News - Pacific Seeds

Local knowledge to benefit Northern WA growers

Tue, 23 Sep 2025 23:26:00 GMT

Pacific Seeds is excited to announce the appointment of Mackenzie McIntosh as Territory Manager for Northern Western Australia.

Having grown up on the family farm within the territory and more recently gaining experience in agronomy, trials and agricultural retail, Mackenzie will be a valuable member of the team in the region and support for local growers and stores.

Mackenzie is based within the territory and will spend the majority of her days out and about meeting with growers, agents and agronomists across the region. Mackenzie will also be onsite at stores and various field days across the coming months and we invite you grab a cuppa and to say hello. In the meantime, feel free to contact her directly if you have any questions or to secure your seed for the season ahead.

Mackenzie McIntosh
Pacific Seeds Territory Manager for Northern WA
Ph: 0429 619 103
Email: mackenzie.mcintosh@advantaseeds.com

Senior Leadership appointment

Tue, 23 Sep 2025 23:20:00 GMT

Pacific Seeds is pleased to announce Mr Andrew Gourlay has been appointed as Supply Chain Manager – Australia. Mr Gourlay will also serve as member of the Pacific Seeds Australia Senior Leadership Team.

Mr Gourlay brings a wealth of experience to the role with more than 30 years in agribusiness and manufacturing including senior roles at BASF, Bayer, Elders, Monsanto and Deltapine. His knowledge in supply chain management, seed production and processing activities will prove an asset for Pacific Seeds’ Australian operations and customers.

Connect with Andrew Gourlay on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-gourlay-81628228

New Canola Yield Tool Released

Wed, 10 Sep 2025 06:29:22 GMT

Pacific Seeds has released a new easy-to-use Canola Yield Tool! The tool is the latest initiative from the Pacific Seeds Canola research and innovation team and transforms complex data sets into easy-to-understand visuals.

The Canola Yield Tool draws 3+ years of data from across 48 sites around Australia, uniquely comparing 55+ varieties within and across technologies in the industry. It shows how different varieties perform across various yield zones, highlighting the importance of multi-environment trials (METs) in assessing variety performance.

The digital tool complements an increase by Pacific Seeds in canola field trials, canola research staff and agronomy support all focused on providing the world-class Canola hybrids to growers. Be better informed with the Pacific Seeds’ Canola Yield Tool!

Click the link to start: www.pacificseeds.com.au/canola-yield-tool .

Want to learn more about the Canola Yield Tool or the National Hyola Innovation Systems Technology Trials, please contact Justin Kudnig National Canola Technical Manager ph: 0408 408 616 or email justin.kudnig@advantaseeds.com .

The forage that fuels: From palatability to profitability

Wed, 10 Sep 2025 06:15:59 GMT

Pacific Seeds is excited to announce the newest addition to its forage sorghum range Launch.

This new variety is set to fuel your farm's success with its excellent early growth and exceptional regrowth after cutting. Its a perfect choice for cattle and sheep grazing and with a fine-stemmed trait, it delivers quicker dry down ideal for hay.

Learn more about Launch forage sorghum.

Enter to win!

To celebrate the arrival of Launch, Pacific Seeds is giving away 20 sets of Apple AirPod Pros each valued at $399. To enter, simply submit your details via the link. Competition runs from 29 August 2024 - 1 October 2024. Full T&Cs apply .

Agronomy expertise set to bring benefits to Western Downs growers

Wed, 10 Sep 2025 06:15:59 GMT

Pacific Seeds is excited to announce the appointment of Tina Tuckey as Territory Manager for Dalby, Western Downs, and Goondiwindi. She will start in this role from 20 May 2024.

Tina is an agronomist and has worked in Argentina and Brazil before moving to Australia two years ago.

Tina has been part of the Pacific Seeds Technical Development team for the last year. You may have already met her during her talks at the Foundation Farm field days or during her agronomy work in-the-field across the Southern Downs and northern New South Wales.

While Tina will be based in Toowoomba, she will spend the majority of her days out and about meeting with growers, agents and agronomists across the district. Tina will also be onsite at FarmFest in a few weeks’ time and we invite you to come along to the Pacific Seeds marquee for a cuppa and to say hello.

Tina Tuckey
Pacific Seeds Territory Manager for Dalby, Western Downs, and Goondiwindi
Ph: 0472 642 947
Email: agustina.tuckey@advantaseeds.com
Tw i tter: https://twitter.com/tuckey_agustina
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/agustina-tuckey-866925162/

Agriculture student’s future blooms with Pacific Seeds scholarship

Tue, 26 Aug 2025 06:15:59 GMT

University of Queensland agribusiness and agricultural science student, Piper Christensen, has been awarded the Pacific Seeds Scholars hip for 2024.

Piper, a third-year agronomy major, will receive $5,000 as part of the scholarship, and will also complete a work placement opportunity at Pacific Seeds.

“The scholarship will enable me to focus on my academics by easing the financial stress of my studies and providing security in the meantime,” she said.

“The industry experience I’ll get working at Pacific Seeds will also be a significant opportunity.

“It will allow me to get my foot in the door of the industry and provide me with valuable insights that will greatly benefit me in my early career.

“The opportunity to witness firsthand both the latest technology and practices utilised within the company, as well as the structure of the organisation and their operations will be helpful.

“I’m very excited to start working with Pacific Seeds and seeing what makes them Australia’s leading seed provider.”

Piper said the scholarship will also enable her to continue her community involvement efforts within the UQ agricultural space.

“I take immense pride in my community involvement, having been part of the student committees responsible for improving the residential life of students, as well as their involvement within the industries of their degree,” she said.

“I am also current president of the UQ Agricultural Science Society, which has given me wonderful insight into working with companies in the agricultural sector.

“This has enabled me to gain firsthand experience in the many facets of the industry through field days and company networking.

“These efforts will be facilitated more through the Pacific Seeds scholarship program and I’m very excited to get to work.”

If you are a final year student studying agricultural science and/or agribusiness, and you’re interested in applying for the Pacific Seeds Agricultural Scholarship, head to the Pacific Seeds scholarship page for more details.

AI breakthrough set to advance sorghum breeding efforts

Tue, 30 Apr 2024 05:35:00 GMT

A new industry partnership will harness cutting-edge AI technology to improve sorghum breeding for the benefit of Australian growers .

Fellow Centre for Animal Science researcher Dr Eric Dinglasan has been announced as the winner of an Advance Queensland Industry Research Early-Career Fellowship. In partnership with the University of Queensland (UQ) and Pacific Seeds, Dr Dinglasan will expand his work in predictive agriculture to apply FastStack technology to sorghum breeding efforts. FastStack is an AI-guided breeding technology, where instead of selecting the best individual, scientists choose the best chromosome segments that are good for a trait, then identify the optimal crossing path to combine them with other chromosome segments across the genome to develop the ultimate stack.

Dr Bertus Jacobs, Pacific Seeds, Head of Research said the project would focus on heat tolerance traits for sorghum as part of wider research to ensure new hybrids meet changing climatic conditions over the next 20 years and beyond.

“By combining on-ground farm experience, world-class research, and new AI technologies, we’re set to deliver the best possible new hybrids that not only adapt but thrive in the changing climate conditions,” Dr Jacobs said.

Advance Queensland Industry Research Fellowship recipient Dr Eric Dinglasan with Dr Bertus Jacobs Pacific Seeds Head of Research. Photo: Megan Pope

Dr Dinglasan said that together with industry partners, we want to develop an AI breeding scheme to tackle the main issues facing Queensland crop growers like enhancing grain quality and resilience to severe heat stress.

“Incorporating new breeding interventions with chromosome stacking we can ensure that genetic gains don’t plateau but boost both immediate and long-term gain in the face of climate change,” said Dr Dinglasan.

“I’m really grateful for this opportunity to work with industry partners and directly with breeders to see our work translated into the real world and I’m very excited to be applying all these technologies.”

Within three years the project is expected to see hybrids with improved heat tolerance and quality traits flow into the respective Pacific Seeds breeding pipelines. The AI technology will be translatable to other traits and crops across the Pacific Seeds portfolio.

Learn more:

Follow Dr Eric Dinglasen on Twitter: https://twitter.com/eric_uq
Full QAAFI Fellowship media release: https://qaafi.uq.edu.au/article/2024/02/industry-fellowships-qaafi-researchers

2024 Foundation Farm field days a hit with growers and agronomists

Mon, 11 Mar 2024 23:47:00 GMT

Record crowd numbers have attended the 2024 Foundation Farm field days learning from agricultural industry leaders, taking part in field machinery demonstrations and hearing about new research and development findings.

Foundation Farm is a Pacific Seeds initiative located outside Allora in Southern Queensland. It was officially launched in 2021 and is a farming innovation hub that facilities the testing and proving of new technologies, methods and approaches prior to implementation on farms. It looks for every day agronomic solutions to grower challenges, then tests them hands-on in the paddock before sharing that information back with growers and agronomists, all with the aim to boost productivity and sustainability in farming practices.

This year’s three-day event delivered an expanded program of speakers and information sessions covering topics such as optimising planting performance, understanding downforce control on seed depth, understanding the nutritonal value of sorghum and Fall Armyworm updates. The 2024 event also included a new panel discussion and themed sessions on sorghum, corn and silage production.

The field days were marked by excellent levels of engagement, with hundreds of farmers and agronomists attending. Many made significant journeys, travelling over 1000 kilometres, to participate in the event, highlighting the value the Pacific Seeds team continue to deliver.

Pacific Seeds Summer Grains Agronomist Trevor Philp said collaboration was key to making the Foundation Farm and it’s annual field days a success.

“This year saw our largest number and variety of guest speakers from across the agricultural industry, all there to share their knowledge and help growers maximise their farming productivity,” Trevor said.

“Being able to talk face-to-face with the experts and walk through paddocks with researchers is an important part of why growers attend, its about collaboration and taking away roadblocks to information.”

To extend the reach of the Field Days’, videos and photos from the three-day event are available on Pacific Seeds’ Facebook page. These videos offer a glimpse into the knowledge shared, the innovations showcased, and the collaborative spirit that defines the Field Days. .

Pacific Seeds would like to thank our 2024 event partners for their support of the field days including Syngenta, RDO Equipment, University of Southern Queensland, RBE Engineering, Goanna Ag, Dairy Next, The University of Queensland, Culara Farming, Lallemand, Precision Seeding Solutions, Boss Agriculture, Incitec Pivot, Fronter Voice and Data and DAFF Queensland.

As Foundation Farm moves forward, it remains an important resource for the agricultural community, offering access to expert insights, cutting-edge research, and opportunities for cross-industry collaboration. The recent Field Days have once again highlighted the importance of our collective efforts in driving the future of agriculture. To learn more or to register your interest to take part in the February 2025 event, please email Trevor Philp trevor.philp@advantaseeds.com

Keen to see more photos and videos from the 2024 event, visit the Pacific Seeds Facebook page

A history of grain sorghum in Australia

Mon, 11 Mar 2024 02:13:00 GMT

Rob McCarron, Pacific Seeds Territory Manager reflects on the major highlights in the grain sorghum industry in his almost 42 years being involved with the seed industry.

Grain sorghum or Milo as it used to be known as, has been cultivated in Australia since the 1900’s as a form of stock feed, firstly in more northern or summer rainfall dominant locations. Today grain sorghum is a major component of the dryland cropping system of north-east Australia, comprising of some 200,000-950,000ha annually. Total production in 2022-23 was approximately 2,600,000t from 687,000 ha with the harvested product being both exported and used domestically for stockfeed.

The first cultivars grown in Australia were open pollinated and introduced from the United States of America (US) with several of these continuing to be used up until the development of the hybrid sorghum industry in the 1960’s. Cultivars such as Caprock, Martin, Wheatland and Alpha were commonly used and were further developed as the hybridisation of sorghum evolved. The early introductions tended not to be broadly adapted and often exhibited small grain, unreliable yields, longer maturity and were very prone to lodging.

With the advent of wheat quotas in the 1970’s, more interest was created for alternative crops to wheat, grain sorghum was one such crop. Seed companies saw potential inthe new crop, which drove US based seed companies to begin breeding and testing existing US hybrids.

Up until this point the crop was considered opportunistic and unreliable to grow in Australia, due to high planting rates of up to 10 lb per acre which (10 kg/ha or 300-400,000 seed/ha), the original open pollinated varieties had much smaller seed than today’s hybrids. Soil moisture was not stored well due to conventional fallows utilising tyned or disc implements, country was often cultivated and planted a few weeks apart.

Many hybrids introduced from the US were not adapted to the Australian environment. It was critical therefore, for seed companies to invest in local research and development to develop adaptable varieties. Early on there were eight seed companies servicing the local Australian market – Pacific Seeds, Hylan, Pioneer Hi-Bred, Dekalb Shand, Arthur Yates & Co., Cargill Seeds, Northrup King, and Asgrow.

Early hybrids were longer maturity, resulting in mixed harvested yields. Varieties E57 and DK 55 (Dekalb) were initially very popular but with lack of stored moisture and follow up rain, results varied.

Consistent results were achieved after the introduction of the quicker maturing hybrids Goldrush, Prize, Nugget, DK 38, and Pride, due to the lack of stored moisture on a consistent basis.

With the advent of hybrid grain sorghums to Australian farmers in the 1970’s, there was a rapid expansion of the area sown, particularly in the Central Highlands and Callide Dawson area of Queensland. Even into the Northern Territory at Scotts Creek where Bryce Killen undertook an ambitious program to grow sorghum during the wet season. In 1972/73 the operation reached its peak with almost 10,000 ha planted for a net return of 18,000 t of grain. Due to low grain prices, freight costs, heavy weed infestations the beef slump of the mid-seventies the operation went into receivership. This ended the production of grain sorghum in the Northern Territory. Well known Wellington based grain trader, Michael White remembers buying a parcel of this sorghum for just $16/t on farm!

By the early 1990’s the number of seed companies had reduced to four, with companies lacking local breeding programs closing or selling.

Even though grain sorghum hybrids delivered more reliable yields, there has been a contraction in the areas where grain sorghum is produced, particularly in New South Wales where there is lighter soil types and less reliable summer rainfall.

Once hybrids became the norm for sorghum growers closer attention was paid to the agronomic management, including; conserving soil moisture from long fallows; lowering seeding rates to 1.5-3 kg/ha; the use of fertilisers for increased production and herbicides for weed control.

The most important step forward in making grain sorghum a more reliable and in some cases, the most profitable crop grown, was the uptake of minimum and zero tillage. This single management change coupled with improved and more adaptable hybrids has improved yields dramatically in the past two decades.

During the same period farmers were replacing standard planting equipment with precision planters. This was another contributor to the improvement of sorghum production throughout north-eastern Australia. Moving away from the combine/airseeders into planters with depth control, seed singulation and placement has improved establishment and yield outcomes.

The next breakthrough for grain sorghum came in the 1980’s with the s incorporation of midge resistant hybrids. The first midge resistant hybrids had some draw backs, including longer maturity, smaller grain size and higher lodging propensity. Sorghum breeders worked hard to overcome these issues and testimony to their persistence is reflected in the traits of current hybrids. Major insecticide savings have been achieved since the release of midge resistant hybrids, coupled with an increase in production.

In the 1990’s the industry saw the introduction of insecticides on planting seed to protect seed from insect pests such as wireworms, which cause issues with plant establishment. Today it is standard practise with almost all planted seed, treated with an insecticide.

Breeders of grain sorghum in Australia are to be complimented on the progress and contributions they have made to turn grain sorghum into a very profitable and reliable summer crop. Sorghum breeders of note include Bob Henzell and David Jordan from the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries in Queensland, and Neil Muller of Pacific Seeds. Mr Muller is noted for breeding the benchmark hybrid MR Buster which went on to be the industry standard for 32 years, such was the huge yield increase with its release in 1991. The hybrid was considered a real breakthrough in the industry combining extremely high and consistent grain yields coupled with good levels of midge resistance, good grain size and standability. It is only in recent years that MR Buster has been overtaken due to breeders incorporating additional traits and improvements in pre & post flowering stress tolerance.

Hybrids Resolute and Halifax have overtaken MR Buster. Both hybrids incorporate improved stress tolerance and limit tiller production, which helps in a tight finish.

The recent introduction of IMI tolerance thanks to igrowth® technology has improved options for growers to control weeds. Current research and development projects in Australia include heat and drought tolerance to address the effects of changing climatic conditions. Grain sorghum is not only used in stockfeed but also as a biofuel, alcohol production and breakfast cereals like Weet Bix™ (gluten free). Grain sorghum is proven to be a good break crop for cotton growers looking to break disease cycles.

It would be fair to say the sorghum industry is in good hands with some exciting releases and new traits expected in the next few years.

Rob McCarron , Pacific Seeds Territory Manager, The Kimberley, Hunter Valley, South Coast and Central West NSW
Ph: 0427 747 458 Email: rob.mccarron@advantaseeds.com

Does it pay to retain F2 canola seed? New research has the answer.

Wed, 06 Mar 2024 01:35:00 GMT

Andrew Heinrich, Pacific Seeds Canola Technical Specialist recently presented exciting new research to the national GRDC forum in Perth providing insights into the performance impacts of retaining canola seed.

Titled “Agronomic and financial outcomes associated with retaining seed across both Spring and Winter canola hybrids” the research paper by Andrew Heinrich and Willow Liddle examines the difference in plant establishment, grain yield, and economic returns when comparing F1 hybrid Spring canola seed to a 50:50 F1-F2 blend and F2 retained seed.

The research is in direct response to feedback from Australian canola growers and agricultural advisors who have been seeking increased scientific information and recommendations around retaining F2 seed from hybrid canola and has been generated as part of the wider Pacific Seeds dedicated Canola Research and Development program.

Pacific Seeds full research paper

Key findings from the research include:

Spring F1 hybrid canola seed produces significantly higher grain yields across a range of diverse environments than either a 50:50 blend of F1-F2 seed and retained F2 generation seed.
Planting retained Spring F2 seed leads to reduced effective plant establishment, irrespective of the herbicide tolerance.
Planting retained Spring hybrid canola in a 50:50 blend of F1-F2 or F2 generation seed reduces economic returns to the grower across a majority of growing environments.
Planting retained Winter F2 and F3 canola generations led to decreased dry matter production, harvested grain yield and gross returns when compared to the F1 hybrid.

To discuss the implications of this research on your farming operation, please contact:

Andrew Heinrich Ph: 0473 520 818 or email andrew.heinrich@advantaseeds.com

Applications open for 2024 Scholarship round

Sun, 03 Mar 2024 23:54:00 GMT

University of Queensland students can apply for a $5,000 Pacific Seeds Scholarship to assist with their final year agricultural studies.

The scholarship encourages young people to enter the agricultural industry and assists farming families with the costs associated with tertiary education.

As part of the scholarship, students also have the option to conduct practical work experience at Pacific Seeds sites located across Australia offering behind the scenes access to the latest agricultural research and technology through to business, supply chain and customer experience functions.

Previous winner and now University of Queensland graduate Leo Boden’s dream is to become an agriculture industry leader – and he says receiving the Pacific Seeds Agricultural Scholarship has enabled him to pursue that ambition. Leo studied Agribusiness and Sustainable Agriculture, majoring in horticulture at UQ’s Gatton campus and was honoured to receive the $5,000 scholarship.

2022 Scholarship winner Leo Boden during his behind-the-scenes tour of the Pacific Seeds operations in Toowoomba.

“I was ecstatic and grateful to learn that I received the Pacific Seeds Agricultural Scholarship,” Leo said.

“Pacific Seeds has a rich history of technological innovation and collaboration with Australian growers, so it was wonderful to be acknowledged by such a respected organisation.

“They even took me on a tour of their Toowoomba site, where I got to meet some of their team and take a look at their office and facilities. The site was very impressive, and it was fascinating to see how they operate and get a real insight into the inner workings of one of the industry’s biggest players.”

“My ambition is to become a leader in the industry and help feed the world through sustainable and environmentally friendly means,” Leo said.

“I want to be a part of delivering solutions to very real, very immediate problems facing the world today, namely food security, which poses a massive challenge across the globe.

“Receiving this scholarship allowed me to pursue this dream by enabling me to focus my attention on completing my studies, instead of working part-time to fund myself.”

