Paraquat, ploughs and perils: The future of global grain
This year, global grain production will be somewhere between 2.5 and 3.0 billion tonnes, of that around 500 million tonnes will be available for export ... Take your pick as to the impact of going organic, but on average, between a third and half the world starves. But what about just taking out paraquat and glyphosate—the foundation chemicals for no-till farming?
Viterra set to buy Maitland grain site
Michelle Daw. The GrainFlow site at Maitland is one of five storage and handling sites in South Australia and western Victoria to be bought by Viterra from Cargill. The other sites are at Crystal Brook, Mallala, Pinnaroo and Dimboola. Viterra has also announced it will buy Cargill’s mobile ship loader at Port Adelaide.
Main field day highlights fatigue and profitability
“The most profitable farms were those that spent more time working on their business than in their business,” Professor Ross Kingwell said in his presentation at BCG’s Main Field Day at Nullawil last week ... Professor Kingwell’s presentation was a highlight for many of the 400 growers and advisers who attended the event.
Nhill’s Ellie Murden wins GrainCorp’s Victoria Employee of the Year
At the recent GrainCorp awards, Nhill’s Ellie Murden was named Victoria’s Employee of the Year. GrainCorp praised Ellie for her outstanding performance as Site Manager, noting her dedication and ability to consistently exceed expectations ... Last harvest, Ellie helped the Nhill site break multiple records, including processing 19,000 tonnes in a single day.
$4.74m paddock pays out
Michelle Daw. A single 107-hectare paddock in prime cropping land near Maitland sold for $4.75 million last week, setting what is likely to be a record price for Yorke Peninsula. The price achieved for Lot 210, Pine Point Road at an online auction on Monday, September 9, equates to $44,393 per hectare, or $17,992 per acre.
GrainGrowers releases carbon calculator report
GrainGrowers has made it easier for growers to understand greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions with the release of a report today that compares available carbon calculators. GrainGrowers’ General Manager Major Projects and Thought Leadership, Sarah Hyland, said the report was designed to improve carbon literacy among grain growers.
A national biofuels feedstock strategy to give flight to aviation’s net-zero ambitions: Canegrowers
Representatives from across Australia's agriculture and fuel supply chain have urged the Federal Government to immediately initiate a national low-carbon liquid fuel feedstock strategy to give effect to the ambitious agenda outlined in the Federal Government Aviation White Paper released this week. The industry groups include GrainGrowers, the Australian Sugar Milling Council (ASMC) and Queensland Cane Growers Organisation (CANEGROWERS).
‘Changing the game’ for ag tech
Researchers from the University of Southern Queensland (UniSQ) are taking the idea of "try before you buy" straight to the bank to make it easier for farmers to utilise ag tech. The $3.7 million research project … investigates how to better utilise existing and emerging ag technologies to improve drought resilience for grain farmers.
Around the paddocks
Brett Jewell said, "It was great to get some much-needed rain over the last week—16 mm at my location—whilst Canola was really struggling with the warmer weather ... Matt Rohde said, "I have been busy spraying broadleaf weeds in cereals ... Lawloit’s Lewis Bothe said, "We have just finished our main shearing, which went smoothly ...
Griffith region tops corn production
The Griffith region was the major corn (maize) producer in Australia in 2022-2023, according to data recently released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). The region supplied 80,000 tonne of corn.
Rural Commodities Index rises for third consecutive month: NAB
Increases in the price of wheat and lamb helped lift the NAB Rural Commodities Index* for the third consecutive month, rising by 0.4 per cent in June. NAB’s July Rural Commodities Wrap … reports while the wheat price rally slowed in June, prices continued to rise, increasing 3.5 per cent on average over the month.
Positive six month outlook for Australian ag
The Rural Bank has predicted that the 6-month outlook for Australian Agriculture is broadly supportive thanks to strong export demand and favourable price forecasts while challenges from a consumer spending perspective remain, with a dry seasonal outlook also a concern for some regions.
Deeper reforms needed as Fed Govt celebrates biosecurity cost win: GPA
These fees and charges, largely applying to importers and travellers entering and leaving the country, had remained unchanged for the best part of a decade until July 2023 and have since brought in an additional $47.1 million. Grain Producers Australia Chair Barry Large said having fees and charges for these activities match the actual costs of managing these processes, whether it be for inspections and assessments or potential incident management, was commonsense.
Russia running hot and cold
You have to hand it to the Russians; they are a resilient mob. I had started to write a story back in May about how drought, frost, labour, and parts shortages were about to combine and smash their next grain harvest but luckily, I didn’t, as my predictions would have been way off the mark. As it turns out, despite what all the global grain experts said at the time, about Russia facing a difficult year, it seems they are on track for another big crop.
Genetics and AI approaches to power-up pulses: GRDC
Chickpea, lentil and faba bean growers across Australia can expect significantly more productive crops within the next decade thanks to a new collaborative, international research project to improve crop yields ... Project leader Professor Rajeev Varshney FRS ... said chickpea, lentil and faba bean production is currently hamstrung due to limited genetic diversity, resulting in meagre yield improvement of less than 0.5 per cent each year.
Rural Commodities Index lifts again as wheat prices rally: NAB
The NAB Rural Commodities Index* has continued its upwards momentum, increasing 1.4 per cent month-on-month in May, driven by rising prices for wheat, barley, canola and lamb. The Index is now around levels last seen in February 2023, according to NAB’s June Rural Commodities Wrap released today.
New BCG”ˆpodcast shares farm tech solutions
BCG is on a mission to bring the latest in agricultural technology to farmers across the Wimmera, Mallee and North Central,” said BCG’s Communications and Engagement Officer Jess Bidstrup.
Rice vesting to end
Australia’s last commodity single desk, rice vesting is set to end on July 1, 2025 after a recent announcement by the NSW Government. The rice vesting arrangements were established in response to grower preferences around the marketing of their rice in the 1920s, and have contributed to the development of a vertically-integrated industry with significant grower influence ... The Government claims that under the future arrangements, growers will be afforded greater choice and flexibility to pursue a range of markets, including export markets, and that it will also benefit the long-term sustainability of the industry in the face of lower water availability and a more variable climate.
Rain brings hope to farmers
Christine Webster. Lowbank farmer David Schmidt is feeling more optimistic about the grain growing season after the end of a dry spell spanning more than four months. Some rain finally arrived in the region on Thursday and more showers fell on Friday ... “You would not classify it as an official break in the season,” Mr Schmidt said.
GPA cautious on new crop forecasts: Grain Producers Australia
Grain Producers Australia welcomes the latest crop production forecasts with cautious optimism ... GPA Chair, Barry Large, said the ABARES winter crop forecasts were based on above average summer rainfall and timely autumn rainfall that continued to improve soil moisture profiles in Queensland and northern and central NSW. But he said autumn rainfall has been lower than average across major cropping regions ...
Australia’s winter crop planting up, but production to hang on La Niña – Rabobank
Australia’s farmers are expected to plant 23.55 million hectares to winter crops this year – up more than three per cent on 2023 – despite a mixed start to the season across the country, Rabobank says in its 2024/25 Australian Winter Crop Outlook ... This year’s winter crop planting – representing a 3.6 per cent increase on 2023/24 though down 1.8 per cent on the five-year average...
To inform decision-making for Southern growers – New farming systems project
A new farming systems project is set to shed light on how farm management decisions affect profitability and sustainability to help southern region grain growers understand the upside and downside of their decisions. The five-year project involves nine field sites … covering different soil types and rainfall zones in South Australia and Victoria, as well as biophysical modelling and economic evaluation.
