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

INDEX FOR 2009 CROPPING NEWSLETTERS

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December 2009 No. 169

Kenyan study tour going ahead in August 2010 with Wayne Smith as guide.

Where did the yield go? - 2009 was a very disappointing year for everyone. Comments on why and what mistakes could have been prevented.

Standout varieties - comments on the new varieties that are standing out from the pack.

Canola too tall? - Some high yielding canola varieties are too tall but there are options how to shorten them and gain further improvements in yield.

Cheap glyphosate - with Roundup products as low as $3/L, stock up two years worth. Also a chance to use double rates to reduce glyphosate resistance building up.

Cheap radish herbicide brews running out of legs - resistance is making the cheap radish brews worthless, but there are some excellent new options.

Pulses need Terbyne (terbuthylazine) - this is safer on pulses than other triazines, and it controls medic. All pulses should use this herbicide.

45Y82CL - the new highest yielding Clearfield canola, but where should it be sown? In low rainfall areas as well?

Kick up the pants newsletter - the October 2009 newsletter created the most feedback so far. Some comments in reply to the feedback as to why 2009 was one of the worst farming performance years I have seen Australian farmers do.

Consultants must wear some blame - those who have advised not to use lime when the soils are too acidic are a cause of so many farmers performing so badly L .

Brief notes on my suggestions for trace elements in the liquid stream at sowing.

November 2009 No. 168

Crown rot (Fusarium) fungicides at last - discussion on the use of Rancona (ipconazole) and prothioconazole as a seed dressing to control/suppress crown rot.

Blackleg in canola breaking down again - comments on which varieties to avoid.

Fertiliser prices - UAN (42%N) at ~$350/t is low enough for me to buy for next season's crop. MAP and DAP also about where they need to be at <$500/t.

Spray oil adjuvants for next year - after so many problems with crop damage and non-performance of many new adjuvants, this article lists the only ones I would use for next year. New adjuvants will not be added to the list until hundreds of paddocks have been used by my clients without any problems.

Select (clethodim) damage to canola. What it looks like and what to do to reduce the risk of damage.

Variety recommendations for 2010

Hindmarsh barley - the highest yielding feed barley for most people is still on track as a malting barley for March 2011.

Sakura (pyroxasulfone) herbicide one to look out for in trials in 2010. Is safe on wheat, barley, corn, sunflowers, peas and several other pulse crops. Controls ryegrass, barleygrass, radish (~70% control) and many other problem weeds.

Propyzamide cheaper in 2010. Order form attached from a company who is selling it at a cheaper price.

Locust threat - reduced threat this summer with the dry Spring, but some control options are listed just in case they are a problem for you.

Ryegrass in furrows - at last a herbicide solution that controls ryegrass extremely well !!!

Main herbicide strategies for crops in 2010.

To Pool or not to Pool - marketing article from Rod Grieve on his suggestions for marketing your grain this harvest.

October 2009 No. 167

Seen the countryside? - Across WA and other areas of Australia, there have been many mistakes made. Crops and pastures are very poor for most people, despite a reasonable season. Alot of this newsletter comments on what mistakes were made and what needs to be improved on.

First new generation Roundup Ready (RR) canola available for orders.

Biological farming - adding bugs to soil. Worth it or not? Discussion also on stubble, hay, burning, glomalin and what the best profitable farmers are doing.

Croptopping lupins - showing what 80% leaf drop looks like which is the time to croptopping with glyphosate or paraquat.

Dead tips in canola - calcium deficiency. Is it worth trying to fix?

Fipronil in empty silo's for insect control

Pod abortion causes and fixes in lupins.

Guidance without satellites - you can get accurate shielded sprayer guidance without satellites using Eco-Dan equipment.

The future of shielded sprayers - should we be moving this way?

Bare and non-wetting soil - millet is an excellent crop that cures non-wetting soil for 2-3 years and puts precious stubble onto the soil. Comments on how and when to do this.

Roundup rates and other brews to use in spraylines (spraying while windrowing (swathing) but under the windrow).

Swathing lupins

Insects in swaths

Rancona (20g/L ipconazole) seed dressing coming to Australia

Adjuvants and retailers "switch selling" to you.

20 years no-till - my grouping of three classifications of no-till farmers afte 20-years of no-till in Australia. Which group are you in?

September 2009 No. 166

Avoid using the adjuvant Quatrabuff with UAN - it is too good. No problems without UAN.

Late fungicide sprays on cereals.

Barley Yellow Dwarf Virus (BYDV) and aphid spray thresholds

Planes to the rescue - little photo story of one farmers attempts to spread fertiliser on boggy paddocks.

Roundup Ready (RR) canola varieties for next year.

Hybrid canola seed costs - it is nothing to be scared of. Companies are not ripping us off with the high cost of this seed.