Professor Mark Turner, Deputy Head of School for UQ’s School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, said that the school was extremely grateful for the support of Pacific Seeds.

“This generous support helps us educate the next generation of agricultural scientists. Through partnerships like this, students can gain invaluable hands-on training and skills. Agriculture is – and will continue to be – a critical area for the future and there is a need for more graduates who can deliver innovations and solutions across a wide spectrum of the agricultural industry.”

“This great scholarship will help entice and support future leaders in agricultural science.”

Students can apply through the University of Queensland Scholarships page linked below. Applications close 31 March 2024.

Click for Full Scholarship process and applications

Past Winners

2022 – Leo Boden

Image supplied by University of Queensland

The post Applications open for 2024 Scholarship round appeared first on Pacific Seeds .

Pacific Seeds prepares for the 16th International Rapeseed Congress (IRC)

Wed, 20 Sep 2023 05:52:00 GMT

Over the last two weeks of September, Pacific Seeds will participate in the prestigious IRC field events and congress events set to take place in Wagga Wagga and Sydney. The 16th International Rapeseed Congress (IRC) is jointly organised by GCIRC (Global Council for Innovation in Rapeseed and Canola) and AOF (Australian Oilseeds Federation).

The IRC holds a significant place in the global rapeseed community, convening every four years to advance rapeseed R&D and promote global rapeseed production and utilisation. This event, since its inception in the 1960s, has played a pivotal role in facilitating connections among rapeseed and canola professionals worldwide, fostering innovation, and nurturing valuable relationships within the vast network of rapeseed experts.

Scheduled to run over six days from 22 to 27 September 2023, the Congress will feature a blend of field trips, presentations, and discussions. It will provide unparalleled access to the world’s largest congregation of rapeseed scientists, researchers, and industry experts, offering outstanding engagement opportunities for sponsors and exhibitors.

Pacific Seeds will be actively participating in the major field day event. The Pacific Seeds field day site will spotlight Pacific Seeds’ remarkable journey in canola herbicide technologies, spanning from 2003 to 2023. The demonstration will also highlight Pacific Seeds’ history of canola innovation, including:

Introduction of the world’s first canola hybrid.
Australia’s first triazine tolerant hybrid.
World’s first Roundup Ready® canola + Triazine stacked hybrid (RT®).
Australia’s first Clearfield® Winter hybrid.
Australia’s first TruFlex® canola with Roundup Ready technology hybrid (XX®).
World’s first TruFlex + Triazine stacked hybrid (XT®).
World’s first TruFlex + Clearfield stacked hybrid (XC®).
World’s first Clearfield + Triazine stacked hybrid (CT®).

At the Sydney congress event, Pacific Seeds is an event sponsor and will have a congress stand. Additionally, Pacific Seeds will have a keynote speaking spot featuring Dr. Alison Smith, Principal Research Fellow at the University of Wollongong. Dr. Smith will present on a paper due to be published in early 2024 by Alison Smith, Justin Kudnig (Advanta), Willow Liddle (Advanta), David Tabah, and Brian Cullis on the topic of “Novel statistical design and analysis enabling valid comparisons of canola varieties across herbicide technology types.”

This pioneering research allows for advanced statistical analysis, specifically a Factor Analytic (FA) linear mixed model for MET (multi environment trial) analysis using ASREML with iClasses. iClasses are groups of trials designed to capture patterns of variety by environment interaction. This innovative methodology, developed by the University of Wollongong, provides precise comparisons of all varieties and technologies across various seasons and growing environments throughout Australia. These trial groupings, referred to as “interaction classes” (iClasses), contribute to valuable insights for the industry by enabling comparisons of yield performance across all canola varieties and herbicide technologies in the same trial design.

IRC-2023 promises to bring together scientists and representatives from the global agricultural sector to showcase groundbreaking developments in genetics, breeding, cultivation, plant protection, product quality, compositional analysis, and utilisation across food, feed, and energy sectors.

Pacific Seeds release two canola hybrids bringing new benchmarks to the Australian market

Mon, 03 Jul 2023 22:00:00 GMT

Pacific Seeds new canola hybrids, Hyola Defender CT® and Hyola Continuum CL, provide Australian growers with outstanding yield performance, high disease resistance, elevated oil content, and enhanced weed control flexibility, delivering significant benefits to Integrated Weed Management (IWM) strategies. Both hybrids have shown exceptional performance results in independent industry trials over several years and provide farmers with additional tools for maximising profitability, sustainability and flexibility.

Hyola Defender CT

Featuring dual stacked herbicide tolerance, Defender CT enables growers to apply over-the-top (OTT) applications[1] of Clearfield® and Triazine herbicides[2], with the added advantage of planting into fields with group 2 Imidazolinone (IMI) and group 5 Triazine herbicide soil residues.

A mid-season maturity CT hybrid, Defender CT delivers remarkable grain yield, robust plant vigour and a very high grain oil content. Defender CT performance is closely aligned with the renowned Hyola Blazer TT variety. Defender CT offers uniform flowering, manageable height for direct harvesting and a blackleg rating of “RMR” due to its distinctive tri-group resistance, ADF.

Hyola Continuum CL

Hyola Continuum CL presents growers with remarkable yield performance and enduring blackleg protection. Continuum CL enables growers to apply Clearfield herbicides OTT1, with the added advantage of planting into fields with group 2 Imidazolinone (IMI) soil residues.

An early-mid maturity Clearfield hybrid, Continuum CL provides wide environmental adaptability with excellent grain oil potential. It exhibits strong yields in target environments and demonstrates excellent adaptability to growing regions with a range of 1.25 – 5.5 t/ha. Continuum CL showcases an exceptionally high level of early plant vigour, high lodging resistance, and an outstanding blackleg rating of “R” due to its distinctive tri-group resistance, ADF.

Hyola Defender CT and Hyola Continuum CL will be commercially available in 2024. Please talk to your local Pacific Seeds Territory Manager to learn more about these exciting new products and to discuss seed orders for the 2024 cropping season.

[1] Growers should refer to BASF’s Clearfield stewardship guidelines and the registered product label
[2] Growers should refer to the registered product label

Father-son farming duo achieve remarkable sorghum yield in challenging conditions

Fri, 09 Jun 2023 04:48:00 GMT

Graham and David MacGregor, a father and son farming team near Parkes, have demonstrated their expertise and resilience, achieving exceptional sorghum yields despite facing adverse weather conditions and minimal in-crop rainfall.

Having worked alongside neighbouring farmer Bruce Watson for several years, the MacGregors embraced the opportunity to venture into sorghum cultivation, resulting in remarkable outcomes exceeding expectations.

Determined to make the most of the season, Graham said the father-son duo had to adjust their plans to explore the potential of sorghum when wet weather significantly reduced their intended winter crop area.

“Working with Bruce over the years we have been able to observe some of the great yield results he and his family have been able to achieve in a non-traditional sorghum growing area,” Graham said.

“We commenced the season originally planning to plant 400 hectares of MR Buster, however the season’s unfavourable weather conditions didn’t allow us to get on to our land until November.”

With time constraints and the need for a quicker-maturing variety, the MacGregors made a strategic decision to switch to Viper IG, a new grain variety by Pacific Seeds known for its rapid growth – specifically opting for its quickness rather than its IMI technology.

“The delayed planting meant we had to reduce our intended planting area, planting the sorghum crop at a seeding rate of 2.5kg/ha or 75,000 seeds/ha in early November, which was quickly followed by 75-100mm of unexpected rainfall just two days later, resulting in the crop having to be replanted,” Graham added.

“The quickness of the Viper IG variety meant we were able to replant promptly and mitigate potential yield losses, allowing us to harvest more than two tonnes per hectare with excellent grain quality. A remarkable result considering the crop only received 40mm of total in-crop rainfall, with the highest individual fall measuring 5mm.

“We implemented a comprehensive input management strategy, applying 60kg of monoammonium phosphate (MAP) and 180kg of urea per hectare, in addition to two litres of Atrazine and Duel per hectare to control weeds.”

Graham expressed his confidence in sorghum farming and their plans to continue cultivating the crop in the upcoming season, with the successful experiment serving as a testament to their adaptability in the face of challenging circumstances.

The MacGregor’s remarkable sorghum yield highlights the potential for innovation and resilience in the agricultural industry. Pacific Seeds Viper IG is ideal for dryland, limited soil water cropping scenarios and as a late sorghum option due to its quick maturing.

Traditional Winter Crop Farmers Embrace Grain Sorghum: A Promising Venture Despite Challenging Conditions

Tue, 06 Jun 2023 05:43:00 GMT

Traditional winter crop farmers, Gary and Tom Weston, ventured into grain sorghum for the first time in 2022. Despite facing a wet winter and spring that hindered their usual planting routine, their decision to explore sorghum was guided by their trusted agronomist, David Strahorn from Delta Agribusiness in Dubbo.

“We traditionally grow about 3,600 ha of winter crops, but due to the wet winter/spring we were unable to get everything planted. On the advice of our agronomist David Strahorn from Delta Agribusiness in Dubbo, we decided to plant a paddock of sorghum & David suggested Viper IG as we were looking for a quick variety for our lighter/redder soils” states Gary. On October 29, the Westons used a Boss air seeder on 66 cm row spacing to sow Viper IG at a rate of 3 kg/ha. Unfortunately, within two days of planting, the area received an unexpected 90 mm of rain, leading to compromised germination and soil compaction.

To support the growth of the sorghum crop, the Westons applied 52 kg/ha of MAP and 150 kg/ha of urea. A pre and post-sowing application of a half-rate of Atrazine & Dual Gold was used. The crop also received an insecticide on December 24th, to control a heliothis infestation.

Unfortunately, the weather conditions throughout the season posed significant challenges for the Westons. Following Christmas, the region experienced a severe lack of rainfall, resulting in reduced potential yields. Despite these adversities, the Westons expressed satisfaction with the performance of the Viper IG variety. The crop yielded up to 3.6 t/ha in some areas and averaged 2.0 t/ha overall. Considering the challenging start, which included heavy rainfall soon after planting and insufficient precipitation during grain fill, the results were commendable.

One notable advantage of the Viper IG sorghum variety was its rapid growth, enabling the Westons to complete the entire growing cycle in just four months. Although they did not utilize the igrowth® technology (allowing for over-the-top (OTT) applications of Imidazolinone herbicides), Gary Weston acknowledged its potential as an effective OTT solution. The limited tillering characteristics of the crop played a significant role in withstanding the adverse conditions during the later stages of growth. The crop’s quality was exceptional, with all sorghum harvested classified as sorghum 1 (SOR).

Despite being a less than ideal paddock due to variable soil types, Gary and Tom Weston managed to successfully plant sorghum, thanks to their agronomist’s advice and Viper IG’s adaptability. They were able to capitalize on the high commodity price for sorghum and received $395/t. Their experience serves as an insight for other farmers considering diversifying their crop choices. The Westons’ journey highlights the resilience and potential of grain sorghum cultivation, even in challenging circumstances. With careful planning, appropriate agronomic practice and the selection of suitable varieties, farmers can explore new opportunities and achieve remarkable results.

Anvil CL Plus: A High Yielding Short Season Clearfield Wheat Variety for Dependable Grain Deliveries

Mon, 15 May 2023 13:18:00 GMT

The Anvil CL Plus wheat variety from Pacific Seeds has delivered impressive results for a Western Australian grower, Bill Waters, who manages a mixed farming operation at Murara Farm near Bindi Bindi. Australian Seed & Grain in Moora contracted Bill to grow a 36 ha production crop of Anvil CL Plus in 2022. Anvil CL Plus is ideally suited to the fast finishing, low-medium rainfall areas of WA and provides a robust grain receival package for dependable grain deliveries.

The main challenge for Bill was to find a wheat variety that would be well-suited to the fast finishing, low-medium rainfall areas of WA and provide dependable grain deliveries. He also wanted a variety that would be easy to harvest and have better yields than the previous varieties he had planted.

Anvil CL Plus proved to be the ideal solution, delivering impressive results on his farm. Despite being the last sown crop in a year that typically suits longer season varieties, it was the highest yielding out of the five varieties grown on Bill’s farm.

Anvil CL Plus, is suited to delayed sowing, allowing time for double knock weed control in problem paddocks while still providing high yield potential.

Bill was impressed with the performance of Anvil CL Plus. He found it easy to harvest and achieved harvest yield rates as high as 6.285 t/ha. Overall, the Anvil CL Plus crop delivered 5.4 t/ha with 10.9% protein (1-2% better than the other five cultivated varieties), a hectolitre weight of 81.46 kg/hL and screenings of 2.19%.

Bill was very pleased with the performance of Anvil CL Plus and plans to include it in his future crop rotations. He is keen to see how it performs the second time around.

Anvil CL Plus from Pacific Seeds has proved to be a winner. Its suitability for fast finishing, low-medium rainfall areas of WA and its ability to provide dependable grain deliveries make it an ideal choice for other farmers looking to improve their wheat crop yields.

For more information on Anvil CL Plus and its suitability in WA conditions, please contact Pacific Seeds Territory Manager Steve Lamb on 0429 619 103 .

Pacific Seeds varieties take 1-2-3 at Toowoomba Show

Thu, 27 Apr 2023 07:05:00 GMT

Pacific Seeds’ varieties have dominated the results at the RASQ Toowoomba Show dryland grain sorghum category in 2023. Congratulations to:

1st Place – Kurt Von Pien with Resolute

2nd Place – Michael Hegarty Alcheringa Brookstead with Acclaim

3rd Place – Michael Hegarty Alcheringa Brookstead with MR Bazley

In other crop categories, Pacific Seeds varieties also performed well:

Melvin & Joshua Mengel from Nobby winning third place with PAC804 in the Maize Competition with a yield of 10,527 kg/ha.
Greg & Terry Dalgleish from Dalgliesh Grain & Grazing at Chinchilla winning Reserve Champion in the Field Wheat Competition with LRPB Raider.

What fantastic results for all their hard work over the last season. Please contact Territory Manager Bill Smith for full yield and variety details.

Forage field day a hit with local growers and agros

Fri, 21 Apr 2023 23:32:00 GMT

Pacific Seeds once again joined forces with Melvin and Joshua Mengel to host a forage field day at Nobby in Southern Queensland.

The day brought together more than 50 local agronomists, growers, store representatives and staff to see first-hand how Pacific Seeds forage varieties (new and upcoming) had performed in the local conditions and enabled them direct access to talk to the growers who planted to crops.

Field days like this are an important part of understanding how varieties respond to local conditions and are an excellent opportunity to ask agronomy questions to the experts on hand as well as compare planting approaches and results in real field situations.

Pacific Seeds would like to extend a thank you to Melvin and Joshua Mengel for their continued involvement in the forage field days.

For the full yield results and site report, please contact Pacific Seeds Territory Manager Bill Smith on 0428 718 021 . Photos from the field day are available on the Pacific Seeds Facebook page: www.facebook.com/pacificseedsaus

Pacific Seeds appoints new Managing Director

Thu, 12 Jan 2023 07:08:00 GMT

Advanta Seeds is pleased to announce the appointment of Andrew Short as Managing Director of Advanta’s Australian arm, Pacific Seeds. This appointment took effect from 2 January 2023.

Andrew has been with Pacific Seeds for 12 years, most recently as Marketing Manager where he oversaw business development and technical development functions of the business. Since September 2022 he has also been acting as Interim Managing Director of Pacific Seeds.

Global CEO of Advanta Seeds Bhupen Dubey said, “Over this period, Andrew has clearly demonstrated his leadership qualities, an understanding and appreciation of the wider Advanta business as well as his vision for the Australian business unit. We wish him well with this new opportunity”.

Regarding his appointment, Andrew said “It’s an honour to be appointed as Managing Director; I’m excited by the future of Australian agriculture and Pacific Seeds’ place in it. Since 1962 Pacific Seeds has had a proud history of serving Australian farmers and I look forward to leading our team as we continue to invest in crop research and operational innovation that benefits Australian growers for decades to come.”

Andrew holds a Bachelor of Applied Science (Agronomy) from the University of Queensland, a Diploma of Business from Monash University and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. He is also a director of Australian Crop Breeders Limited and a member of the Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation (QAAFI) Advisory Board.

For more information, please contact:
Shannon Blunt, Marketing & Communications Lead
M: 0418 397 370
E: shannon.blunt@advantaseeds.com

Continuing to set the gold standard in Wheat

Mon, 09 Jan 2023 05:05:00 GMT

Andrew Cosgrove is a 4th generation farmer who certainly knows his stuff. He is based in Mingenew located in the mid-west wheat belt of WA. His family have used Longreach Plant Breeders for many years and now chooses Pacific Seeds.

“One of the biggest challenges we face growing wheat in our area is weed competition,” says Andrew. “We’re trying to get the best yield we can out of our soil types.”

When it comes to risk management on the farm, Andrew recommends using multiple seed varieties. This ensures that you will have a thriving crop regardless of soil type and conditions.

“It’s always good to have a few tools in the box,” adds Andrew.

He suggests looking for yield potential first when selecting wheat seed, and then the grain package and receival standards. Pacific Seeds’ new Anvil CL Plus variety ticks all the boxes.

Andrew Cosgrove with Pacific Seeds Territory Manager Steve Lamb

“Some of the benefits we’ve found in Anvil CL Plus is the ability to use the Clearfield package,” states Andrew. “It seems to have good grain quality and protein and ability to hang on in tough spells – it’s certainly proven itself.”

When it comes to the other varieties in the toolbox, Andrew also recommends Pacific Seeds’ Havoc and Avenger. Their ability to perform in quick season, and on poorer country, have been two of the main benefits.

“When we get a tight finish in the end of late sowing dates, they certainly seem to get the job done,” answers Andrew.

“I would certainly recommend the Avenger and the Anvil CL Plus. They’re a good fit for our growing conditions and area.”

Check out the full testimonial video with Andrew here.

Harvest 2022, Mingenew WA

Safety first and always

Wed, 21 Dec 2022 02:44:00 GMT

Your safety comes first. Its our number one priority, whether you’re a permanent or casual member of our team, a contractor, a visitor, or a grower attending a field day.

Throughout 2022, Pacific Seeds held a series of PacSafe safety activities focusing on worksite and farm practical safety, mental health and process improvements.

Here’s just some of the activities this year:

Safety breaky BBQ chats
Funky shirt safety Fridays
Safety Quizzes
Safe-T morning teas
Safe Work month activities
RUOk? Day activities
Workshops with guest speakers from Sedl and Uvex on how and why we use PPE and correct fitting of ear protection
Safety lunches with guest speakers including Nigel Sanderson
Onsite works to upgrade designated walking and truck transit areas
Free and confidential support through Access EAP
Advanced driver safety training
Regular ergonomic assessments
New healthy snack and fruit options in breakout areas
All-staff practical training in fire response and extinguisher use
Adult and child first aid courses
Partnerships with local stores to install defibrillators in regional communities

Throughout 2023 we look forward to continuing many of these activities as well as introducing some new safety awareness and practical training initiatives.

Hard work pays off for Leo

Wed, 07 Dec 2022 22:03:00 GMT

Congratulations to Leo Boden on graduating from The University of Queensland.

Leo was the recipient of the inaugural 2022 Pacific Seeds Agricultural Scholarship and this month completed his Bachelor of Agribusiness & Sustainable Agriculture.

The $5,000 scholarship is presented to a final year student completing agricultural related studies. Its purpose is to support students with costs associated with their studies such as travel and board and attending agribusiness industry events. It also provides an opportunity for the recipient to meet with Pacific Seeds researchers and take a behind the scenes look at the Toowoomba labs and operations facilities.

We would like to wish Leo all the best for the future as he takes his next step towards a rewarding agribusiness career.

Top image: Leo during his visit to the Pacific Seeds operations in Toowoomba earlier in 2022.

Southern Downs customer support and excellence recognised

Thu, 01 Dec 2022 22:50:00 GMT

An important part of the seed journey to paddock is the experience and advice provided by local stores and agents to growers when selecting their Pacific Seeds varieties.

During December we took time to acknowledge and celebrate excellence in customer service and field support offered by agents and stores across the Southern Darling Downs region. Congratulations to all winners on the night.

