yellow barley - a discussion of the causes of so much barley going yellow this season – mostly boron toxicity and how to identify it.
  • Disease control with the now very cheap fungicides
  • Propyzamide damage on some canola varieties
  • GM canola - you need to start ordering seed now for those states where the moratorium may be lifted next year.
  • Learning Plant Language workshops - a list of more workshops in the coming month - www.agronomy.com.au/LPL
  • Snippets
    • Surprising how much Eagle Rock wheat has been sown in the Great Southern
    • Wheat varieties that bolted into head emergence too early this season
    • High grain prices being offered for 2008 already.
July 2007 No. 142
  • Season outlook - has gone dry for many.
  • Kenyan trip - a report on my recent visit to Kenya and its farming system.
  • When a good seeder matters - comments on why the Seed-Hawk (www.vaderstad.com) and Conserva-Pak (www.deere.com) seeders are the best knife point seeders available.
  • Snippets
    • Higher rates of Clethodim will kill some populations of resistant ryegrass
    • Oil adjuvants harming canola again this year
    • If you make your own diflufenican and MCPA LVE mix, add a spray oil.
  • Learning Plant Language workshops - how to know what is wrong with your crops and pastures - see www.agronomy.com.au/LPL/index.aspx
June 2007 No. 141
  • Season outlook - all good still.
  • Grabbing opportunities - tongue in cheek comments about whether or not you were ready for the opening rains, and sowing onto moisture at depth when the soil surface is dry.
  • Aphid control update and options
  • Learning Plant Language workshops - no dates or venues finalised yet but watch website for updates.
  • Fertiliser blockages at seeding and rules of thumbs - a few pointers on how to know what your plants are telling you they need, especially from blocked fertiliser rows at seeding.
  • Manganese deficiency - how to pick it in cereals
  • Sulphur deficiency - how to pick it in cereals and canola
  • Post-em herbicide brews - a few snippets on herbicide options for controlling a few difficult weeds like Bifora and Fumitory,
    and also comments on using Propyzamide post-emergent on canola and legume (pulse) crops.
  • What winterkill looks like in Kansas April 2007
  • GM canola coming to some states in Australia in 2008 :-) - but probably not WA :-(
  • Comments on identifying Bryobia and Balaustium mites correctly
May 2007 No. 140
  • Season outlook - all good still.
  • Labels are not always right. A few examples of chemicals safe to use pre-sowing despite what the labels say.
  • Crushed rocks and other myths - Debunking the myth that calcium to magnesium ratios matter, because they do not.
    Also illustrating that "natural" fertiliser extracts, crushed rocks and biostimulants do not work.
  • Propyzamide on pastures and mixtures with other herbicides.
  • Torpedo - discussing this new herbicide (florasulam and clopyralid) and where and how to use it.
  • Sow (milk) thistle control options - includes discussion on Hotshot (aminopyralid + fluroxypyr).
  • Post-emergent brew snippets
  • How to pick up zinc deficiency early in your cereal crops.
  • Pledge (flumioxazin) now registered in parts of Australia - discussion on how and where to use this excellent herbicide.
  • Adding insecticides in-furrow.
  • Mite and other insect control options.
April 2007 No. 139
  • Precursor to brews (up to you to check labels in your region)
  • How much do you hate erosion? - classic photo of farmer induced wind erosion
  • 2007 rainfall outlook (from Dr David Stephens) - still all good for us, and not so good for the USA corn belt
  • Some questions answered on setting up seeders with a liquid stream to deliver trace elements
  • Junk oil adjuvants - reminder to only test new oil based adjuvants on a small area - some devastated canola crops in 2006
  • Is our canola market dying? - Some major countries and food chains are banning or ceasing the use of trans-fat oils. Is this the second death of Australian canola?
  • Learning Plant Language - notification of dates next month of these 3-hour courses.
  • Metribuzin pre-sowing in wheat - notill only and no harrows. How, why, what rates and what can I mix with it?
  • Growing metribuzin tolerant wheat varieties
  • Pre-sowing herbicide brews for cereals
  • Clearfield crops - making your own cheaper brews.
  • TT (triazine tolerant) canola - herbicide strategies
  • Tid-bits - various bits of information, but also a small section on making your own post-emergent herbicide brews for cereals with diflufenican, MCPA LVE and a few SU herbicides.
March 2007 No. 138
  • Reliable wheat varieties to choose, no matter what the season. Includes update on new varieties.
  • Grow Yitpi wheat if you are in a frost prone area.
  • Tips on growing Yitpi - it needs more zinc than other varieties.
  • Peaola revisited - how to grow peas and canola together for extra profit.
  • Amazing yields - Discussion on the frequency we see in Australia of "amazing" yields on very little rainfall.
  • Wheat Streak Mosaic Virus - A reminder how important it is to not have green cereals/grasses growing before you sow wheat.
  • Knockdown spikes with Glyphosate - using butafenacil and flumioxazin.
  • What is more important? Stubble or rainfall? A discussion article to make you think showing the latest research data.
  • Are you proud your paddocks are not eroding?
  • Stratification of nutrients - Is stratification of nutrients in a no-till system a problem?
  • Musings on carbon trading and what might happen to world food supply with so much grain being shifted into biofuel.
  • Next months newsletter will be full of suggested herbicide brews.
February 2007 No. 137
  • Locust plague - an unwelcome few billion visitors this summer.
  • Canola varieties for 2007 - highest yield Clearfield hybrids not available. What to choose now?
  • Thoughts on Kansas trip - my thoughts and impressions on Kansas after a visit in January 2007
  • Cheaper Bladex (Cyanazine) - price has plummeted with Chinese imports. Where to use it, if at all?
  • Lesson learnt with propyzamide (eg Edge/Kerb) in 2006 - a slightly different strategy is needed in no till.
  • Strategies in 2007 - outlook is for good rainfall. Suggestions on how best to capitalise on that.
  • New stripe rust - a new WA strain of stripe rust appeared at the end of 2006. Does it change anything?
  • Speaking itinerary - Bill Crabtree and Wayne Smith speaking dates in South Australia, Victoria and NSW in March 2007.
  • 2,4-D amine mixing problems.
  • My farming view - how I would run my 100% cropping farm, and part cropping part livestock farm.
  • Integrated Pest Management (IPM) for cropping - an excellent article by Dr Paul Horne on how we can reduce the use of broad spectrum insecticides and benefit economically.
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ABN 57 628 401 235
Last Updated April 18, 2008