Daryl McDonald (left) and Bill Moore enjoyed the opportunity to look at new varieties and hear the latest information from the Irrigation Farmers Network team at the recent Kerang field day.
Photo by
Sophie Baldwin
Irrigation Farmers Network hosted about 70 people for its annual winter cropping field day held at the Kerang research farm.
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Farmers travelled from as far afield as Darlington Point, 300km away, on September 18.
IFN general manager Matthew O’Farrell said weather-wise it was a cracking sunny spring day which showcased the many varieties of barley, long, main and short season wheat, canola and faba beans.
“The focus of the day is learning, but it also provided a great opportunity for farmers to network with peers, share real world experiences and listen to seed companies explain research findings on newer seed varieties,” Mr O’Farrell said.
“This year over 700 separate trial plots were on display providing farmers with detailed information to help increase their productivity and profitability.”
IFN’s research managers Damian Jones and Amy Minor led the group around the farm inspecting trial plots, explaining varieties and treatment differences, along with sharing findings.
Mr Jones said the beauty of having a trial site is the ability to try different things which may at times even seem stupid, and pass on that knowledge to growers so they don’t make the same mistakes.
There were more than 700 trial plots to inspect at the IFN field day.
He said on the day, the trial sites were well presented and relatively disease-free (unlike last year when they were covered in septoria) following a change to disease management based on feedback from last year’s field day.
“This year we have had a look at milling oats — how they fit into the mix and how we can manage weeds, herbicide options will be a challenge in the future,” Mr Jones said.
He said there is always a discussion around pre-irrigation particularly around this season’s high price of water.
“We can’t tell people what to do, we just try to ensure people are aware of the economic rationale behind their decisions rather than just blindly irrigating.
“We also like to push the yield boundaries under irrigation to see the faults in some varieties including lodging.”
Mr Jones said they were always looking at economic data, fungicide strategy, nitrogen strategy, timings and applications.
Daryl McDonald from Ball Bank in NSW said he enjoys supporting the IFN.
He said ever since the Department of Agriculture evaporated, the information from these trial sites has become very important.
“It is great to come here and look at the different trials and learn about the results; our agronomist comes here as well,” Mr McDonald said.
He said looking to the season ahead water remains the biggest issue.
“I have 300 acres of canola — we have downsized our irrigation footprint and the amount of cereals we grow.”
Around 70 people travelled to the IFN field day site at Kerang.
Photo by
Sophie Baldwin
Bill Moore also attended the day.
He was a dryland farmer who has returned to irrigation.
“There is always something new to learn and a way to do things better. It is good to look at the crops and listen to the feedback from service providers and other farmers,” Mr Moore said.
“It is also a great social day.”
Agronomists Emillee Azzopardi from Elders Barham and Rhianna Beacham from Elders Deniliquin attended the field day.
“The IFN is just down the road so the data is really relevant to us,” Ms Azzopardi said.
She said she was particularly interested in the RGT Ponsford wheat variety under irrigation and the disease resistance compared to Scepter.
Mr O’Farrell said IFN prides itself on being a leading research organisation for irrigated farmers along the Murray and shares all its research with members on its website: www.irrigationfn.com.au
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