Visit the Pacific Seeds Facebook page for the full photo album of winners from the night www.facebook.com/pacificseedsaus

2022 Award Winners

Gold Medal Award – Neil Doyle

Customer Focus Award – Nutrien Ag Solutions

Achiever Award – Varys Brookstead

Field Service Award – Elders Gatton

Excellence in Service Award – CRT Raff Group

Agent Service Award – NFW Group

Grower Focus Award – Pursehouse Rural

Achiever Award – Felton Produce

Outstanding Contribution Award – Elders Toowoomba

Farmer Service Award – Norco Rural Toowoomba

Agent Excellence Award – PB Agrifood

Agent of the Year – Olsens Produce

Trial Co-Operator of the Year – Warren & Kaylene Folker

Farmer of the year – Ted & Kerri Shooter

Pacific Seeds Regional Appointment – Southern WA

Mon, 03 Oct 2022 21:44:00 GMT

Pacific Seeds would like to announce Mila Fotiou as the new Territory Manager for Southern Western Australia.

Mila began in the role on 12 September 2022 and brings more than 10 years of experience working with growers, agents and agronomists in the Ukraine and Australia. She is based Perth and will be regularly travelling across the Southern WA region over the coming months to meet with agents, agronomists and growers and as well as attending a number of local field days.

Mila Fotiou
Territory Sales Manager
Southern Western Australia
Mobile: 0456 899 542
Twitter: @FotiouMila
Email: Mila.fotiou@advantaseeds.com

Pacific Seeds Regional Appointment – Central WA

Thu, 25 Aug 2022 05:21:00 GMT

Pacific Seeds is excited to announce the appointment of Ella McDonald as the new Territory Manager for Central Western Australia.

Ella is your new designated Pacific Seeds sales representative and started with us on 8 August 2022. Ella has previous experience working with growers and agronomists across the Central WA Wheatbelt region helping to maximise productivity through quality products and an understanding of local farming conditions. She is based in Perth and is looking forward to working with you to continue the great service you expect from the Pacific Seeds team.

Ella will be travelling across the region over the coming months to meet with agents, agronomists and growers and will also be attending a number of local field days. In the meantime feel free to contact Ella directly (details below) if you have any questions or to secure your winter and summer crop seed for the seasons ahead.

Contact Ella McDonald
Territory Sales Manager, Central Western Australia
Mobile: 0448 014 892
Email: ella.mcdonald@advantaseeds.com

New next gen hybrid Canola varieties released

Tue, 02 Aug 2022 06:35:00 GMT

Pacific Seeds continues to set the industry standard with the release of two new canola hybrids to market.

Hyola Regiment XC and Hyola Solstice CL offer Australian growers outstanding performance, disease tolerance and Integrated Weed Management (IWM) options.

Hyola Regiment XC

Hyola Regiment XC is the Australia’s newest high-yielding canola hybrid featuring dual herbicide tolerance. It is a mid-season maturity hybrid, that offers growers outstanding grain yield, plant vigour and a very high gain oil content. Regiment XC combines the wider spray window provided by TruFlex® technology with the ability to apply IMI herbicides in-crop or to plant into soils with IMI soil residue.

Regiment XC offers dual herbicide tolerance plus excellent lodging resistance rating, even flowering, manageable height for direct harvesting along with an exceptional blackleg rating of “R” with unique quad group resistance, ADFH.

Hyola Regiment XC is registered for both TruFlex® (Roundup Ready® herbicide with PLANTSHIELD®) and Clearfield® chemicals to be applied separately as per registered labels and rates (Tank-mix registration pending).

Click here for Hyola Regiment XC Product page and Technote

Hyola Solstice CL

Pacific Seeds Canola WA Technical Specialist Andrew Heinrich inspects growth of Hyola Regiment XC as part of 2022 Kojonup WA NVT Canola trials

Solstice CL is registered for Clearfield® chemicals to be applied as per registered labels and rates.

Click here for Hyola Solstice CL Product page and Technote

Both Hyola Solstice CL and Hyola Regiment XC are available in limited volumes in 2023. Please talk to your local Pacific Seeds Territory Manager to learn more.

Hyola Solstice CL offers growers outstanding performance and blackleg protection for their canola season ahead. Solstice CL is a mid-maturity Hyola canola variety offering a wide adaptation combined with excellent grain oil potential. It has strong yields in target environments and is well adapted to the 1.5-5.5t/ha growing regions. Solstice CL has high early plant vigour, high lodging resistance along with an exceptional blackleg rating of “R” with unique quad group resistance, ADFH.

Hyola Solstice CL delivered outstanding performance as part of the 2021 Hyola TD Wallendbeen Innovation Systems Trial

Next generation explores ag career pathways

Fri, 22 Jul 2022 05:57:00 GMT

The Agribusiness industry offers a wide variety of rewarding career paths and opportunities.

Since 2004, the Agforce School to Industry Partnership Program (SIPP) has been a conduit between Queensland primary producing agribusiness and schools (students and educators). The Program delivers a range of events and programs throughout the year for primary students, secondary students, and teachers.

On 19 July 2022, as part of the Program, Pacific Seeds provided participants with a behind the scenes tour and discussion about current and emerging jobs, skill set requirements and opportunities across the industry.

This included roles in fields such as research and development, sales, supply chain, agronomy, warehousing, dispatch, farm management and corporate teams such as marketing, finance, safety, HR and IT.

As part of the tour, the importance of being aware and open to learning about new technologies was discussed including how far the use of drones in agriculture has come over the last five years and their day-to-day use on Pacific Seeds research and breeding farms.

Another topic of interest was how careers in agribusiness can easily pivot and there were many opportunities to learn practical skills as well as to develop as a leader.

To learn more about the Agforce School to Industry Partnership Program (SIPP) visit the Agforce website.

www.agforceqld.org.au/knowledgebase/article/AGF-01158/

Photos by Agforce SIPP taken at the Pacific Seeds Toowoomba precinct.

Pacific Seeds New Regional Appointment

Sun, 03 Jul 2022 23:29:00 GMT

4 July 2022

Pacific Seeds is excited to announce the appointment of Dan Rolls as the new Territory Manager for Central, East and Western Districts of Victoria.

Dan has more than 15 years of experience working with growers and agronomists across the region helping to maximise productivity through quality products, precision agricultural technology and an understanding of local farming conditions.

He and his family are based in Ballarat and he is looking forward to working with you to continue the great service you expect from the Pacific Seeds team.

Dan will be travelling across the region over the coming months to meet with agents, agronomists and growers and will also be attending a number of local field days. Please reach out to Dan if you have any questions or to secure your winter and summer crop seed for the season ahead.

Contact Dan Rolls
Territory Sales Manager – Central, East & Western Districts Victoria
Mobile: 0417 756 151
Email: Daniel.Rolls@advantaseeds.com

New TT hybrid yields reach impressive levels for Northam grower

Tue, 26 Apr 2022 02:15:00 GMT

Pacific Seed’s new canola hybrid Hyola Blazer TT has proved a winning combination for a Northam, WA grower seeking greater flexibility, weed suppression and enhanced performance for their cropping program.

Local Senior Agronomist, Cameron Smith conducted a large commercial scale evaluation to discover a new TT canola variety that would best suit the Northam growing region and capture recent hybrid TT technology advances in top-end yield potential, competitive with RR technology.

Pacific Seeds Territory Manager Steve Lamb recommended the new Hyola Blazer TT.

“Hyola Blazer TT is a great solution, I knew they were looking for a higher yielding TT Hybrid variety that would complete a local grower’s existing Canola program, an alternative to the other Hybrids or OP TT’s”, said Mr Lamb.

Pacific Seeds released Hyola Blazer TT to the Australian market in 2021. It is the first of the next generation triazine tolerant (TT) canola hybrids offering significantly high yields, wider adaptation and an excellent triple-gene blackleg “R” rating. With an enhanced early vigour, it provides the opportunity for higher weed suppression and IWM value propositions compared to all OP TT and most hybrid TT varieties currently on the market.

Whilst planted later in season than originally planned, on 5 May, the grower noted the early vigour of Hyola Blazer TT had provided excellent levels of weed suppression, which was expected to be a challenge, as the paddock previously had cereals for the past two years and experienced semi-drought conditions in 2021.

Paddock nutrition applied was approximately 14P 12K and 110N. Standard district practice for Pre-emergent and in-crop herbicides was used but, whilst originally planned, fungicide for sclerotinia was not applied due to conditions being too wet for paddock trafficability and a lack of plane availability. Luckily, crop infection causing a yield penalty did not occur in the paddock.

Hyola Blazer TT delivered good operational harvestability and an impressive average yield of 2.34T/Ha, with 47-48% oil on average. At times, the header measured as high as 3.76T/Ha readings at its peak. This demonstrated that new higher yielding TT genetics played an important role, as Hyola Blazer TT out-yielded adjacent RR varieties, even though it had been sown two weeks later in the season.

“The Blazer exceeded my expectations based on sowing time and was comparable to RR and the benchmark TT varieties grown in the area in 2021. We also had no issues with blackleg in a high pressure year which showed up as an issue in the area with some other varieties.” said Mr Smith.

The grower will be planting Hyola Blazer TT as his hybrid TT of choice in 2022 and Senior Agronomist Mr Smith has already secured more seed for additional plantings of the variety in the area.

For more information, please contact Pacific Seeds Territory Manager Steve Lamb on 0429 619 103.

Top Photo: Agronomist Cameron Smith inspects the early growth of Pacific Seeds Blazer TT near Northam in Western Australia.

Somerton sorghum grower Will Chaffey hopeful in season's prospects

Thu, 20 Jan 2022 05:56:34 GMT

The Original article and photos by Billy Jupp, The Land (Published 21 January 2022)

When Will Chaffey had to wait until August last year to harvest his summer sorghum crop, he promised his wife, Lil, he would never plant as late as he did in 2021, ever again.

Living up to his promise, the Somerton grower planted his crop of Pacific Seeds MR-Bazley sorghum on October 20 instead of early January like last year and the move is shaping up to be a masterstroke.

“We had sorghum in this same paddock last summer and to be honest, it ended up being a bit of a headache for us because we planted it on January 1, which, coupled with having such a wet year, meant we had to wait until mid-August to get it off,” Mr Chaffey said.

“Along with the mouse plague, feral pigs and even birds having a go at it, it was difficult to see it go from maybe a six tonne per hectare crop down to maybe four-and-a-half or five.

“I told my wife Lil that if I didn’t have it planted by early October (this year) I wouldn’t bother and while I may have missed that deadline, I think how well it’s going should hopefully make it worth it.”

Despite already having received 320 millimeters of rain since planting, Mr Chaffey said he was confident the crop would still be ready for harvest in four to six weeks.

“The amount of rain the crop’s had meant the ball was very much in our court and if something was going to go wrong it would be our fault, not the plant’s,” he said.

“Since we’ve sown it, there hasn’t really been any signs of moisture stress at all, which has been nice.

“To be honest, we have almost forgotten about it a few times with the winter harvest dragging on for three or four months, so it hasn’t been at the forefront of our mind all the time.”

As well offering up a lesson in when to plant his summer crops, Mr Chaffey said 2021 had highlighted the benefits of his family’s mixed-enterprise operation, which also includes winter cropping, sheep and cattle.

“Even though our winter crops were downgraded due to the spring rain it was kind of nice to see that it was doing something positive and helping the sorghum boom,” he said.

“The other thing it has taught me is that planting it earlier is probably the better way to go, because we saw last year it can be a bit of a headache if you opt to plant it later.”

Mr Chaffey’s agronomist, Alice Bowler, AMPS, Tamworth, said crops across the North West were shaping up well.

“There was a fair bit of early-sown crops that have got away fairly well and rain is falling as those crops are flowering, which should hopefully secure some pretty decent yields,” she said.

“I don’t like to predict too much, but I think there will probably be a lot of 7t/ha crops around and some that may go bigger.”

New pre-breeding co-investment to tackle sorghum lodging

Wed, 19 Jan 2022 05:56:34 GMT

JOINT MEDIA RELEASE

A new $11.6 million, five-and-a-half-year joint investment is aiming to address lodging in sorghum – an issue that is consistently rated as the most significant concern facing Australian sorghum growers and costing on average $12 million worth in yield loss annually.

This strategic investment aims to de-couple the relationship between height, yield and lodging to increase the water-limited yield potential of sorghum, reducing grain-fill yield loss by 25 per cent. The knowledge and techniques developed will allow breeders to chase yield harder without greater lodging risk.

The investment comprises in-kind and cash investment between Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC), global commercial partner Advanta Seeds and trusted long-term partners University of Queensland (UQ) and the Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (DAF).

UQ researcher Professor David Jordan will lead the project with grain grower investment through GRDC, and UQ and DAFQ’s world-leading expertise in sorghum research combining with Advanta’s industry expertise and global scale.

Ultimately, this pre-breeding research seeks to provide commercial sorghum breeders with the tools and germplasm to rapidly deploy pre-breeding outputs to growers, fast-tracking the path to market.
GRDC Business Partnering Manager, Brett Ford said the research partnership follows extensive engagement with growers, advisers, researchers, and industry about what they see as a key priority for investment.

“Lodging was clearly that issue that mattered most, to improve yields and yield stability,” Dr Ford said.

“This co-investment is the sweet spot for effective research and development, with an outstanding combination of resources in grain research and commercialisation. Each partner has ‘skin in the game’, contributing expertise and financial support to the investment.

“GRDC’s aim as strategic investor is to support research unique to the Australian grain industry. This collaboration will improve the accuracy and speed of sorghum pre-breeding, supporting faster
commercialisation of innovation right here in Australia – and levy payers are set to benefit.”

Minister for Agricultural Industry Development, Fisheries and Rural Communities Mark Furner said the coinvestment was another way the State Government could support sorghum growers, and agriculture in Queensland.

“We have a long history of working closely with GRDC and UQ and we welcome the opportunity to work with commercial partner Advanta Seeds, tapping into this global expertise,” Minister Furner said.
“Sorghum is an important crop for the state and we’re looking forward to addressing this considerable constraint on yields through this pioneering pre-breeding program.”

Professor David Jordan said the UQ team looked forward to working with the partners to continue to lead the way on global sorghum research and development.

“In this project we are bringing together Australia’s leading sorghum research expertise with the capacity of global industry innovator, Advanta Seeds,” Professor Jordan said.

“As part of this project, we will investigate and introduce methodology that will establish consistent, robust and replicable methods that induce lodging, testing stem composition and structure – which has never been done anywhere in the world.

“We’ll assess diverse sorghum populations to identify the key genes and genetic locations associated with reduced propensity, to lodge and draw on this knowledge, so that we can create advanced genomic tools that enable breeders to develop high yielding hybrids quickly and efficiently to tackle the issue.

“We have had a longstanding track record of delivering significant value for sorghum growers over many decades, and this five-year investment will ensure this work will continue.

“While there are no guarantees in research, it’s exciting to think what we can achieve together.”

Advanta Seeds Australia Managing Director Barry Croker said Advanta Seeds was focused on continual improvements to crop performance and grower profitability.

“The business is a significant player in the global sorghum market and at a local, Australian level we have a long, proud history of developing locally adapted, leading sorghum hybrids under the Pacific Seeds brand.,” Mr Croker said.

“This investment demonstrates our further commitment to Australia’s sorghum industry and ensuring it continues to prosper long into the future.”

While Advanta Seeds has a 12-month embargo on releasing results as part of the partnership, all traits will be publicly released (unless all discoveries come exclusively from Advanta germplasm).

Sorghum is the fifth-largest grain globally in terms of volume. As a nation, Australia produced roughly 20 per cent of volumes produced by the USA (the largest producer), making us a significant but medium size player on the global stage.

Dr Ford said the joint research project would put Australia at the centre of global sorghum pre-breeding research and would allow commercial breeders to rapidly deploy pre-breeding outputs.

“The collaboration creates a multi-win situation and Australia’s sorghum growers should benefit most directly and tangibly from the agreement,” he said.

Professor David Jordan inspects sorghum near Warwick, Southern Queensland

Supporting students to pursue rewarding careers in Agriculture

Wed, 08 Dec 2021 05:56:34 GMT

Students at The University of Queensland will soon be able to apply for a new $5,000 Pacific Seeds Scholarship to assist with their final year agricultural studies.

Barry Croker, Managing Director Pacific Seeds said the new scholarship would help to encourage young people to enter the agricultural industry and assist farming families with the costs associated with tertiary education.

“The federal government has set an ambitious goal to increase the farm gate value of Australia’s agricultural industry to $100 billion by 2030. In order to achieve this and continue the growth further on from 2030, it is vital we continue to encourage students to pursue the many diverse careers paths offered in Australian ag. This is one small way of contributing to this,” said Mr Croker.

“We want students to maximise their final year opportunities, so they have the right skills, practical experience and networks to support their careers and establish them as future industry leaders.”

Professor Mark Turner, Deputy Head of School for UQ’s School of Agriculture and Food Sciences, said that the school was extremely grateful for the support of Pacific Seeds.

“Agriculture is – and will continue to be – a critical area for the future and there is a need for more graduates who can deliver innovations and solutions across a wide spectrum of the agricultural industry.”

“This great scholarship will help entice and support future leaders in agricultural science.”

Applications open in February for University of Queensland students entering their final year of agricultural related studies in 2022. More information including full submission process will be released by the University of Queensland via their website in January.

PAST RECIPIENTS

2022 – Leo Boden

Image supplied by University of Queensland

East and West Coast growers to benefit from new wheat variety releases

Tue, 19 Oct 2021 05:56:34 GMT

Pacific Seeds has released two new exciting wheat varieties to the market.

Bred by LongReach Plant Breeders and marketed by Pacific Seeds, LRPB Raider and LRPB Avenger are already proving a popular choice for next season.

Pacific Seeds Marketing Manager Andrew Short said each variety had been developed, tested and extensively trialed to solve a key challenge faced by growers on both the East and West Coasts of Australia.

“In Western Australia, we saw a real need for a tough wheat variety that would thrive in challenging marginal regions,” said Mr Short.

“The new LRPB Avenger is a battle-ready variety suitable for just that, offering a tough yield and excellent grain receival package.”

LRPB Avenger is a quick spring variety for main season planting and has an APW(N) classification. With a sought-after medium-long coleoptile length, LRPB Avenger delivers a tough and reliable solution for growers in the marginal wheat growing areas of Western Australia.

Farmers in New South Wales and Queensland also have the new variety LRPB Raider offering greater flexibility in sowing windows without compromising on relative yield performance.

“LRPB Raider is an APH wheat variety developed specifically as slow-spring option suitable for Early-Mid season planting,” said Mr Short.

“As a high yielding variety, Raider also provides growers stable yield performance across a wider sowing window plus it offers a secure disease and grain package for all environments.”

“Raider provides growers with greater flexibility without compromising on yield performance.”

LRPB Raider has a shorter plant height with the ability to quicken in cooler environments and seasons, while retaining LRPB Lancer’s high tillering growth style and LRPB Reliant’s ability to finish the season off fast.

Both LRPB Avenger and LRPB Raider are available for order now through your local trusted rural retailer. For more information contact your local Pacific Seeds Territory Manager.

Innovation underpins yield improvements in canola

Wed, 29 Sep 2021 05:56:34 GMT

Weathering global disruptions created by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic alongside the local impacts of drought and bushfires, Australia’s $66 billion agricultural industry has been one of the economy’s standout performers.

A testament to the industry’s ability to adapt and transition to new opportunities, growers have found themselves exploring new innovations for more efficient use of inputs, with many looking to capitalise on innovative seed varieties.

Following a particularly dry season in mid-2020 and resulting weed management issues, Wimmera Southern farmer Les Dunn’s canola crops were suffering, so he turned to Pacific Seeds’ latest dual hybrid stacked technology – Hyola Enforcer CT.

“We had some really dry months in June and July, which are two extremely critical months for us, and our yields suffered from that, particularly our canola,” Mr Dunn said.

“We trialled one bag of the new Enforcer CT beside the older variety of the CT hybrid, and saw a noticeable yield improvement – probably a 10 per cent improvement from the new hybrid.

“We really appreciate the flexibility of the system in combining the new Enforcer CT with the older CT.”