Snippets

Control weeds while swathing (windrowing) with a sprayline on your equipment

Croptopping cereals - when and with what products

Some things to look forward to next year

Try to use predator friendly products when controlling aphids or caterpillars - products and rates are discussed

Wyalkatchem wheat can get mildew bad in the heads - fungicide options

Spray oil saga continues - more reports of crop damage when using some spray oils. Many are not the same as the original oils they are trying to imitate. It is not worth it using these risky products.

Black stubble after rain - why this happens. It can be a sign of a nutritional deficiency.

Study tours - a quick one to Victoria this month (invitation only) and one to Kenya in August 2010.

Sclerotinia in lupins and canola - what to look for and control options (if warranted).

Why? - posing the question of why are you continuing to grow woolly sheep and not rotationally graze?

Don't look a gift horse in the mouth - we are being offered up to an extra 50% tax deduction on vehicles and farming equipment. We have until the end of the year to accept this offer.

August 2009 No. 164

Rainfastness of fungicides - which adjuvants actually make a difference?

Table of fungicides and their strengths on cereal diseases.

Fungicide strategies for the rest of the season.

Caterpillar pest control options

Weed blow outs and options from now on.

Boxer Gold (prosulfocarb + metolachlor) herbicide update - can be used post-emergent with great success on ryegrass. Rates, timings and mixtures are discussed.

False economy - a mistake of many this year trying to use cheap herbicides to control resistant weeds in vain hope. Using more herbicide pre-sowing would have been wiser. Several examples are given.

Season rainfall outlook.

Nitrogen deficiency - many (most) crops are starving for nitrogen. What to look for and is it worth adding more?

Sulphur deficiency in canola - symptoms and treatment.

Aphids are rising rapidly in numbers - control options are discussed.

Crop damaging adjuvants - they need reporting to AERPCoordinator@apvma.gov.au

What seeder would I buy? - my views on the best knife-point seeders for notill.

Table top crops - a sign you have things right.

Rhizoctonia or something else causing crop patchiness? - how to tell what is the cause.

Late trace element sprays - are they worth it and when is too late?

July 2009 No. 164

Nitrogen top-ups - A nerve wrecking topic for many after being through so many droughts and tight finishes to the season. So how much should you add in this good season so far?

Urea on waterlogged soils - the best option is to get some nitrogen into the plant via the leaves.

UAN reminder - mixing UAN with other chemicals for spraying

Season outlook - El Nino (dry finish) from some modellers, average season predicted by others.

New fungicide - Prosaro (prothioconazole + tebuconazole) possibly available by August. Is it worth using?

Firebreak control without Roundup - Not the cheapest way to control weeds, but if you want some options without glyphosate, here are a few ideas.

Salvage ryegrass control with Boxer Gold - using it post-emergent does work well on young ryegrass.

Metribuzin pre-sowing on wheat - An excellent herbicide option with no-tilled wheat.

Big surviving ryegrass - What top do with big ryegrass in your crop that survived the knockdown herbicides.

Canola problems - So many problems are avoided if you add fipronil and metalaxyl to your seed.

Adjuvant problems - The lies and behaviour of sellers of many adjuvants is not good. Some products damage the crops, some just don't work. It is time to start naming them, starting here !

Aphids and rust threats - Aphids are building with predators in low numbers at present. Use Integrated Pest Management techniques where possible. Options are discussed. Rust also likely to increase rapidly this Spring.

June 2009 No. 163

1-leaf grass knockdowns - Use Roundup or Gramoxone? The truth of some trials got lost somewhere between the paddock and the newspapers!

Spraying beady weeds - Wet is good. Beady is bad for spraying.

Sakura - The new rygrass herbicide we have been wanting for years.

RR canola with Select, Verdict, Lontrel - It is wiser to spray Roundfup with other products on RR canola, not just Roundup. But what is safe and efficient?

Residue manager update - Equipment in front of the disc or knife point seeders to move the stubble (not trash) off the crop row.

Knockdown survivors - Herbicide options to control milk thistles, capeweeds, radish and other weeds that survived the original knockdown herbicides.

Milk thistles - control options in crop

Capeweeds - control options in crop

Flowering radish or other brassica weeds - control options in crop

Beware brodal carryover on canola - Diflufencian (Brodal) is very residual and damaging to some canola varieties 12 months later.

Slug and snail baits - Most disintegrate at the sign of a dew drop. Metarex is the best and longest lasting pellet. Information too on the iron EDTA products.

Early Aphid control - control options in crops including not killing aphid predators.

RR canola and resistant weeds - Does RR canola mean more Roundup resistance? It can if you do what Monsanto currently say!

Wheat Streak Mosaic Virus - This disease is a higher risk this year in many areas.