The Hyola Enforcer CT is the first in new generation of Clearfield® + Triazine dual herbicide tolerant canola hybrids and has been specifically designed for integrated weed management and Group B imidazolinone (IMI) residues in drier seasons.

“Last year, we were in a losing battle with one of our paddocks which had severe marshmallow weed management issues and that was what originally motivated us to trial Enforcer CT,” he said.

“The qualities of the new Enforcer CT really allowed us to make big headway with the severe paddock case of marshmallow.”

Pacific Seed’s canola hybrids have the core fundamentals of yield reliability, dual herbicide tolerance and high oil capacity and have been developed to make many growers seasonal cropping programs more flexible and profitable.

However, the Hyola Enforcer CT offers particularly strong yields in target environments and is well adapted to large growing regions.

“There’s a big difference between the two hybrids in maturity – the Enforcer CT matured faster all the way through the yield process and was ready to harvest sooner than the older dual tolerant hybrid.

“We have been impressed by the flexibility of the Enforcer CT so we’re growing two hundred and forty odd hectares of it – it will be a fair percentage of our canola growing this year.”

Made of tough stuff - sorghum takes the prize despite dry conditions

Wed, 29 Sep 2021 05:56:34 GMT

With the variable Australian environment regularly putting growers through their paces, cropping farms are perennially on the hunt for a reliable variety to use during tough conditions.

While there is a number of active management techniques that can help mitigate climate risk, the benefits of sturdier products are clear, with seed providers like Pacific Seeds producing varieties that can withstand increasingly harsh environments.

Allora-based grower David Peters and his wife Tanya Peters said that after first using Pacific Seeds’ sorghum MR-Bazley over four years ago at their property “Hillcrest”, that the product has become their ‘true and known’ all-rounder product, and they’ve been using it ever since.

“We recently planted MR-Bazley into two-year long fallow ground after corn, and at the time the conditions were extremely dry,” said Mr Peters.

“Thankfully, it rained at just the right time, and the resulting yield came out at just a bit over 10 tonne per hectare – we were thrilled. MR-Bazley stood up really well, it’s not prone to lodging – like a lot of other varieties might be.

“MR-Bazley is a medium-quick maturity grain sorghum that provides growers with reliability in all situations. The ideal option for all dryland environments and double cropping scenarios, growers looking for a reliable performer have found great results with MR-Bazley.

“It’s really just a good all-rounder. What we like about it is that during a tough season it will tough it out well. So it’s good for both growth ends, it will perform during harsher periods and if conditions are good, it will result in a great yield.”

David Peters

In addition to Pacific Seeds all-rounder products like MR-Bazley, growers are also singing praises for sorghum products the company has released – like the new hybrid Resolute.

Resolute incorporates the latest Pacific Seeds genetics to reward growers with high yields and quality across seasons. It also has the stress tolerance that can weather the toughest of conditions.

“We’re still keen to try other varieties as well and the new options as they come out, we’re eager to try out Pacific Seeds’ Resolute,” said Mr Peters.

“We’re yet to have a crack at this product, but the trial data I’ve seen is really promising and especially now after seeing it at Foundation Farm.

In late 2019, Pacific Seeds launched Foundation Farm – new farming innovation hub on the Darling Downs in Southern Queensland. The farm has been established to facilitate the testing and proving of new technologies prior to their implementation on farms across Australia.

“It’s fantastic having Foundation Farm so close to home, you get to see the newest varieties being grown and get a feel for how those products could work for the area’s soil and weather conditions.

“On the sorghum front; my belief is that Pacific Seeds are certainly industry leaders. They’ve pretty much set the benchmark for seed companies – I don’t know any other brands that can match them when it comes to sorghum.

David Peters Hillcrest Allora (left) discussing dryland grain sorghums at the Pacific Seeds Foundation Farm at Allora with Brendan Taylor and Cameron Parker

Growers seek solutions to increasingly dry conditions

Wed, 29 Sep 2021 05:56:34 GMT

As growers continue to contest with unpredictable weather, it appears that cropping farms are amongst those hit the hardest, with ABARES research showing that an observed shift to hotter and drier conditions has hurt growers’ bottom line.

These losses in dry years are driven by large reductions in crop output, due to lower crop yields and area planted, with farmers looking to mitigate this risk by adopting new seed technology.

With farming deeply imbedded in his history, Norwin Queensland-based grower Arnold Peters has experienced his fair share of turbulent weather, and recently shared his experience with one of Pacific Seed’s new wheat product – Hellfire – noting how the product stood up to dry conditions.

“The last three years have been the driest and toughest years I have experienced since I started farming – we have really had to compete with the drought,” Mr Peters said.

“In 2019, we trialled Hellfire on a small paddock of dry land and grew it under irrigation, and it did exceptionally well in the dry weather.

“The next year, we wanted to see how much seed production we could generate, so we put about a third of our country in Hellfire and it jumped out of the ground and got away.

“We’ve been so happy with this variety, so we’re going to use about 100 per cent going forward.”

Arnold participated in the Pacific Seeds Hellfire trials, before the product was commercially released, and has been using it ever since.

“We decided to trial Hellfire for the first time three years ago, before it went to market, and we’ve been multiplying our seed supply during that time,” he said.

Hellfire is a high protein wheat variety, with a combination of large grain, high protein and low screenings which has made it a standout to growers. Hellfire combines an APH classification with a 11 per cent yield increase over Pacific Seeds’ older product Spitfire.

“We’ve also grown Spitfire in the past and have been pleased with the results, but for our conditions we find that Hellfire has had a greater yield.

“The wheat has been excellent and protein levels have been really high with Hellfire,” he said.

“We’ve had three years of extreme drought here and just had a break in the weather in the last two months, meaning we have decent subsoil to look forward to for our Hellfire crops.

“Our experience has been really positive with Hellfire and I’ve already recommended it to a number of growers.”

Steven Ruddy and Chris Gillam (Pacific Seeds) in Hellfire wheat, a new variety providing farmers more choice in their crop rotations.

[1] ABARES, Jan 2021, The effects of drought and climate variability on Australian farms

Canola hybrids bolster strong outcomes in face of global demand

Wed, 29 Sep 2021 05:56:34 GMT

As global demand for oilseed outstrips supply, Aussie farmers are turning to new hybrids for greater flexibility, increased yields, and excellent weed control using multiple modes of action in order to meet the rising pressure for canola products.

Australia is the world’s second largest exporter of canola seed, with canola production estimated to increase by 74 per cent in 2020-2021, due to growing demand for vegetable oils [1] .

Following above average summer rainfall in 2020, farmers like Gerald Bardell – located just west of Horsham, Victoria – were hoping to take full advantage of favourable weather by using innovative hybrids like Hyola Enforcer CT – Pacific Seeds’ newest non-GM dual stacked canola hybrid.

“What’s really important for us is weed control and the dual stack technology of the Enforcer CT allows us to utilise the triazines, as well as imi chemistry into our rotation,” Mr Bardell said.

“We are able to get pre and post emergent weed control by using Sentry, a Group B herbicide and the Triazine chemistry, a Group C herbicide.”

Canola is highly susceptible to weed competition during the early stages of growth, requiring an integrated weed management (IWM) program to minimise weed-seed set and contamination that can ultimately reduce grain quality.

“We have a five-year rotation where we have a brown manure phase in the first year and then plant a Clearfield and Triazine dual tolerant variety of canola the next year, to utilise all the stored moisture that’s there,” Mr Bardell said.

“This achieves a two-year break before we plant barley and that two-year break – with different modes of action herbicide, introducing the Enforcer CT, the stacked herbicide traits – has really helped us control problem weeds.

“The Sentry IBS in a dry sowing situation and then the Triazine weed control option early post emergent in canola has definitely worked for us.”

Pacific Seeds’ Hyola branded varieties include the world’s first Clearfield® + Triazine dual herbicide tolerant canola hybrid and has been developed to make growers seasonal cropping programs more flexible and profitable, providing additional protection against chemical carryover from previous crops.

With the core fundamentals of yield reliability, dual herbicide tolerance and high oil capability, the Hyola Enforcer CT hybrid is also a great tool for IWM and managing both Group B imidazolinone (IMI) and Sulfonylureas (SU’s) residues in drier seasons.

“With the Enforcer CT, I found it had more vigor earlier on than the previous 580 CT, which was really useful when it came to weed control thanks to increased crop competition,” Mr Bardell said.

“We’re really happy with how the season went and plan to move entirely to Enforcer CT this year, while keeping the diversity in our rotation to maximise weed control.”

[1] Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment. (2021). Oilseeds: March quarter 2021. https://www.agriculture.gov.au/abares/research-topics/agricultural-outlook/oilseeds

Sorghum yields bolstered by all-rounder crop

Wed, 29 Sep 2021 05:56:34 GMT

With the variable Aust ralian environment regularly putting growers through their paces, cropping farms are perennially on the hunt for a reliable variety to use during tough conditions.

“We recently planted MR-Bazley into two-year long fallow ground after corn, and at the time the conditions were extremely dry,” said Mr Peters.

David Peters

In addition to Pacific Seeds all-rounder products like MR-Bazley, growers are also singing praises for sorghum products the company has released – like the new hybrid Resolute.

Resolute incorporates the latest Pacific Seeds genetics to reward growers with high yields and quality across seasons. It also has the stress tolerance that can weather the toughest of conditions.

“We’re still keen to try other varieties as well and the new options as they come out, we’re eager to try out Pacific Seeds’ Resolute,” said Mr Peters.

“We’re yet to have a crack at this product, but the trial data I’ve seen is really promising and especially now after seeing it at Foundation Farm.

David Peters Hillcrest Allora (left) discussing dryland grain sorghums at the Pacific Seeds Foundation Farm at Allora with Brendan Taylor and Cameron Parker

Three decades of grower confidence for fourth generation grower

Tue, 28 Sep 2021 05:56:34 GMT

For many Australian farmers, their family history is deeply rooted in the agricultural industry, with generations of growers before them laying the foundations for the successful businesses still running today.

Darling Downs-based grower Melvin Mengel is a fourth generation farmer and currently runs a property at Nobby with his son Josh Mengel – a fifth generation farmer.

Mr Mengel said that agriculture runs in his blood, and he can trace his vocation back to the late 1800’s when his family first settled in Australia, and that the family has remained on the same property his ancestors farmed those many years ago.

“I’ve been in the industry for my whole life and it’s great that I can pass this down to my son Josh, and even my grandson Cameron, who is only 11 years old mind you, loves taking part – he has his own tractor and I think it’s safe to say he’ll be a sixth generation farmer,” said Mr Mengel.

L-R: Melvin Mengel and Josh Mengel

“We’ve been working with Pacific Seeds for 30 odd years – they look out for us, their products are reliable, and we know they work well for our property.

“Over that time we’ve taken part in a number of corn, forage sorghum, oat, and wheat trials for a range of different Pacific Seeds products, and event recently we’ve been trialling a few new products that aren’t commercially sold yet and the yields were really impressive.

“So it’s good to see that after 30 years of working with Pacific Seeds, they’re continuing to produce products that raise the bar every time.

Our family history is really important to us and along the way we’ve developed some strong relationships with our community here and with the businesses we work with.

Melvin Mengel

Melvin is a well-known hay specialist in the area and over his career has honed growing techniques that help him achieve great results.

“When it comes to our forage sorghum, we usually plant about 10kg per hectare and then cut it at about shoulder height to achieve greater protein levels, which ultimately helps with milk supply and fattening up the cattle,” said Mr Mengel.

“The main Pacific Seeds’ products we use are Sprint and BMR Rocket for hay production, Octane for paddock grazing, and Sugargraze, which is more of a silage one or grazing one because it gets a big stem.

“In our most recent crop, the protein levels were really high and it had great sugar content and that’s a great result – we know what we’re using or selling for feed is top quality.

“We grow hay for a farm just up the road, one of the last dairy farmers left in the area. He always says to me that the right feed is a crucial part of his process. We know that the Pacific Seeds products we grow offer the quality he’s after.

Even when faced with tough conditions, Mr Mengel said he is always impressed with how the Pacific Seeds products perform.

“Last year we planted our forage sorghum quite late in March because of the dry weather and were then faced with a bit of frost in May – but after even planting the forage sorghum that late in the season and under those conditions I was pretty happy with the result,” said Mr Mengel.

“I know a few others who planted late and their crop didn’t make it, so it speaks to the quality of Pacific Seeds that we got some sort of yield.

“When we submitted our data as part of the trial, even though it wasn’t our best result, we thought it spoke volumes about the products being able to perform during extremely tough conditions.

“The Pacific Seeds products came through for us, and we were still able to produce crop for feed – which is all you can ask for when battling the elements.

“Then on the other side of the coin, when the conditions are good, I know to expect an excellent outcome.

“It will be great to see what comes of the next 30 years of working with Pacific Seeds.

Merinos benefit from Hyola 970CL canola solution

Tue, 28 Sep 2021 05:56:34 GMT

High altitude and high rainfall country at Barry, south of Blayney has gone against the traditional trend in that farming is proving more popular than grazing.

Brett and Jasmine Ryan are growing dual purpose wheats and winter canolas and grazing them with opportunity trade merino wethers. Chickpeas are also grown over the spring-summer with planting occurring the first week of November.

“Our primary business is growing grain with longer season cultivars of wheat and canola but we also have the opportunity to fatten merino wethers for a few months on these crops.”

“Due to our milder & longer spring here we have the potential to grow up to 10 t/ha from our wheat with a long term average of 6.5t/ha and up to 4-5 t/ha from our canola, even after grazing.

“Before our consultant/agronomist Ben Romeo introduced us to the winter canola variety Hyola 970CL, we were unable to grow normal canola as a viable crop as it would not cabbage up in our cold winters. But since switching to the winter canola our whole dynamics have changed and they are now a very important part of our cropping program.

“This season we planted 36 ha of Hyola 970CL on 26 April at 4kg/ha and received at planting 100 kg/ha of MAP. 2 applications of urea were applied during the season, 1 June at 100 kg/ha and a further 150 kg/ha in August.

“One 20 ha paddock of Hyola 970CL ran 700 merino wethers from mid-June through to 15 August which equates to 35 head/ha for 8 weeks.

“We have also planted another winter canola from another supplier but Hyola 970CL has left it for dead this season both for vigour out of the ground and grain recovery after grazing.

“What I like about Hyola 970CL in my environment is it’s planting time flexibility. If we get the opportunity to plant early in February right through to the end of March it gives us the opportunity to graze for several months with trade wethers until we hit the winter stall (middle of June till the end of August). However, if planting is delayed we are still comfortable in planting from the middle of April till the middle of May if we are just taking it through to grain. Our altitude and later and longer spring allows us that luxury to do so, there has to be some trade off for our very cold winter, Brett said.

Finally Brett said, you will not get a much bigger of an advocate than myself on Hyola 970CL as it has really opened up my cropping & for that matter grazing options for me here on the Central Tablelands.

Pacific Seeds' summer products fit the bill

Tue, 28 Sep 2021 05:00:21 GMT

As Aussie growers contest with wildly unique seasonal conditions and environments from state to state, seed producers are met with the challenge of not only creating products that can meet increasing needs for flexibility and adaptability, but that also ensure competitive yield outcomes.

Particularly during tougher Summer seasons, growers are constantly on the hunt for products that work well under pressure, and Canowindra-based growers the Morrow family believe they have found the products that fit the bill.

Originally dairy farmers on the Southern Highlands near Robertson, Phil and Sue Morrow sold off their herd in the 90’s looking to make a change within the Ag industry and to find a bigger farm for their growing family.

The family acquired the property ‘The Rivers’ on the Lachlan river, with the aim to grow fodder crops as well as running stock.

The dominant summer crop grown for silage for use in dairy is corn, and Phil’s son Stuart Morrow said ever since PAC 624 has been released it has been the family’s dominant variety.

“You could easily believe that Pacific Seeds products are tailor made just for our operation as they suit our program so well,” Mr Morrow said.

“We continue to have extremely good and consistent results with PAC 624 and this last season was probably our best result, achieving 83 tonne per hectare of green chop, and harvesting it at about 65 per cent moisture.”

PAC 624 is considered the corn yield king, producing high volumes of quality silage and grain – offering growers large girthy cobs, high yield potential, better quality (starch) silage and grain, and more profit.

“We planted on the higher side at 82,000 seeds per hectare in early November and as a result our starch per cent is not quite as high as crops grown at 70-75,000 per hectare,” Mr Morrow said.

“This last season we also planted later corn just before Christmas and chose Pacific Seeds’ PAC 606IT due to it being a bit quicker, renowned for its good grain and starch content, and for the IT gene component.

“The paddock was coming out of a winter cereal rotation taken through to grain and we were concerned there may have been some volunteers. This made the IT gene really necessary, and we also made a point of spraying it with Lightning®.

PAC 606IT is a tough, 114CRM corn hybrid suited to both dryland and irrigation situations. With high disease resistance and the Imidazolinone-tolerant (IT) trait, PAC 606IT offers growers reliability and added grass weed control options.

“The end result was 68 tonne per hectare of green chop which we were very impressed with considering it was double cropped out of barley and planted late,” Mr Morrow said.

With dairying still very much in their veins, the family decided to purchase a second property on the other side of Canowindra, which consists of 680 milking Holsteins and is run by Phil and Sue’s daughter Linda and her partner Jamie.

While the original home property “The Rivers” remains a fodder factory for the dairy, Stuart Morrow said that grazing crops are also grown to fatten trade lambs, Wagyu, and Holstein.

“For summer forage we cannot go past BMR Octane, we have been growing it for years and it just works for us and fits into our operation perfectly for both the lambs and young cattle,” Mr Morrow said.

BMR Octane is a premium quality forage sorghum with higher metabolisable energy and palatability, making it ideal for grazing, hay, or silage.

The hybrid is a proven performer with the added advantage of the BMR trait. BMR means the leaves and stems of the plants have lower lignin content, providing greater palatability, digestibility plus higher energy content – all leading to higher animal productivity.

“We grow it both under irrigation and dryland and it performs year in year out. In fact, we were still grazing it up until the recent frosts in the middle of May .

One crop, two income streams

Fri, 17 Sep 2021 05:56:34 GMT

The research and development of seed technology is constantly creating new avenues for growers to maximise their profits.

A recent example of this is the significant uptake of graze ‘n’ grain canola across Australia.

The Pacific Seeds range not only boasts Clearfield® herbicide tolerance, but offers growers an exceptional grazing option and high grain production.

Craig Farlow, Elders Rural tech services manager for Victoria and the Riverina, has been particularly impressed with the dual-stream potential for mixed-cropping enterprises.

“Canola growing prices are above average, upwards of $800 a ton. But we’ve also got high livestock prices, particularly for fat lambs,” Craig said.

“So where we’ve got the dual-purpose cropping options for those mixed farming operations, we’re seeing sort of game-changing gross margins coming out of the paddocks that growers are both grazing, getting a grazing off those paddocks early in the season, and then locking them up for growing,”

Why winter graze ‘n’ grain canola is a win-win.

“Last year with the cool mild finish we saw paddocks yielding in excess of four tons to the hectare. And we had that Australian record crop yielding upwards of seven tons a hectare. So tremendous income earning capability, profitability for growers.”

Grazing has also proven to maximise returns. Glen Barnett, from Derby in Central Victoria, grows wheat, barley, canola and legume and runs 1,000 ewes with lambs at foot.

“I was chasing a variety that would suit my enterprise – a dual-purpose enterprise.” he stated, “and to be able to fill that feed gap for the ewes and lambs in the autumn.”

Glen grows Hyola Feast CL – an early maturing graze ‘n’ grain winter hybrid.

“So the overall benefit of Feast is to maximise every acre that I’ve got for the livestock that I run.

I generally grow Kittyhawk wheat. It’s never quite ready to graze, and Feast fills that gap. It comes in a month earlier and you can bounce from one to the other.”

Glen’s seen impressive weight gains, with young lambs putting on 300-310 grams a day – up from 220 grams when the ewe’s just on grain. He also noted that ewed maintain their weight while the lamb’s on them.

Gaze ‘n’ grain is being planted across all of Australia’s canola regions. Elders Agronomist Josh McLeod, based in Central Victoria, sees the Pacific Seeds range – Hyola 970CL and Hyola Feast CL – as a good fit for the area.

“With the 970 or the Feast canola, it gives the growers a bit more opportunity to spell pasture paddocks or other grazing crops while they’ve got their livestock on these grazing canolas,” he noted.

“It offers growers a lot more flexibility with sowing windows and it’s still very much an opportunistic crop in the area, but there’s huge gains to be made with gross margins per hectare growing these varieties for mixed farmers.”

To find out more about the impressive versatility and potential returns that Pacific Seeds’s graze ‘n’ grain hybrids offer, visit pacificseeds.com.au/canola-stacked .

An expert in their field

Fri, 17 Sep 2021 05:56:34 GMT

Agricultural advances help keep Australian growers on the front foot. But, like with any new technology, it takes expertise and advice to know how to make the most of it.

Here’s what agronomists have to say about the new additions to the Pacific Seeds Hyola Canola range.

Craig Farlow is the Elders Rural tech services manager for Victoria and the Riverina. He works with an agronomy team to run trials and test the latest technologies from a range of agricultural companies. He says that this work gives growers a clear idea of how new advances in genetics and herbicide-tolerance traits can fit into their systems.

“We’re really lucky when we can invest in this sort of research and get some real numbers that growers can have some confidence in what’s the best option for them,” Craig stated.

Canola hybrids have benefited from advances in herbicide tolerance, which, according to Craig, has made them a key addition to crop rotations – and an effective integrated weed management tool.

Photos courtesy of CSIRO, 2020

“With the 970 or the Feast canola, it gives the growers a bit more opportunity to spell pasture paddocks or other grazing crops while they’ve got their livestock on these grazing canolas.

“Which is a hidden profit for growers as well.”

To discover more about the Pacific Seeds Hyola Canola range, visit pacificseeds.com.au/canola-stacked .

“Paddock history can sometimes get forgotten, so having that tolerance trait is pretty handy.”

Elders Agronomist Josh McLeod works across central Victoria, which he thinks is a good fit for the long-season graze ‘n’ grain canola hybrids, such as Hyola Feast CL and Hyola 970CL.

He says that these hybrids offer growers more versatility with sowing windows, and there’s the potential for exceptional returns – especially for mixed-cropping enterprises.

“When we’re advising or planning with our growers on what sort of canola varieties to potentially grow on-farm, we’re considering our livestock production and what we’re trying to achieve during different times of the year,” Josh said.

“Now we’ve got stacked varieties. We’ve got two modes of action for controlling weeds in the crop.

So we’ve got a wider window for tackling some of the hard-to-control weeds. And we can combine that with our pre-emergent chemistry to make sure that we’re keeping those paddocks clean.

“So, that’s going to maximise our yields and the profitability for growers – but it’s also going to have flow-on effects for following crops.

“We’re getting that disease break, but we’ve also got a very profitable crop.”

Ash and Brad are agronomists for Tylers Rural – Ash in Stawell, Brad in Rupanyup. Both are keen to introduce dual-stacked hybrids into their operations.

“Duel-technology canola is going to be an excellent tool for us going forward,” Braid said.

“Canola has always had a great fit in the rotation, crop rotation, particularly with cereals for a disease break. But also, as we’ve experienced a growing range of resistant weeds, we’ve got another management tool that we can slot in there.”

And the introduction of hybrids stacked with dual herbicide-tolerant traits has only improved the outlook for weed control.

“[It’s] going to be a great fit for us, just being able to use multiple modes of action to try and combat resistant ryegrass populations that we’ve really struggled with in the district for a couple of years now.”

Ash also noted the flexibility and efficiency that dual-stacked hybrids promised.

“The Clearfield® and triazine tolerance together gives [us a] greater defense against potential errors that can happen on farm – like the contamination of boom sprayers,” he said.

What agronomists think about Pacific Seeds’s range of Hyola varieties.

Stacked in your favour

Fri, 17 Sep 2021 05:56:34 GMT

As environmental challenges emerge across Australia’s agricultural sector, research and technology continue to open new doors.

One of the most recent instances of this is herbicide-tolerance stacking in canola hybrids.

Justin Kudnig, Pacific Seeds national canola technical manager, is confident that these dual-stacked hybrids will deliver notable benefits to Australian canola growers.

“Our three new canola hybrids have been adapted to grow across all states, and with high yields, high oils and an excellent tri-gene blackleg rating of R, these hybrids will be a strong addition to any farmer’s rotations.”

He notes that these hybrids provide enhanced solutions by taking integrated weed management programs to the next level, adding protection against chemical carryover from previous crops – and have also proven to deliver competitive financial returns per hectare.

“The canola’s doing a great job in setting up the rest of the rotation for us. It’s getting good weed control in that particular year, but it’s also handling any potential residual constraints that may be there as well.”

There are others who have seen the benefits of stacked technology, and are looking at integrating it into future seasons. Ash and Brad are agronomists for Tylers Rural, in Stawell and Rupanyup respectively. With a history of annual ryegrass issues in their area, they see double-stacked canola as an ideal solution.

“Traditionally in Rupanyup we’ve always been a Clearfield® area – but also triazines and Roundup Ready,” Brad said. “And now that we have the ability to have the stacked technology traits, using all in combination.”

Ash agreed, noting the potential for more versatile and effective weed control. “The Clearfield-Triazine [tolerant] canola allows us to use a different chemistry to control differing populations of resistant weeds within a paddock on a specific farm.”

To find out more about the dual-herbicide-stacked hybrids, visit pacificseeds.com.au/canola-stacked .

“We’ve chosen the [Hyola] Enforcer CT in this situation for a couple of reasons,” Gerard stated. “It enables us to get some IMI chemistry onto the canola. We use a high rate of Sentry as an IBS-type situation. That does a really good job at controlling a whole range of broadleaf weeds – but also gives us some really good residual control.

“The other important part is making sure we get that full rate of triazine onto the canola as well. So we’re using that as an early post-emergent option and giving it the best possible chance to control any escaping ryegrass from our pre-em.

Craig Farlow, tech services manager for Victoria and the Riverina at Elders Rural, works with an agronomy team to run trials.

“We work very closely with our key partners, such as Pacific Seeds, to demonstrate in the field, in the local environments, in the different seasons,” he said. “Because it’s really important for growers to see how these technologies perform in the good seasons, as well as the marginal seasons.”

Craig noted several benefits from hybrids with dual-herbicide tolerance, particularly when it came to managing hard-to-kill weeds.

“With dual-technology varieties, we’ve got multiple modes of action, and we can ensure that we’ve got a clean paddock. And coming into harvest, we’ve got the opportunity to make sure that there’s no weed seed set for the following season.

Why herbicide-tolerance-stacking technology is a gamechanger for the canola industry.

“As Aussie canola growers experience the full commercial value and agronomic protection provided by dual-stacked technologies, they will be able to see the advantage firsthand of adding products like Hyola Enforcer CT and Hyola Garrison XC to their program.”

And he isn’t alone in this assessment. Agronomists and growers are all seeing favourable results.

“We’ve also got more flexibility in terms of managing weeds and managing resistant weeds.”

Gerard Bardwell, from Vectis – ten-kilometres west of Horsham – grows wheat, barley, canola and pulses.

Variety switch delivers bumper wheat yield

Thu, 03 Jun 2021 05:56:34 GMT

Benn Jenkin, who farms ‘Glengarry’, a mixed farming enterprise in the Tooraweenah area of central western New South Wales, has had an excellent season after transitioning to Pacific Seeds’ Hellfire , with an incredible 12 per cent yield increase in 2020.

“We were looking to replace the Longreach Spitfire for a high protein wheat with quicker maturity, and the Hellfire variety was a pretty clean replacement,” Benn said.

Benn and his father have been long term Longreach Spitfire growers for 10 years prior, and have since transitioned into Hellfire in the 2019 and 2020 winter cropping seasons.

The move to Hellfire has fitted well with the farm’s mid-season maturity sowing window. With the impressive disease and quality packages of Hellfire, the variety’s flexibility has been shown across a range of soil types, particularly in the contrasting seasons of 2019 and 2020.

“In 2021, we have planted all Hellfire, and we certainly prefer it, having a 12 per cent yield increase overall,” Benn mentioned.

“It was much easier to harvest in general last season, and it was a pretty straight forward variety to grow.”

With similar characteristics and seedling vigour to Longreach Spitfire, field observations suggest a superior disease package in terms of leaf diseases, better harvestability and superior standability. Hellfire has maintained similar grain protein accumulation, and APH quality of Spitfire with significant yield advantages.

For Benn, last season was almost perfect, despite a dry start and finish and a bit of pressure from mice late in the season.

“We had a slightly dry start, but we had good rain through the winter months, before turning dry again in the spring,” Benn said.

After planting 1500 hectares, Benn was pleased to see a huge yield increase.

“We were thrilled to see the final yield result at 4.9t/hectare – we’d definitely plant Hellfire again,” Benn said. Benn intends Hellfire to make up a fair proportion of his cereal rotation moving forward.

Photo above: Central West mixed farmer impressed with Hellfire wheat performance. Pictured L to R are Cropping Manager Andrew Starr, Owner Benn Jenkin, and Pinnacle Ag Agronomist Andrew Ceeney.

Pacific Seeds support Farming for Kids initiative

Mon, 31 May 2021 05:56:34 GMT

Pacific Seeds has partnered with Liverpool Plains charity, Farming for Kids, by supplying seed to plant 40ha of MR-Buster grain sorghum on land near the Quirindi Airport.

Farming for Kids supports the health and wellbeing of children in the Liverpool Plains area by growing, harvesting and selling crops, with all costs and necessities supported by the local community. To date, the charity has raised $80,000 in aid of local children.

Farming for Kids President Charles Hill said the initiative started in 2013 with 50ha of unused land leased from the local council.

“We’re very fortunate that local farmers help us out with labour and gear, local retailers pitch in with chemicals, lenders help with the lease, and ag retailers such as Pacific Seeds donate seed,” Charles said.

“The crops we grow and the money we make from that goes into a fund which local children can apply for to help their wellbeing. Since then, we have helped numerous groups and individuals across the public and private sectors.”

Pacific Seeds were thrilled to contribute to the Farming for Kids project.

“Pacific Seeds came on board straight away when I asked if they might help out, and they provided us with summer and winter crop seeds,” Charles said.

“They’ve always been very willing to help, even turning up with lunch! They’ve been a very good benefactor to Farming for Kids.”

The MR-Buster crop was well-received by the Farming for Kids community, planting 40ha and stripping 300 tonne.

“MR-Buster thoroughly met our expectations, we were really pleased with the outcome,” Charles said.

Farming for Kids president Charles Hill was extremely grateful to work with Pacific Seeds.

“On behalf of Farming for Kids, I’d like to express our gratitude to Pacific Seeds for their contribution to this project. It has been a prosperous crop and we are really looking forward to delivering the aid it will provide in the future,” Charles said.

PAC 606IT a crop variety to tackle any condition

Mon, 31 May 2021 05:56:34 GMT

For Scott Beaumont, a farmer and silage contractor who resides near Dorrigo, New South Wales, deciding to plant the Pacific Seeds variety of PAC 606IT wasn’t even a question.

“We’ve been planting PAC 606IT for five seasons now,” Scott said.

“It’s remained very consistent for us, regardless of whether we’re in drought or in higher rainfall throughout the year – by planting the 606IT variety, we know that we’re always going to get fair crops of corn.”

Suited to both dryland and irrigation situations, PAC 606IT corn hybrid from Pacific Seeds has been utilised across the market for both grain and silage production. Scott utilises PAC 606IT across the board for his family farm, as well as planting it for his contracting clients.

Running the family farm with his father, Scott recognised how well the PAC 606IT stood up despite having a less than spectacular season.

“Yes, we did have a pretty ordinary season,” Scott mentioned.

“It’s been pretty wet, which is not something I’d usually complain about! But it put our planting back to a much later date, and it didn’t wind up again until the middle of January, which took our optimum plant time out and shortened our season.”

“Having the cold and wet weather was an interesting combination, and it made for a very mild summer.”

Alongside their less than usual generous season, the Beaumont family ran into some trouble with the impact of fall armyworm on their crop.

“For that, we did have to get a helicopter in to spray and clear that out, which wasn’t ideal,” Scott added.

With a high disease resistance and the Imidazolinone-tolerant (IT) trait, PAC 606IT creates a solution for growers that is reliable, and has added grass weed control options, which made it an even more productive crop for the Beaumont family and Scott’s clients.

Despite these circumstances, the PAC 606IT stood the test of time as it had in previous seasons, delivering a fantastic yield result for the Beaumont family.

“Our final yield result was around 40t/hectare mark, which we were pleased with,” Scott said.

“I planted 40 hectares on my own block and 300 hectares in total including my clients.”

We would plant PAC 606IT again for sure.”

Season delivers bumper silage results

Mon, 31 May 2021 05:56:34 GMT

After more than a decade, opportunity growers from Gowrie New South Wales have jumped back into corn silage to replenish drought feed with outstanding yield results.

For Matt Wilson, his brother and their mother who run and operate ‘Lowestoft’ near Gowrie, the opportunity arose to plant dryland corn to fill up silage pits which had been utilised during the 2017-19 drought.

“We’ve only ever grown Pacific Seeds corn – we’re an opportunity grower, not a year-in-year-out grower, so it was last planted in the 08-09 summer,” said Matt.

“We’re very pleased we chose to plant Pacific Seeds’ PAC 606IT given the successful yield result at the end of the season.”

In consultation with their agronomist Sam Gulliford of Pinnacle Ag, the Wilson’s decided to grow PAC 606IT due to its suitability to supply quality corn silage under dryland conditions.

“PAC 606IT met more than many of our expectations,” Matt said.

“When we plant corn it’s for silage, for drought mitigation for our cattle, and we try to lock in 12-15t/acre to meet our expectations – anything over is a bonus”.

Known as a tough corn hybrid suitable for both dryland and irrigation, PAC 606IT delivers for multiple end uses including feed grain and silage production, giving growers flexibility across the market.

A robust disease package combined with the Imidazolinone-tolerant (IT) trait, adds reliability and weed control options.

A new addition to the Wilson family’s farming plant also played a part in the crop’s performance alongside their use of PAC 606IT.

“We bought a secondhand precision planter, so we used that for the first time – the germination and seed placement has been great, and it was a lot better all around,” Matt added.

Located on the New England Highway near Gowrie, the Wilson family were extremely pleased with the success of their season.

“One of the reasons we haven’t planted for a few years is because we haven’t been able to get a favourable season – that’s been a fairly significant factor.”

“Before planting we look at the long-term weather forecast and make our decision based on that. Fortunately, this season worked out well.”

Resolute delivers a win against tough weather and mice conditions

Mon, 31 May 2021 05:56:34 GMT

For Jim Russell, of ‘Niluan’ near Spring Ridge, it was the opportunity to try a new variety of grain sorghum after observing various trials that led him to test out Resolute from Pacific Seeds.

“We are always looking for a new variety – that’s how Resolute came about here,” Jim said.

“Matt Gardner, (AMPS Research Agronomist) put us onto it, and he was able to obtain some rare bags – we kept the process the same as Matt recommended. They’re always doing trials at our place, and we had heard that Resolute was very good, so we put it in with the MR-Taurus.”

As someone who had planted MR-Taurus and MR-Buster from Pacific Seeds in the past, Jim was keen to try a new variety.

Known as a variety that rewards growers with high yields, Resolute has built a reputation for its stress tolerance that can weather the hardest of conditions. The hybrid is suitable for both late and early planting, with consistent grain size, yield and excellent height uniformity.

Despite encountering a slight issue with mice pressure throughout the season, Jim said the Resolute variety was a standout performer during the trial.

“The standability of the Resolute was excellent – the MR-Taurus and the Resolute were pretty much the same, and there was no lodging even though it did get a bit of rain on it,” Jim mentioned.

“The colour stayed really well, and the seed colour was good. In fact, the bird seed market really likes it. Weathering wise there didn’t seem to be any issues,” Jim added.

“It was an easy to harvest variety, and with the Resolute, I really liked how the head sticks out of the flag just a little bit better than the Taurus,” Jim said.

For Jim’s trial, he planted only 20 hectares. However, his trial saw him receive a final yield result of 7.7t/hectare. “I would definitely plant Resolute again,” Jim said.

Can you get away with low populations in Winter Type Canola? Latest research provides some valuable insights

Thu, 20 May 2021 05:56:34 GMT

As the cropping area of Graze n Grain Winter type canola increases significantly across Australia, (now estimated at 100,000ha) coupled with extraordinary dual purpose gross returns from the grazing and grain components, growers and advisors are seeking information around comparisons of lower plant stands versus traditionally established recommendations of 25 to 40 plants per m2.

Lower plant populations in Winter canola types can be experienced in both the MRZ and HRZ canola growing regions due to sowing date related adverse environmental conditions or excess early crop insect or mollusc damage.

New field research by Pacific Seeds provides practical data for growers and agronomists about the agronomic pros and cons of having a significantly lower plant establishment than what is considered desirable.

2020 Teesdale-Inverleigh Vic – TOS2 Hyola Winter CL Performance Trials – Hyola Feast CL

Key findings include:

Winter hybrid canola populations of 25 plants per m2 can provide grain yields equivalent to or higher than 40 plants per m2 depending on time of sowing and seasonal conditions.
Plant populations of approximately 4 to 5 plants/m2 can still yield between 3t/ha to 4t/ha with early time of sowing, adequate Nitrogen supplied during the season on top of existing soil N availability and GSR values being between 400 to 500mm.
Low populations below 10 plants per m2 leads to higher weed pressure and basal multi-stem branching of plant architecture so there is a requirement for paddock specific strategic herbicide use, resistance management and harvest logistics to be applied.
The two highest yielding Winter graze n Grain hybrids across all trials were Hyola Feast CL and Hyola 970CL demonstrating the most consistent yield performance across Australian environments.

Read the full research paper for complete trial data, full findings, results and conclusions.

Top Picture – 2020 Teesdale – Inverleigh Vic – Hyola Winter CL Performance Trials – (L-R) Grower Lachie Morrison with Justin Kudnig, Pacific Seeds

Contact the author : Justin Kudnig, Pacific Seeds, Ph: 0408 408 816 or email: justin.kudnig@advantaseeds.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/CaptainCanola

Aussie cattle seek out sorghum sugar rush

Wed, 19 May 2021 05:56:34 GMT

With the ‘paddock to plate’ phenomenon proving to be a valuable tool for the Australian livestock industry, cattle farmers are singing the praises of certain forage varieties that are helping sweeten the paddock side of the equation before heading to the plate.

Wyreema Queensland-based grower Warren Folker is a third generation farmer whose upbringing in the dairy industry helped guide him to his current passion for hay.

Mr Folker is a renowned specialist hay producer for livestock in the Darling Downs region and says the key to his success has been growing Pacific Seeds’ sweet sorghum hybrid – Sugargraze .

“I’ve been growing Sugargraze for donkey’s years, and of all the varieties I’ve trialled on my property, this is the pick of the whole lot of them,” said Mr Folker.

“It’s just so much leafier and sweeter and makes beautiful hay. You can see that it’s a big hit with the cattle.

“When I’m putting hay bales out in the feeders, the moment I bring Sugargraze out, the cattle can actually smell it and they will leave the other feeders and make a beeline for Sugargraze.

“They actually fight over it and ultimately cattle are the greatest judges for which varieties suit them best.

Sugargraze has a proven track record as a sweet sorghum combining good productivity, excellent sugar levels and adaptability. Sugargraze’s sweet stems and high protein content, make this product a clear favourite with growers.

“The secret for growing the best hay, is to plant it really thick and then cut it at 150cm high – what you end up with is a really leafy, soft, sweet product, whereas other products I’ve seen are a lot stalkier and courser,” said Mr Folker.

“I think the common thought is to grow sweet sorghums as high as you can, to maximise the number of hay bales – but you really do lose that quality.

“A number of my customers who have sales and show cattle, and they always go for the Sugargraze, because they know it’s the best quality and will be a hit with their cattle.

“The protein and sugar content really helps fatten cattle up – I call it cow candy.

“I can’t confirm if Sugargraze affects the final flavour of the meat, but one of my long-time customers says he can tell which steers have been given Sugargraze as part of their diet.