Snippets

Barley damage from metribuzin and Balaustium mites

Big stem and leaf rust risk this year on south coast of WA

World fertiliser prices still decreasing a little. Local suppliers still excessively high!

Do not use Aramo (tepraloxydim) or Butroxydim products on canola.

Current Australian RR canola are damaged by Roundup after 6-leaf stage.

Clearfield herbicides can be mixed together - an example given.

Ammonium Sulphate (AMS) is beneficial with almost all sprays. Should be standard practice.

Backups - You can never have enough backups. www.mozy.com is a great little software program.

SMS service - Frequent messages now sent via SMS to your mobile if you want on seasonal updates and snippets and reminders of what is best to do. See http://www.agronomy.com.au/sms.aspx

May 2009 No. 162

The season has started in the eastern states. Hopefully about to start in Western Australia.

Spray drift paranoia - a bit of drift is a good thing. Comments on low drift nozzles and their uses.

Spraying trace elements - rates and products to use and ways to improve their uptake and performance.

Turn the seeding phosphate fertiliser off for 100m in every paddock - it teaches you important things about what fertiliser your crop mainly needs, and what it needs second.

Post-emergent bromegrass control options in cereals - including controlling herbicide resistant bromegrass.

Early broadleaf weed control options in cereals - concentrating on some of the newer herbicides, Velocity, Precept and X-Pand.

Fungicide resistant mildew - an increasing problem in barley mildew in the Great Southern of Western Australia.

Early canola pests and their control - earwigs, Bryobia, balaustium, slugs.

Alliance herbicide - a mixture of paraquat and amitrole. Is it worth using?

A new service coming - interim newsletter updates now available via SMS to your mobile.

April 2009 No. 161

Monola canola's time has come - high yielding, triazine tolerant, specialty oil canola now profitable to grow.

Low risk wheat varieties to grow

Metribuzin pre-sowing on TT canola - don't.

GM Canola in Canada - my thoughts on the awesome success of the Canadian canola industry.

Rust risk this year - strategies of what to do

Aphid risk and prevention strategies this year

Fertiliser points - rates, prices, placement, variable rate technology and other factors regarding fertiliser efficiency.

Pre-sowing herbicide brews for cereals - detailed suggestions of herbicide brews to use pre-sowing no-till crops, including when you have trifluralin resistant ryegrass.

Terbyne (terbuthylazine) - now available in Australia and comments on when and where to use it.

Canola pre-sowing brews for Roundup Ready, TT and Clearfield canola.

Lupin pre-sowing brews

Peas, faba beans and chickpea pre-sowing herbicide brews.

Pre-sowing spikes - options to hot up the performance of Roundup before sowing on hard to kill weeds.

Website links to scientific articles on the paranoia nonsense of mankind causing global warming.

March 2009 No. 160
Monola canola's time has come - high yielding, triazine tolerant, specialty oil canola now profitable to grow.

Low risk wheat varieties to grow

Metribuzin pre-sowing on TT canola - don't.

GM Canola in Canada - my thoughts on the awesome success of the Canadian canola industry.

Rust risk this year - strategies of what to do

Aphid risk and prevention strategies this year

Fertiliser points - rates, prices, placement, variable rate technology and other factors regarding fertiliser efficiency.

Pre-sowing herbicide brews for cereals - detailed suggestions of herbicide brews to use pre-sowing no-till crops, including when you have trifluralin resistant ryegrass.

Terbyne (terbuthylazine) - now available in Australia and comments on when and where to use it.

Canola pre-sowing brews for Roundup Ready, TT and Clearfield canola.

Lupin pre-sowing brews

Peas, faba beans and chickpea pre-sowing herbicide brews.

Pre-sowing spikes - options to hot up the performance of Roundup before sowing on hard to kill weeds.

Website links to scientific articles on the paranoia nonsense of mankind causing global warming.

  February 2009 No. 159

Newsletter delay - it helps to backup data when both computers fail L

Thoughts on Canadian agriculture after trip to Alberta

2008 in review - a tough season for some, excellent for others with the same rainfall and only separated by a fence.

2009 rainfall outlook

Amazing yields and what to do if you want to increase your cropping profits to the levels of the best farmers.

Edge (propyzamide) now $44/kg - it has priced itself out of the market. Discussion on other options.

Pre-sowing herbicides - precursor article to a more in depth one in the March 2009 newsletter.

Skeleton weed in Western Australia - the eradication attempt has given up.

Fertiliser update - attitude from local fertiliser suppliers leaves a lot to be desired wanting us to buy their old expensive stock before they will supply us with cheaper fertiliser.

Katahdin sheep update on them coming to Australia.

Economic recovery starts with us being trustworthy - good article from views of John Phipps (www.johnwphipps.com ).

Variety trial results so far

Radish control in canola