While Mr Folker’s main venture is in hay, he also breeds Speckle Park cattle as a passion project – one of the most highly sought after breeds.

“Some of my cattle I sell as show steers, and I’ve got a number of people that buy meat off me privately, the rest I just send to market,” said Mr Folker.

“You haven’t tried meat until you have Speckle Park meat, it’s just absolutely beautiful.

“When I’m grazing them you know that nine times out of ten they’ll go straight to the sweeter bales first, and Sugargraze of course is a favourite.

“We even have some new neighbours who live directly across from our Sugargraze paddock and they even made a comment, ‘is that that crop there that we can smell the sweet smell’ and I said yeah that’s what it is. It’s just amazing.”

Confidence in innovation helps growers chase better yield outcomes

Wed, 19 May 2021 05:56:34 GMT

For long-time members of the agriculture industry, the incredible advancements made in seed technology have helped completely transform and elevate the growing ability of cropping farms.

Particularly as Aussie farmers continue to battle pervasive periods of drought – the emphasis on advancing ag-tech has never been stronger.

Ted and Kerri Shooter are part of a multi-generation farming family, and over the years have trialled a number of different varieties on their farm – with Pacific Seeds’ Sentinel IG proving to be a welcome addition to their rotation.

“We’ve been growing Sentinel IG for the last five years and our most recent yield was excellent and came out to 10.182t/ha at 13.5 per cent moisture,” said Mr Shooter.

”That crop went on to win first place in the irrigated grain sorghum category at the RASQ Toowoomba show in 2021.

“It’s unbelievable under irrigation – when we planted it was extremely dry, and the results after we irrigated were fantastic.

Sentinel IG is Pacific Seeds’ world first Imidazolinone-tolerant grain sorghum hybrid and combines the company’s proprietary igrowth® trait with excellent top end yield potential to deliver a truly competitive package.

The igrowth® technology in sorghum was developed by Advanta Seeds through mutagenesis methods and provides tolerance to herbicides of the Imidazolinone family. The igrowth® trait is not a GMO.

“We have an entry for the next RASQ Toowoomba show and when I tested the yield of this Sentinel IG rotation it’s looking even better than the previous year – sitting at about 10.8t/ha, so it will be interesting to see how we go.

Offering growers excellent grass weed control, Sentinel IG has high yield potential and suits all sorghum growing regions.

“It has helped us control grasses that we’ve never been able to do before in sorghum – it is a phenomenal advancement in my opinion,” said Mr Shooter.

“We used Intervix® on the most recent Sentinel IG crop and that really helped support that grass weed control by reducing the seed bank from the problem weeds and preventing re-germination.

“Our irrigated Sentinel IG also stood up phenomenally this year, despite some pretty tricky conditions.

“We planted on a flood plain and at one stage we had flood water two foot deep running through it – which was pretty nerve wracking. We’re glad the yield outcome was so positive.

Pacific Seeds is continuing to explore the application possibilities of its igrowth® technology and is investing in new products that will help bolster growers’ yield outcomes.

“We’re recently participated in some recent Pacific Seed trials for an igrowth® product. It’s still only at the experimental stage, but it was really robust and reliable,” said Mr Shooter.

“It’s great to be a part of those trials and see what’s coming through the pipeline.

Pictured above: Bill Smith Pacific Seeds, Ted Shooter Bellevue Alloa and Neil Doyle Olsens Produce yield testing Sentinel IG for the RASQ Toowoomba Show

New partnership to boost Australian canola research

Wed, 12 May 2021 05:56:34 GMT

Pacific Seeds and CSIRO have joined forces on a new three-year $250,000 research project set to better tailor canola hybrids and crop management to regional Australia’s variable growing conditions.

Pacific Seeds National Canola Technical Manager Justin Kudnig said the Winter Canola Research project aimed to improve access to integrated and region-specific information on Agronomy, Phenology and Extension for Grain-n-Graze canola hybrids.

“We’re excited to partner with CSIRO to further investigate and explore canola phenology and applied agronomy across major Australian canola growing environments,” said Mr Kudnig.

“Pacific Seeds has always been about providing the best options for growers, we know the more you can tailor your variety choice and agronomy approach to your local conditions the more your crops and farming business can prosper.”

The partnership follows on from work last season with CSIRO, farmers and local agronomists which saw Pacific Seeds’ Hyola 970CL product combined with science-based agronomic management to set a new Australian canola yield record of 7.16t/ha.

2021 Wallendbeen NSW Hyola TD Phenology Trials with 1st time of sowing replicated single rows of Winter and Spring hybrids under evaluation.

The scientists managing the new project include Dr Julianne Lilley, CSIRO Group Leader – Mixed Farming Innovations, Dr Jeremy Whish CSIRO Farming Systems Scientist, Dr Rebecca Stutz, CSIRO Grazing Animal Scientist and Justin Kudnig, Pacific Seeds National Canola Technical Manager.

Dr Julianne Lilley said initially the project would collate, review, and organise existing information and identify any knowledge gaps across the industry.

“In its first year, the project will conduct highly detailed phenology trials with three time of sowing events at four locations across Australia involving industry, growers, agronomists, and advisors,” Dr Lilley said.

“This research will help us to jointly develop a world-first interactive decision-making tool for canola variety selection, dedicated time of sowing advice along with grazing advice, applied crop nutrition agronomy and animal health recommendations,” Dr Lilley, CSIRO.

In addition, the project will develop a state-of-the-art Technical Management Guide for existing and novel Grain-n-Graze germplasm including the appropriate choice of varieties for diverse sites and optimising sowing dates to maximise forage and grain production, together with crop phenology and animal management advice based on the latest research and industry consultation.

As this project progresses, it is expected to lead to further expansion of Winter canola growing areas. It will support the increasingly important role of applied agronomy and new technologies in assisting growers to enhance both overall production and dual-purpose cropping profitability. The project also has the extended capacity for further investment and research after the three years is completed.

“This project is another example of the importance of collaboration between complementary organisations, researchers, and growers to develop systems that drive efficiency, sustainability and ultimately profit for Australia’s agricultural industry,” said Mr Kudnig.

Top Banner photo: Dr Julianne Lilley (CSIRO), Dr John Kirkegaard (CSIRO) and Justin Kudnig (Pacific Seeds) at the 2021 Winter Hybrid Phenology Trials near Iandra Castle, Greenethorpe, NSW

Pacific Seeds and CSIRO representatives at the 2021 Wallendbeen NSW Hyola TD Winter Performance and Hybrid Phenology Trials

New benchmark Hyola Blazer TT hits the market in 2021

Thu, 22 Apr 2021 05:56:34 GMT

Commercially available to Australian canola growers for the first time in 2021, Pacific Seeds’ new hybrid Hyola Blazer TT is set to boost agronomic performance, grain yields and gross returns this season.

Developed in Australia by Pacific Seeds Canola Crop Research Lead Dr. David Tabah and his team, Hyola Blazer TT sets a new benchmark for high-yielding mid-early season TT hybrid genetics.

“Hyola Blazer TT was developed to specifically meet the needs of Australian Canola growers and our changing climate, providing top end yield, combined with excellent agronomic characteristics such as high oil, high blackleg resistance and exceptional lodging resistance,” said Dr Tabah.

“This next generation TT canola hybrid delivers market segment leading yield, triple-gene ADF blackleg groups for effective disease rotations and an Adult blackleg rating of R, which is equal to or higher than most TT hybrids on the market.”

Hyola Blazer TT has also been developed to deliver a shorter, compact plant height ideal for improved swathing operations or direct harvesting. It offers significantly higher yields than OP TT varieties across many growing environments in addition to excellent early vigour providing higher weed suppression than most OP TT varieties.

Pacific Seeds National Canola Technical Manager Justin Kudnig said this is one of the biggest advances in canola TT performance for years and was excited to see the enthusiastic early interest from growers, agronomists and the wider industry.

“Hyola Blazer TT will provide an effective solution for many growers in finding a balance between strong blackleg resistance and consistent overall high-end yield performance in regions where growers are targeting yield between 1.5 to 4.0 tonnes per ha,” said Mr Kudnig.

“The release of Hyola Blazer TT is an important milestone for the Australian canola industry and offers growers more options in their seasonal cropping programs.”

“Furthermore, we have no doubt, that Hyola Blazer TT will become an integral part in Australia’s canola grower rotations this season and for many seasons to come,” said Mr Kudnig.

Dr. David Tabah Pacific Seeds Canola Crop Research Lead in front of Hyola Blazer TT hybrid seed ready for delivery to distributors around Australia.

For further information, either contact Justin Kudnig on Mob: 0408 408 616, your local Pacific Seeds Territory Manager or your local seed distributor and cropping advisor.

Hyola Blazer TT Technical Note

Hyola Blazer TT plots at 2020 NVT Trials in Minimay, Victoria.

Global demand for wheat drives Australian innovation

Wed, 21 Apr 2021 05:56:34 GMT

With world consumption of wheat forecast to rise to a record high in 2021-2020, Aussie farmers are looking for reliable wheat varieties to grow in increasingly harsh environments.

Wheat is the largest enterprise in the Australian grain industry and, according to ABARES, demand is expected to grow, not only due to population growth and changing diets, but as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Following a record wheat season in 2020-2021, growers like Ben Taylor were able reap the rewards of favourable weather and new seed technology, including Pacific Seeds’ latest APH release from the LongReach breeding program – Stealth

“Last year we definitely had an above average winter crop, our wheat output average was 3.3 tonne a hectare, where our average would typically be 2.3 tonnes. We are really happy with the past winter crop season,” said Mr Taylor.

“Compared to the previous variety, Lancer, we were told to expect a 3 to 5 per cent yield increase. I was able to harvest over 15 tonne off the 200 kilos that we planted and that’ll get planted on a larger commercial scale this year.

“If breeders like Pacific Seeds are breeding new and improved varieties, I’m happy to continue to upgrade – the results you see are fantastic.

“If the varieties like Stealth produce 5 per cent better yields year on year, across a 10-year program that will offer a significant return on investment.”

The new Stealth variety is bred to produce a slow-spring maturity, combined with a high yet stable yield and an excellent agronomic package; it is designed as the ideal April to early May plant strain.

“Winter profiles are now full thanks to amazing March rain, and with planting only weeks away we are assured of very nice planting conditions,” said Mr Taylor.

At this stage, we’re sitting quite well for the 2021 winter season and we’re positioned for another good winter crop – we’re quite optimistic about it.

“We trialled Stealth on the suggestion of our agronomist, and we were certainly happy to give it a go based on its excellent agronomic and disease package and the anticipated yield advantage.

“It delivered in terms of disease management, which is a major influence in our decision to trial a grain. The four key diseases we want to manage are crown rot, nematodes, yellow spot, and stripe rust.

Stubble cover is important to us and the crop harvested really well with the Stealth, resulting in higher stubble height compared to other shorter structured crops,” said Mr Taylor.

With world consumption of wheat forecast to rise to a record high in 2021-2020, Aussie farmers are looking for reliable wheat varieties to grow in increasingly harsh environments.

“We trialled Stealth on the suggestion of our agronomist, and we were certainly happy to give it a go based on its excellent agronomic and disease package and the anticipated yield advantage.

Stubble cover is important to us and the crop harvested really well with the Stealth, resulting in higher stubble height compared to other shorter structured crops,” said Mr Taylor.

“If breeders like Pacific Seeds are breeding new and improved varieties, I’m happy to continue to upgrade – the results you see are fantastic.

“If the varieties like Stealth produce 5 per cent better yields year on year, across a 10-year program that will offer a significant return on investment.”

“Winter profiles are now full thanks to amazing March rain, and with planting only weeks away we are assured of very nice planting conditions,” said Mr Taylor.

At this stage, we’re sitting quite well for the 2021 winter season and we’re positioned for another good winter crop – we’re quite optimistic about it.”

Growers jump on promising outlook for wheat

Sun, 28 Mar 2021 05:56:34 GMT

Due to a rapidly changing export market, the Australian agriculture industry faces a growing need to embrace market diversification, with farmers across the country changing their business models to leverage various growing opportunities.

Growers who have previously depended on a set rotation, are considering the introduction of different crops to take advantage of new, more innovative seed varieties.

Third generation farmer Jack Rockliff, from Dalby-based Rockliff Farming said that although his family had been out of the wheat game for years, a strong recommendation from their agronomist for the Pacific Seeds Reliant wheat variety was hard to ignore.

“We took over some neighbouring lease country and had a bit of water in one of the irrigation dams, so we considered the benefit of growing wheat. Our agronomist suggested Reliant and we were keen to give it a go,” said Mr Rockliff.

“The characteristics of Reliant were certainly attractive and our experience with it was really positive.”

Reliant is a consistently high yielding mid-season maturity variety suited to NSW and QLD. It has an APH classification in Northern NSW and QLD and a reliable grain package made up of good grain size and high test weights.

“The first time we planted was during a particularly tough season, but despite that we were happy with the results and the quality,” said Mr Rockliff.

“We replanted the Reliant variety in 2020 and it’s probably been the best winter crop we’ve ever seen. We’d been very fortunate with rain fall, and management plays a role in the outcome too – we were very pleased with the result.

“It adapted well, we dry planted early and jagged a couple of early storms that made us nervous for crop risk, and then we also dry planted late.

“We wondered how it would go but I’d say it adapts well to the conditions, that’s for sure.”

Following a late-forming but moderate La Niña in 2020–21, wheat production outcomes across much of the country for 2021–22 are likely to be average to above average due to higher soil moisture levels.

“We’re playing a bit of a waiting game with the weather at the moment. We’re preparing for our winter crop and waiting on a bit more rainfall to fill the profile again. The plan is to go back to a 30 or 40 per cent winter crop program,” said Mr Rockliff. “This will be our third season of growing Reliant. After observing the results over two very different winter seasons, the adaptability of the Reliant variety has been impressive.”

The golden age of Australian agriculture attracting a new wave of workers

Mon, 15 Mar 2021 05:56:34 GMT

As agriculture technology undergoes monumental growth in Australia, the industry is seeing a rise in long-term employment, with the workforce growing by 13.16 per cent between 2019 and 2020 [1] .

Following the Government’s release of a roadmap for Australian agriculture with a vision to grow the industry to $100 billion within the decade, it is expected that this plan will play a major role in continuing to attract workers domestically and internationally.

Pacific Seeds newly appointed Western Australia Territory Manager Dan McGrath relocated with his family from New Zealand to be part of what he believes is the golden age of Australia’s $63 billion agriculture industry.

“Australia is seeing investment from paths that wouldn’t traditionally invest in agriculture or that may have shied away in the last 20 years and now they’ve come back,” said Mr McGrath.

“People are moving some of their money away from mining and into agriculture, and it’s a brilliant space to be in because that’s where innovation comes from.

“I came back to Australia to work for a really innovative propriety seed company – Pacific Seeds have a really great pipeline, it’s healthy, it has good people, it’s grounded.

“They’re feeding the world, they’re innovative with how they approach this, and they’re good at it,” Mr McGrath said.

Western Australia is a world-leading minerals, energy, and agricultural economy as well as a global science and innovation research and knowledge hub.

“Our growers are pragmatic and resilient people due to being remote as well as the unpredictable climate they have grown up with,” Mr McGrath said.

“The state is inventive and adaptive, and collaboratives with the agriculture community to remain competitive and sustainable to its large exporting market.

“So much has changed in the last few decades, the environments we work in are ever changing whether it’s weather, diseases or pests – we have to meet these challenges with energy that is sustainable.

“Feeding the world is the biggest job on earth and we are devoted, through innovation, collaboration, science and research – we have to keep growing so farmers can do the same.

A difficult task to do behind a desk, Mr McGrath plans to drive these territories with real face time knowing the relationship Pacific Seeds have with their growers are extremely important.

“In this role it is important to be supportive because our success comes from our grower’s success and vice versa, therefore collaboration is crucial to our industry.

Contact: Dan McGrath, Territory Manager Southern WA
Ph: 0448 014 892 or email: dan.mcgrath@advantaseeds.com

[1] Australian Industry and Skills Committee, Agriculture

Hyola 970CL sets new Australian canola yield record

Fri, 12 Mar 2021 05:56:34 GMT

A New South Wales mixed farming business has set a new Australian canola grain yield record using a combination of leading genetics from Pacific Seeds, Hyola 970CL and an innovative dual-purpose farming approach developed by CSIRO in conjunction with local agronomists.

The Mayfield farm, owned by the Hawkins family and managed by Peter Brooks, produced 7.16 tonnes/hectare (Hyola 970CL) beating the previous record set in Tasmania of 6.17 tonnes/hectare (also Hyola 970CL), just missing the world record held by an English farmer at 7.19 tonnes/hectare.

“We’ve had great conditions in 2020, however achieving this yield didn’t happen overnight – it was a culmination of 15 years of working with CSIRO to improve our systems,” said Mr Brooks.

The record was made even more impressive as the variety was the dual-purpose Pacific Seeds Winter hybrid canola Hyola 970CL, and it was grazed first with 20 lambs a hectare feeding off the crop for eight weeks, adding a further margin to already healthy income.

The Mayfield farm fields provided a “dual-purpose” between feeding the livestock and growing crops, a system developed in canola that helps farmers by reducing additional off-farm feed and giving traditionally grazing pastures time to “rest”.

Photos courtesy of CSIRO, 2020

“What we’ve found exciting from an agronomic perspective is that this occurred in a region where canola isn’t very common, and it could provide inspiration for a lot more farmers to grow dual-purpose canola,” said Mayfield’s farm agronomist, James Cheetham of Delta Agribusiness.

Justin Kudnig, National Canola Technical Manager with Pacific Seeds congratulated all parties involved saying, “This brings together the best in innovative applied science, leading genetics, advanced agronomic advice and ongoing grower initiative”.

Hyola 970CL has now established itself firmly as Australia’s leading Winter graze n grain Clearfield® hybrid for mixing cropping enterprises. For February to early April sowings it can produce an impressive high-quality forage for grazing through autumn and winter. It also offers a very high, unique Group H blackleg rating of R, perfect for disease resistance management.

(This article contains excepts from CSIRO media release from 23 Feb 2021)

Are you hitting your plant population targets? New research may have the answer.

Mon, 08 Mar 2021 05:56:34 GMT

Australian canola growers are set to benefit from new research on CT & TT Hybrids vs OP canola.

Justin Kudnig from Pacific Seeds, examined optimising the Gross return value proposition when comparing Farmer Retained OP TT vs Hybrid CT® and TT canola with varying seed sizes and plant population targets.

Presented at the GRDC Perth update event in February 2021, the research and field trials found:

Grading OP TT canola seed to >2mm provides increased plant establishment, grain yield and gross returns
Higher yielding CT® and TT hybrids provide consistent higher grain yields and gross returns than OP TT varieties
CT® and TT hybrids with seed sizes of =2mm or >2mm established at lower plant populations can provide higher grain yields and gross returns than OP TT varieties graded to >2mm at higher plant populations.

Read the full research paper (PDF) and GRDC Presentation (PowerPoint) for complete trial data, full findings, results and conclusions.

Contact the author : Justin Kudnig, Pacific Seeds, Ph: 0408 408 816 or email: justin.kudnig@advantaseeds.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/CaptainCanola

Paper reviewed by: Dr David Tabah, Crop Research Lead (Canola) – Advanta Seeds Australia

Driving farming innovation from the foundation up

Fri, 12 Feb 2021 05:56:34 GMT

Australian growers are set to reap the benefits from a new farming innovation hub launched today in Allora, Southern Queensland.

Foundation Farm has been established by Pacific Seeds to test and prove new farming technologies, methods and systems at a practical level offering confidence to growers before implementation on their own properties.

Minister for Agriculture, Drought and Emergency Management and Federal Member for Maranoa David Littleproud officially launched Foundation Farm today and said cross-industry collaboration was key to driving innovation and benefits for farmers in the field.

“As our population grows and farmers face new climate challenges, it has never been more important for like-minded organisations, researchers and growers to work together to not only overcome these challenges but identify and implement opportunities for Australian agriculture to continue to prosper as a result,” Mr Littleproud said.

(L-R) Minister for Agriculture, Drought and Emergency Management and Federal Member for Maranoa David Littleproud joins Pacific Seeds Managing Director Barry Croker to officially open Foundation Farm

Pacific Seeds Managing Director Barry Croker believes Foundation Farm will assist in driving improvements to efficiency, sustainability and ultimately profit for Australia’s agricultural industry.

“Foundation Farm is a long-term vision for Pacific Seeds and part of our unwavering commitment to innovation and seeing grower’s full farming potential realised,” said Mr Croker.

“The new initiative provides an opportunity to look at the very foundations of a farm’s operation, and ask what can be done differently to not only improve production today, but to also anticipate the challenges growers may face in 10-15-20 years’ time as our climate changes and technology evolves.

“Foundation Farm is about working collaboratively as an industry to utilise the best people or agronomists and researchers research, technology and products in order to continually evolve how a farm operates for the better.”

Research, practical applications, and the sharing of knowledge are the cornerstones of Foundation Farm. Activities will be based around five key pillars: new technology, sustainable farming practices, crop protection, crop agronomy and training.

Located across 80 acres outside of Allora, Foundation Farm provides opportunities for dryland and irrigated cropping systems, with a focus on grain sorghum, field corn and forage sorghum farming applications. Foundation Farm is a practical and highly valuable resource for educating growers, agronomists and agricultural technology providers.

Learn more

Hyola 970CL delivers outstanding results for NSW lamb trading operation

Mon, 08 Feb 2021 05:56:34 GMT

Pacific Seeds Hyola 970CL grazing canola has revolutionised Justin and Amy Dickens’ lamb trading enterprise at Yeoval in Central West NSW, with “second-to-none” animal performance.

Stocking rates of up to 120 DSE per hectare were required to best manage the extraordinary growth experienced with the 180 hectares of grazing canola during the district’s favourable 2020 Autumn/Winter growing period.

Justin and Amy’s property, “Greenvale”, spans 1020 hectares in the Bournewood district, east of Yeoval.

Justin with trade lambs enjoying the benefits of Hyola 970CL

Justin and Amy purchased 5770 crossbred and Merino lambs in March/April 2020 for $160 per head, held them for an average of 10 weeks, and sold them at an average of $235/head.

“The liveweight gain on these lambs worked out at an average of 285 grams a day for their entire stay, peaking at well over 300g/day, which we were impressed with over that length of time and through our coldest months,” Justin said.

The lambs achieved a net grazing return of $1830/ha, with enterprise direct costs deducted.

Favourable Spring conditions enabled Justin and Amy to harvest 165ha of canola, which yielded an average of 2.47 tonnes a hectare, for an additional grain income of $1418/ha.

Growing/harvesting costs totalled $450/ha, leaving a net return from grazing and grain of $2798/ha.

“This equated to 34% of land value in one crop, which is something we have never experienced in our short time in agriculture,” Justin said.

“We were able to get our annualised stocking rate in a 10-week period of grazing, and were still able to obtain a grain harvest on top.

Hyola 970CL six weeks into lockup

“Another attraction of the Hyola 970CL grazing canola is the ability to control broadleaf and annual grass weeds in-crop, allowing us to clean up paddocks to sow down to long-term perennial pastures.

“We first grew 970CL in 2019, which was a much drier year, and it still proved itself as an exceptional plant at utilising any available soil moisture and even though we didn’t get a harvest in that first year it had an extended growing season and certainly served its purpose.

“Seasons like 2020 don’t come around very often, so we were glad to have 970CL in the mix to help us play financial catch-up after three years of drought.”

Justin and Amy bought their first property in 2012, after previously holding farm management roles, and have quickly become known for being proactive and willing to try new things to improve the profitability of their business.

They established their Speckle Park cattle stud, JAD Speckle Park, in 2016, and have since transferred more than 1000 embryos from as far as Canada and New Zealand to grow their stud to be one of the country’s largest and most successful commercially-focussed Speckle Park studs, with an annual on-property bull and female sale each March.

For cattle grazing, the Dickens last year grew 150ha of Warego oats – a variety that was marketed by Pacific Seeds some years ago as being well- suited for cattle grazing and hay production, being more erect in nature.

Dryland conditions no challenge for PAC 606IT

Fri, 01 Jan 2021 09:52:26 GMT

A return to dryland corn crops after 12 years has delivered outstanding results in local conditions for Spring Ridge growers.

Jamie Crossing and his wife Jackie farm ‘Colly Blue’ near Spring Ridge. They decided to try PAC 606IT from Pacific Seeds and were thoroughly impressed with the excellent yield it had delivered, noting the variety offered reliability and performance under their local conditions.

“Grown for grain production – it [PAC 606IT] was recommended for use in our local conditions by Tony McCumstie from Pacific Seeds.

“Previous farm trials had indicated PAC 606IT was suited to the Liverpool Plains environment,” Jamie said.

Suited to both irrigated and dryland situations, PAC 606IT corn hybrid has been utilised across the market for grain and silage production, with a reputation for performing particularly well under dryland conditions.

Being his first dryland corn crop since 2008, Jamie planted in early October 2020.

“The planting population was at 35,000 plants/hectare planted into wheat stubble. Nitrogen had been applied in August and starter fertilizer applied at planting,” Jamie said.

With a good disease resistance package, and the Imidazolinone-tolerant (IT) trait, PAC 606IT provides an option for growers that is reliable, with the added benefit of grass weed control options.

Jamie said the season was perfect for planting PAC 606IT.

“The cooler summer temperatures and high rainfall provided excellent growing conditions for high yields,” he said.

Under the guidance of Agronomist James Urquhart at NURURAL Quirindi, Jamie has been thrilled with the performance of PAC 606IT.

“PAC 606IT was outstanding. In our biggest field, it performed particularly well. If the circumstances that caused me to plant it this year came around again, I would definitely plant it again.”

Pacific Seeds expands expertise in Western Victoria, SA and Tasmania

Sun, 22 Nov 2020 05:56:34 GMT

Pacific Seeds is pleased to announce the appointment of Tim Wilmshurst as Territory Manager for South Australia, Western Victoria and Tasmania, effective from 9 November 2020.

Tim brings to the role more than 20 years of knowledge and experience in the Australian agricultural industry. He has previously worked in agricultural sales and marketing, retail procurement, seed production and canola product management.

Brad Jamieson Pacific Seeds National Sales Manager said this role would provide even greater service for farmers and agronomists in the region.

“Farmers are looking for year-round expertise, advice and support to maximise their farm’s potential.

“We’re excited to welcome Tim, believe he will be a valuable addition to the team and provide our customers in the region with invaluable knowledge and experience as Pacific Seeds continues to bring new, innovative products to the market,” said Mr Jamieson.

Contact Tim Wilmshurst:

Ph: 0448 413 440
Email: tim.wilmshurst@advantaseeds.com
L inkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/timwilmshurst/

Australian farmers to benefit from new earlier maturing Winter canola hybrid

Tue, 17 Nov 2020 05:56:34 GMT

Pacific Seeds has announced the release of Hyola Feast CL , a new earlier maturing Graze and Grain Winter Clearfield canola hybrid set to provide more options for Aussie farmers.

Hyola Feast CL provides an 8 series flowering and windrowing maturity delivering results 5-8 days faster than other popular Winter canola types. Whilst exhibiting a lower vernalisation requirement, Hyola Feast CL provides a wider range of farmers, in a wider range of regions, with access to the graze and grain canola segment.

Justin Kudnig, Pacific Seeds National Canola Technical Manager said the release of the new variety was in direct response to industry demands for a quicker maturing graze and grain canola hybrid.

“Hyola Feast CL is the culmination of multiple years of exciting technical research, extensive agronomic field trials and the highest quality assurance procedures,” said Mr Kudnig.

Hyola Feast CL (left) versus Hyola 970CL (right)

“We’ve already seen it deliver fantastic grain yields up to 20 per cent higher than others in the market and it will nicely complement our own industry-leading Hyola 970CL.

“Together with its very high blackleg R (P) rating and blackleg group H category, Hyola Feast CL is the perfect choice for rotating disease resistance in Australia’s canola regions.

“We’re confident Hyola Feast CL will become a farmers favourite as it gets set to deliver strong paddock performance and harvest returns during the 2021 season,” said Mr Kudnig.

Hyola Feast CL is suitable for both irrigated and dryland scenarios across all major Canola growing districts including New South Wales, South Australia, Victoria, Western Australia and Tasmania.

Hyola Feast CL is available for ordering now and will be available in limited quantities for the upcoming 2021 Canola season.

For further information please contact your local Pacific Seeds Territory Manager or seed retailer or click the links below:

New crop of students set to face food challenges to the future

Thu, 29 Oct 2020 05:56:34 GMT

“Having a pipeline of trained people is critical for Australia, this industry plays such an important role in our economy and our cultural identity. It’s amazing to witness the growth of the next generation of Agriculture.”

Pacific Seeds Canola Crop Research Lead, Dr David Tabah said it was great to be a part of training the next generation of agricultural scientists.

“Growing demand for food as well as a changing climate present new challenges every-day farmers and the agricultural sector,” said Dr Tabah.

“But with an enthusiastic new generation of young people entering the industry, we believe that Australia is well placed to meet these challenges head on.

Recent changes to university fees mean agriculture subjects will now be up to 62 per cent cheaper for Australian students.

This may attract even more students to the Plant Agricultural Science degree, where students study conventional breeding, as well as cover topics such as the use of molecular markers.

“Agriculture offers a lot of potential going forward, our students might graduate with the same qualifications, but the kinds of roles they will find themselves in can vary considerably,” said Professor Daggard.

“It’s extremely beneficial for our students to have the opportunity to engage with industry and companies like Pacific Seeds provide hands-on learning experiences which are highly valued by our students,” said Professor Daggard.

“Toowoomba is a major national centre for agriculture, and it is also a major focus for research at the University of Southern Queensland, so for our students to have access to one of the most productive farming areas in the country is pretty unique.

Pacific Seeds has welcomed students to their Gatton research farm as part of a new Plant Breeding course through the University of Southern Queensland (USQ).

The group of USQ students recently took part in a hands-on three-day residential school in the Toowoomba region, as they learn the practical skills to grow the plants of the future.

The students are part of a new crop of plant agricultural science majors, completing a course in Plant Breeding that covers a range of contemporary approaches to plant improvement including new applications of biotechnology.

USQ Professor Grant Daggard said there has been rising demand for the course, which is a real nod to the growth being witnessed in the industry.

“We’re seeing a renewed interest in the regions – the job opportunities for agricultural workers are constantly increasing, which is attracting a larger student base for courses like ours,” said Professor Daggard.

“The demand for food will only continue to grow and the training we provide our students will set them up to contribute to our country in a really meaningful way.

As part of the experience, students were able to spend time at Pacific Seeds world class breeding facility in Gatton.

Pacific Seeds has welcomed students to their Gatton research farm as part of a new Plant Breeding course through the University of Southern Queensland (USQ).

The group of USQ students recently took part in a hands-on three-day residential school in the Toowoomba region, as they learn the practical skills to grow the plants of the future.

Winter canola - graze, grain or graze 'n' grain?

Mon, 26 Oct 2020 05:56:34 GMT

With approximately 100,000ha of Australia’s canola crop now sown to winter canola types, the most common question from growers and advisors is ‘what is the best way for me to use this product in my farming operation?’

Twenty per cent of the annual area is generally sown in spring from late September to early November, and 80% in the autumn during February and March.

Some high-rainfall zone areas of the Western Districts of Victoria and southeast South Australia mostly sow winter types in autumn for grain only.

The goal here is more effective early plant establishment, weed control and top-end yield targets, which range from 3.5 to 6t/ha. This equates to gross returns of approximately $2000 to $3500/ha.

By Justin Kudnig, Pacific Seeds National Canola Technical Manager

Lake Bolac VIC Hyola TD Winder CL Trial, Hyola 970CL

Furthermore, once these paddocks are locked up in July or August and then taken through to harvest, grain yields of up to 2.5t/ha have provided an additional income of up to $1500/ha.

If you are considering sowing winter canola for the first time, think about your proposed purpose and factors such as: when you would like to plant, grazing intervals, weed control options with the in-built Clearfield technology, nutritional requirements and harvest management.

Of course, should you like any advice at all, please feel free to get in touch with me directly. https://www.pacificseeds.com.au/contact-us/

Justin Kudnig.

Hyola 970CL, Western Australia

In the southern areas of Western Australia and central areas of New South Wales, most growers are using winter canola types only for sheep or cattle grazing. Here, these are part of an overall annual grazing program that complements winter cereals and pastures, achieving gross returns of up to $2500/ha.

Growers in areas of southern NSW, the Riverina, Central and Southern Tablelands and Highlands, as well as some regions of Victoria and South Australia are achieving impressive dual-income streams from managing their winter canola crops with both grazing and grain uses in mind.

Some of these growers are taking advantage of the vernalisation requirement of winter types and grazing up to 120DSE/ha. Weight gains of 70g to 512g/day are being realised, amounting to grazing returns of up to $2000/ha.

Should I keep my existing crops or spray and replant?

Mon, 26 Oct 2020 05:56:34 GMT

By Trevor Philp, Pacific Seeds Grain Sorghum Technical Specialist

With an encouraging forecast for spring, some growers took advantage of available soil water from rainfall received during July and planted sorghum and corn in areas of northern New South Wales and the central Darling Downs.

For many, establishment has been mixed – with cooler-than-ideal soil temperatures, drying conditions post-planting, mice damage and late frost events all contributing.

Established crops are growing slowly due to these early setbacks and the lack of follow-up rainfall in early September. Apart from some cold spells, September and October have been warmer than average and quite windy, adding to an already challenging start.

Crops that are struggling to develop secondary roots will be at more risk of early season abiotic stress, such as nutritional deficiencies and attack from insect pests, including aphids, thrips and Rutherglen bug.

As winter crops – such as wheat, barley and chickpea – rapidly ripen and harvest begins, growers and agronomists need to keep a close watch on young summer crops, as insects will migrate from these winter crops in search of ‘greener pastures’.

A La Niña has now been officially declared, so when significant rainfall does eventuate, some growers may be faced with the difficult decision of keeping existing crops or spraying out and replanting.

Several factors need to be evaluated to make this decision: for dryland corn and sorghum, plant population is important – however, as a contributor to final yield, it is actually a relatively minor element.

Of more importance is, in fact, the uniformity of plant spacing and the evenness of crop growth – an evenly spaced low population will often perform better than a higher population of unevenly spaced plants.

Other considerations to replant will be expected yield, weed pressure, soil water profile, and the timing of year.

Trials conducted last season at the Pacific Seeds research farm evaluated the effect of increasing gaps (>50cm) in grain sorghum. We found significant yield penalty from ‘gappy’ establishments and a high ROI for replanting poorly established fields.

To see more of these results or to discuss your options for summer, please feel free to get in touch. https://www.pacificseeds.com.au/contact-us/

Trevor Philp

Growers urged to monitor crops as exotic pest spreads rapidly through Queensland

Mon, 26 Oct 2020 05:56:34 GMT

Farmers are being warned about the rapid movement of a threatening new pest throughout Queensland and into New South Wales – the Fall Armyworm.

The destructive caterpillar, which was first detected in Georgetown in North Queensland, has caused devastation in the Atherton Tablelands region through to Bowen, and following recent discovery of FAW in Northern New South Wales, the pest has again be located in Southern Queensland in the Lockyer Valley, Chinchilla and St George.

Principal Entomologist at Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Dr Melina Miles said early detection and communication within the agriculture community were essential to help battle this latest challenge for growers.

“The risk in Northern NSW and Central Queensland, in places like Emerald and the Darling Downs is real and growers there need to be on high alert,” said Dr Miles.

“Given FAW was recently detected in the several parts of Southern Queensland, growers should be watching both the level of activity in local traps and closely monitoring the vegetative state of their crops.

“They can work with their entomologist to identify the signs that FAW are active and to distinguish them from native armyworms.

“For sorghum growers it is important that they inspect the crops during that vegetative stage and not just from head emergence, particularly if traps are indicating that FAW are active either North or West of you.

FAWs, native to the tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas, are attracted to maize, sweet corn, popcorn, and pose a threat throughout the growing cycle.

“We’ve not previously seen a pest that can reduce the amount of functioning leaf area to the point where it warrants control in the vegetative stage, and that is what FAW is doing – particularly in maize and sweet corn,” said Dr Miles.

Fall armyworm larvae detected in corn/maize crops in Bundaberg, Lockyer Valley, Western Downs, St George and Wee Waa. Photo: Melina Miles

“In the Burdekin, growers tell you that every crop of maize or sorghum they have has been affected to some extent.

One of Australia’s largest seed providers, Pacific Seeds, have been working with the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries to develop solutions to combat the FAW, including providing seeds for seed treatment trials, working on an integrated pest management strategy, and simulating damage at varying crop stages to assist in refining the timing of control measures.

Pacific Seeds Summer Grains Agronomist Trevor Philp said farmers need to be aware of the risks.

“The spread of this pest could have unknown consequences for what promises to be a strong growing season, with a La Niña event driving potentially good rainfall across Australia,” said Mr Philp.

“That’s why we are working closely with the department to help give growers the tools to manage this invasive pest.

Photo: Melina Miles.

“Currently we’re simulating FAW damage on corn to see when growers should be intervening to avoid detrimental damage.

“This is because FAW damage can look worse than it is, and we don’t want growers intervening with pesticides until it’s necessary to do so,” said Mr Philp.

Following the recent discovery of FAW in the Lockyer Valley, Chinchilla and St George, Dr Melina Miles said that growers need to be monitoring their crops very closely as the pest has potential to impact any crop where food choice is limited.

“There is still a lot we need to learn about the effects of this pest on Australian crops, but as the summer cropping season continues, farmers across Queensland and northern New South Wales should remain on high alert and vigilant while work continues to assess the threat and find appropriate solutions,” Dr Miles said.

For more information on Fall Armyworm visit the DAF Queensland The Beatsheet website.

www.thebeatsheet.com.au/fall-armyworm

Banner image – Collection of armyworm collected from grasses beside sorghum paddock, Photo: www.TheBeatSheet.com.au

Women in Ag: The Force of female farming

Mon, 26 Oct 2020 05:56:34 GMT

The Australian Bureau of Statistics recently revealed 30 per cent of all farm managers in Australia’s $69 billion agriculture industry are women, and this is set to increase with women comprising of 55 per cent of enrolments in agriculture focused courses and degrees [1] .

Despite playing an increasingly integral role in the industry, the involvement of women in the many segments of the agriculture industry has often been mitigated by the stereotypical male image of the Australian agriculture industry.

Pacific Seeds managing director Barry Croker said women are integral to ensuring an innovative and sustainable future for Australian agriculture.

“Women have been a part of this industry since the dawn of time, but a general lack of awareness and acknowledgment of the role women play has meant that many traditionally think of agriculture as a male industry,” Mr Croker said.

“As a company, we make a conscious effort to employ people from all walks of life because we know that our business will directly benefit from a broad spectrum of individuals.

“In my experience, men and women working in the seed industry have a shared set core values but can have different ways of looking at things.

“Being able to tap into these different perspectives has allowed Pacific Seeds to stay at the forefront of innovation and farming practises,” he said.

Pacific Seeds employs more than 30 women across Australia across a number of segments within their business ranging from plant breeding, to seed production, agronomy, sales, logistics and administration.

Pacific Seeds Production Agronomist Renee Wildman is part of this new generation who are looking to make their mark on the industry.

“Historically, agriculture has been seen as a predominantly male industry, but we’re definitely starting to see this perception change, so much of the success of agriculture relies on the presence of women and their continued dedication,” she said.

“When you get down to the farming level, I don’t think a lot of farms would be able to function without the women on the property.

“When people think of the farming industry, they often only think of the people who work out in the field, but women are often the ones who take care of the essential accounting and back-end work.

“Ultimately, we need to look at how both men and women contribute a diverse range of perspectives, backgrounds and expertise, without which, the industry can’t achieve its full potential.”

Pacific Seeds Chief Financial Officer Cait Uren

Pacific Seeds Production Agronomist Renee Wildman

Ms Wildman said her experience growing up on a farm gave her a strong appreciation and understanding for the hard work that goes into the agriculture business but emphasised that a farming background isn’t necessary to build a great career in the industry.

“It’s a really exciting time to be a part of this industry, and we are going to need young Australians to continue taking an interest and understanding the incredible impact this sector has.”

“As populations continue to grow, our industry will play a major role in feeding the world and finding sustainable and innovative ways to achieve this – times like this really reinforces the value and the resilience of our work.

“I’ve only been working with Pacific Seeds since late 2019 and I’ve already established some great relationships within the industry – the work is very rewarding, and you won’t find a more welcoming or supportive community.”

“Agriculture is such a rich part of Australian culture and I couldn’t think of a better industry to grow within.” Renee Wildman

Pacific Seeds’ Chief Financial Officer Cait Uren who said the industry wouldn’t survive without the combined efforts of both men and women.

[1] Essential Role of Women in Agriculture, Queensland Farmers’ Federation, 2018

International Day of Rural Women – celebrating the beating heart of agriculture

Thu, 15 Oct 2020 05:56:34 GMT

Despite being heavily dependent on the contribution of women both on and off the paddock, the role women play in Australian agriculture has historically been under-recognised.

As women begin to represent greater numbers in agricultural courses, research positions and leadership roles, there has been a greater push to highlight the impact of women on Australia’s $62.2 billion industry.

On October 15, the International Day of Rural Women seeks to do just that by celebrating the women in rural areas who have dedicated their lives to their work and communities.

Rebecca Raymond, a Territory Manager with leading seed provider Pacific Seeds, said that in her 15 years in agriculture she’s seen the number of women working in the industry significantly increase.

“It can be tricky being a women in an industry that is made up largely of men, but as more women pursue roles in agriculture, and as new generations enter the workforce, we’re seeing a real shift,” said Ms Raymond.

“My role as territory manager is entirely based on my ability to connect and maintain relationships with growers, commercial agents, and agronomists.

“It’s can be an emotional role because you get to know these growers and learn about their lives, their families, when their businesses are thriving or struggling.

“For women, I do think there is always a level of having to prove yourself when you’re working with people who have been in this industry since they were kids and come from generations of expertise.

“Being a people-person has helped, I think you’ve got to be in these types of roles.

“The space for women in agriculture is growing and it’s fantastic to see so many young women pursuing careers in this industry and degrees in ag science.”

Based on data from the 2016 census, women account for over 30 per cent of Australia’s agricultural labor force, with these numbers expected to have considerably grown as more women pursue studies in agriculture.

Rebecca Raymond, Territory Manager

“Women have always been the heart of the farming families and historically their contribution to the industry had gone largely unacknowledged, or at the very least overshadowed,” said Ms Raymond.

“Now we’re seeing the daughters from these families return to run their own properties or take over the family business – I know it makes a huge difference in how women are perceived in the industry.

“There is certainly an energy that women bring to the industry that is important, but I think that is the same for any industry.

“When you have the access to a diverse range of people, it benefits all aspects of the industry immeasurably.

“I still believe there are ways to go – the industry needs to continue to support positive change and funnily enough I think COVID has actually helped that progress in some respect.

“Working from home and the growth in access to technology has been really beneficial for women, particularly for working mothers and new parents.

“Remote access to work is a great way to help women transition from maternity leave to part or full time work, and COVID has really accelerated this kind of flexibility.

“In general this helps both men and women share the load more at home and with their families – we’re seeing how beneficial it can be for everyone.

“As working parents, both my partner and I have the ability to work from home when needed and it just makes our lives easier.

“Knowing we can share things when need be, or one person can take on more while the other focuses on work is great – it’s goes a long way in making this industry a place where both men and women can thrive personally and professionally.

PAC 624 providing more options for dairy farmers

Tue, 15 Sep 2020 05:56:34 GMT

Pyree dairy farmers Tom and Kyleigh Cochrane have been growing PAC 624 as their main variety for silage for many years now and still think it is the best hybrid for their requirements.

“PAC 624 just seems to suit our conditions and it continually does the job for us with consistent yields with great quality due to its high starch content,” Tom Cochrane said.

Last season they planted a total of 52ha over several plantings under both irrigation and dryland.

“Our best yielding field was obviously the one under the centre pivot (24 ha) in an unforgiving season where rainfall was limited.

“Not sure exactly what it yielded but I am thinking about 65-70 t/ha of green chop and it made fantastic silage and we were very happy with the result.

“Our dryland paddocks did’nt do as well with the dry season and we also had plenty of grass/weed competition.

“It still made reasonable silage and we will feed our dry cows on it, being a bit lower in quality.”

Dig deep before making new season planting decisions

Mon, 14 Sep 2020 05:56:34 GMT

Spring has sprung and with it talk of a possible La Nińa weather pattern and improved rainfall prospects. Whilst good rainfall earlier this year have made us all much more optimistic, we should not forget the terribly dry conditions of recent years and the ongoing impact of this, particularly with regards to current soil moisture profiles.

In reviewing the Bureau of Meteorology’s three-year Rainfall Decile data for 2017- 2020, it is clear almost all of Australia’s sorghum growing region have received rainfall over the period classified as either very much below average or the lowest on record.

View original map on the Bureau of Meteorology website

With much of this region also lacking stubble cover for several years, water infiltration has also unfortunately been reduced making any rainfall events less effective than usual in building soil moisture. Keeping this in mind, it is important to ensure you have an accurate idea of your starting soil water, prior to making your decision to plant.

Recent soil coring results

Over the past weeks, the Pacific Seeds Technical Development Team has been in fields across the Darling Downs region performing pre-season soil coring tests on our trial sites. As expected, profiles have varied, a direct reflection of the challenging weather events over the last three years. It is worth noting the total water use for a high yielding grain sorghum crop can range from 500-600mm.

The table above shows examples of variation of soil water across a series of Darling Downs locations sampled in early September 2020 by the Pacific Seeds Technical Development Team.

Planting to the soil conditions

If planting into conditions which are less than ideal, it is important a hybrid is selected which can deliver regardless of the season.

Pacific Seeds’ MR-Bazley has been a key choice for Australia’s grain sorghum producers for many years. Its performance over the last three incredibly challenging years has only gone to further cement its reputation as the toughest product in the market. MR-Bazley ’s medium quick maturity, leading pre and post flowering stress tolerance and grain size, provides growers with reliability in the face of uncertainty. Combine this with its ability to respond to improved conditions through the season and you have a hybrid ideally suited to all situations.

MR-Bazley; on right demonstrating superior head emergence under moisture stress

MR-Bazley under irrigation

More information

For more information about MR-Bazley or other Pacific Seeds products as well as crop management advice, please contact your local Pacific Seeds Territory Manager or a Technical Development Team member.

A return to rainfall means good news for Aussie farmers

Mon, 14 Sep 2020 05:56:34 GMT

A positive weather forecast of above average rainfall and average summer temperatures has many Australian farmers hopeful for a bumper summer cropping season.

The Bureau of Meteorology has reported a 70 per cent chance of La Niña developing in Australia, indicating a promising rainfall prediction for many areas of the country.

Andrew Short from Pacific Seeds said that the most recent three-month outlook has many growers feeling very positive about the upcoming cropping season, especially after a string of difficult summer seasons.

“Both the predicted rainfall and temperature outlook are looking very encouraging. The sentiment amongst farmers has greatly improved, especially after seeing some good rainfall recently,” said Mr Short.

“We’ve already had some strong fronts coming through over the last two months which have been helping to finish off some of the winter crops and also to build moisture for summer cropping.

Insights from ABARES suggest that better seasonal conditions are expected to see the value of farm production increase to $61 billion in 2020–21, the third straight year over $60 billion. This is driven by a strong forecast rebound in grain production, up 15 per cent to $30.8 billion.

Allora-based grower David Peters said that the current weather projections have him entering the summer season with confidence.

“It’s been an extremely tough few years – we nearly didn’t plant a summer crop last year. So it’s great to have something to look forward to.

“There is a lot of optimism in the agriculture community at the moment, we’re all planning for a big summer crop.

Mr Short said that the promising weather forecast has been reflected in seed demand, with Pacific Seeds seeing an increase in summer crop orders compared to last year.

“Due to an improved water situation in New South Wales and Victoria, we’ve already seen very high demand for corn and equally high demand for grain sorghum in Queensland.

“People in the community have seen the three-month forecast and are encouraged by a return to wetter conditions.

“While the weather outlook is still a prediction, the signs are extremely promising – we can only hope it lives up to expectations and delivers a much needed successful season,” Mr Short said.

New resilient wheat variety announced for Aussie growers

Mon, 07 Sep 2020 05:56:34 GMT

The commercial release of a new wheat variety which will be available to growers for the 2021 winter season has been announced by Pacific Seeds.

Bred by LongReach Plant Breeders, and commercialised by Pacific Seeds, Longreach Stealth offers wheat growers a new variety specially developed to tolerate dry environments.

Wheat accounts for the majority of Australia’s $6 billion grain production, with Aussie growers producing about 25 million tonnes of wheat per year, and accounting for 3.5 per cent of annual global production.

Brad Jamieson Pacific Seeds National Sales Manager said that Stealth is a tough, mid-late maturity wheat that performs particularly well under dry finishes. It also features a provisional MRMS crown rot rating which makes it the highest rated APH variety in the market.

“As is the goal with every new product, our objective is to provide growers with varieties that are adapted to a wide range of environments which ultimately assists in improving profitability,” said Mr Jamieson.

“Along with its leading crown rot rating and tough nature, Stealth also has solid resistance to all major leaf diseases like stem rust, leaf rust and stripe rust.

“Results from in-house and industry trials reinforce Stealth’s performance under tight finishes, which in recent times have become increasingly more common.

Longreach Stealth has received Australian Prime Hard (APH) classification in Queensland and Northern New South Wales, APW classification in South Australia and Victoria, along with a MRMS crown rot rating and the highest APH crown rot rating in the market.

“This variety is ideally suited to northern New South Wales and southern Queensland markets, but also provides a competitive choice for growers in southern Australia and Victoria,” said Mr Jamieson.

“Pacific Seeds wheat varieties are recognised for their excellent quality and grain size. We are looking forward to Stealth continuing to add to this reputation over the next few years.”

New agronomy initiative to supercharge Ag industry

Mon, 31 Aug 2020 05:56:34 GMT

Leading seed provider Pacific Seeds has announced a new initiative which promises to deliver new technological solutions and help farmers navigate the emerging technological revolution in agriculture.

Foundation Farm is an innovation hub for ag-tech that will provide a trial site for emerging technological and data-based solutions to the increasingly complex challenges facing modern farmers and agronomists, such as increasing input costs and climate variability.

Pacific Seeds Summer Grains Agronomist Trevor Philp said that this program will not only assess new technologies but will also act as a foundation for innovative research that will significantly benefit the whole community.

“We are excited about the potential benefits this project will deliver to the current farming community, but also to many future farmers as well,” said Mr Philp.

“With new technologies and start-up businesses emerging every day, deciding on the best solutions for your farm can be a confusing and challenging decision.

“Growers and agronomists need somewhere these technologies can be tested, and their value proven.

“While this hub will be used to test and demonstrate the value of new technologies and management techniques prior to implementation on farms, Pacific Seeds also identified a real demand for every day practical solutions and the need for a centre to educate young farmers and agronomists.

“As new data-driven systems for sustainable and efficient farming emerge, the need to bring together innovative likeminded businesses, researchers and farmers has never been more apparent.”

The Foundation Farm site is situated on the outskirts of the Southern Queensland town of Allora and consists of approximately 32 hectares of black clay loam soil and provides capability for both irrigated and dryland farming systems for key crops such as grain sorghum, forage sorghum and corn.

“We will begin planting the first crops within the next few weeks with plans for an official launch in early 2021,” said Mr Philp.

“Our preliminary focus will be technologies specifically targeted at summer crops, with growers being able to maximise the genetic potential of their crops through the use of optimised agronomy packages. As the program expands, we intend to diversify the target crops and even venture into livestock production systems.

Pacific Seeds have established Foundation Farm on five core pillars, comprising of new technology, crop protection, crop agronomy, sustainable farming systems, and training.

“We also hope this project can bring some economic benefit to the Allora community through the research results as well as the many visitors it will bring to the town.”

Planting summer crops into cooler soils

Mon, 31 Aug 2020 05:56:34 GMT

View this article as a PDF document

With Spring fast approaching, some recent rain and a promising seasonal outlook, thoughts are fast turning to planting of grain sorghum, forage sorghum and corn. We thought it timely to again share important information related to planting summer crops into cooler soils.

Unless you have access to a weather station with a built-in soil thermometer, it will be necessary to manually take soil temperature readings to determine how close you are to optimum planting conditions.

TEMPERATURE CHECKS
A note on the practice of the early morning temperature check with a soil thermometer. Although this can provide an indication of the soil temperature at the coldest part of the day, it does not take into account the changes in temperature your crop will be growing through outside of this time.

A more reliable method is to take a soil temperature reading at around 7:30am and then again at 3:30pm each day. Readings at around these times will provide an indication of your maximum and minimum soil temperatures – from here you can calculate your daily average soil temperature.

You should take these daily readings over a period of a week or more to get an idea of the trend (rising, falling or flat). It is also important to look ahead at the weather forecast to determine if a cold spell may be shortly approaching.

SOIL TEMPERATURE TRENDS
A reminder of recommended minimum soil temperature trends prior to planting:
• Grain Sorghum: 16°C and rising
• Forage Sorghum: 14°C and rising
• Corn: 12°C and rising

EFFECTS OF SLOW SEEDLING EMERGENCE
If planting into soils cooler than the recommended minimums above, you should expect slower emergence and greater field establishment losses.

Planting when temperatures are lower than this can lead to a less than ideal plant population, reduced yield potential, management challenges later in the season or even the need to replant.

When the emergence of sorghum plants is slowed, they are more susceptible to attack from insects and other pests such as mice as well as disease infection.

It is important to remember to adjust your planting rate to consider any expected reduction in field establishment.

NOTE: The information provided in this publication is intended as a guide only. Advanta Seeds Pty Ltd (‘Advanta Seeds’) (including its officers, employees, contractors and agents) can not guarantee that every statement
is without flaw of any kind. While Advanta Seeds has taken all due care to ensure that the information provided is accurate at the time of publication, various factors, including planting times and environmental conditions may alter the characteristics and performance from plants. Advanta Seeds shall not be liable for any errors or omissions in the information or for any loss, injury, damage or other consequence whatsoever that you or any person might incur as a result of your use of or reliance upon the products (whether Advanta Seeds products or otherwise) and information which appear in this publication. To the maximum extent permitted by law, the liability of Advanta Seeds for any claim whatsoever arising out of the supply or use of or reliance upon the products and information in this publication (including liability for breach of any condition or warranty implied by the Trade Practices Act 1974 or any other law) is limited at its discretion, to the replacement of the products, the supply of equivalent products or the resupply of the
publication. For application to specific conditions, seek further advice from a local professional. © Advanta Seeds 2020.

North Queensland farmer wins 2020 Mark Donaldson Memorial Shield

Tue, 18 Aug 2020 05:56:34 GMT

A prestigious dryland grain growing award has gone to a North Queensland farmer for the first time in its history, with Burdekin grower David Williams taking home the honours.

The Mark Donaldson Memorial Shield is awarded each year by Pacific Seeds to a deserving crop, with Mr Williams, who farms west of Home Hill, receiving the award for a crop of Resolute which yielded an average of 5.2 tonnes per hectare.

Mr Williams said he was pleased with the average yield and to be recognised in a region that is better known for cane.

“This is our third year growing sorghum in this paddock and it continues to improve,” he said.

“We were fortunate to plant into a full moisture profile this year after we received over 200mm in just a couple of days at the end of January.”

The red clay loam of the paddock meant that Mr Williams was able to get seed in the ground only five days after they received such a deluge.

“Being able to get the planter in so quickly meant we took advantage of a full moisture profile,” Mr Williams said.

The sorghum was planted on 750mm rows at a 3kg seed rate and accompanied by fertiliser at planting and again in early March prior to another rain event.

“It really has been a wet year for us and while that comes with its benefits, it has also been a challenge bringing grain in dry and of good quality,” Mr Williams said.

“We received over 250mm of in crop rain and then received another 50mm unexpectedly after we had already sprayed out.

“While we were very concerned about sprouting, the Resolute held on strong and we did not receive any downgrade in quality, it’s definitely a seed variety that seems to suit our climate and one we’ll be trying again.”

The competition for the Mark Donaldson Memorial shield has traditionally focused on sorghum crops from the Queensland’s Central Highlands, but has extended its reach this year in line with the continued growth of sorghum in northern Queensland.

Previous winners include the Donaldson family with MR-Taurus in 2019, the Gregg family with MR-Bazley in 2018, the Sampson family with MR-Buster in 2017, the Lund family with Pacific MR43 in 2016, Garry Gersbach with MR-Apollo in 2015, Ivan Gowlett with MR-Scorpio in 2014, Garry Gersbach with Pacific MR43 in 2013, David and Alan Storey with MR-Buster in 2012 and Alan Garside with MR-Buster in 2011.

The next generation of game-changing canola hybrids

Mon, 17 Aug 2020 05:56:34 GMT

One of Australia’s largest seed providers Pacific Seeds has announced the commercial release of three new canola hybrids for 2021 which are exclusive to the company.

Australia produces between 2 to 3 million tonnes of canola per year, at a value of approximately $1 billion, with Western Australia the largest producer, followed by New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia.

Pacific Seeds National Canola Technical Manager Justin Kudnig said that these new hybrids have been developed to provide greater flexibility to farmers.

“Our three new canola hybrids have been adapted to grow across all states, and with high yields, top vigor ratings and an excellent quad-gene blackleg rating of R, these hybrids will be a strong addition to any farmer’s rotations,” Mr Kudnig said.

“Each hybrid has its own unique qualities, but the core fundamentals of weed control, yield reliability, dual herbicide tolerance and high oil capability are strong across all three canola varieties.

“We’re thrilled to announce the release of two new dual herbicide stacked products – Hyola Enforcer CT and Hyola Garrison XC, which have been designed for integrated weed management and protection against chemical carryover from previous crops.

“As Aussie canola growers experience the full commercial value and agronomic protection provided by dual stacked technologies, they will be able to see the advantage firsthand of adding products like Enforcer CT and Garrison XC to their program.

“And with significant increases in both the number of crop species being released with IMI tolerance and the cropping areas being sown to IMI based technologies, these new hybrids will be an important tool in Australian growers integrated weed management (IWM) arsenal.

Hyola Enforcer CT is a non-GM product and the first in a new generation of Clearfield and Triazine (CT) dual herbicide stacked hybrids.

“We’re seeing a rise in popularity for CT hybrids and Enforcer CT is a great tool for IWM and managing Group B imidazolinone (IMI) residues in drier seasons. We have a big pipeline of CT products that we think will be very popular with Aussie farmers,” Mr Kudnig said.

“Hyola Garrison XC is the first release from Pacific Seeds’ next generation of canola hybrids featuring dual TruFlex and Clearfield (XC) herbicide tolerance.

“This GM hybrid will be a great product for all canola growers but is likely to be of particular interest to growers in South Australia who through a recent change in legislation are now able to grow genetically modified crops.

“Garrison XC combines TruFlex’s wider spray window and ability to apply higher, more effective chemical rates with the option to apply IMI herbicides in-crop or alternatively to plant into soils with IMI soil residue.

During 2019 trials of Hyola Enforcer CT and Hyola Garrison XC showed impressive financial returns per hectare.

“The third new canola hybrid to be commercially available in 2021 is Hyola Blazer TT. This product is our latest triazine tolerant (TT) release with very high blackleg resistance” Mr Kudnig said.

“In both extensive Pacific Seeds Research trials and NVT Trials to date, Hyola Blazer TT delivered considerable yield returns which were equal to or greater than popular competitor TT hybrids.

“All three of these hybrids have been developed to make many growers seasonal cropping programs more flexible and profitable.

“By combining competitive yield performance with leading, and indeed world first herbicide tolerance stacking, we have no doubt these products will become an important part of Australian canola grower’s rotations.”

The next generation of canola has arrived.

Take your 2021 season to new heights with the latest Hyola® varieties. Introducing Blazer TT, Garrison XC and Enforcer CT.

Singleton corn still a winner

Mon, 10 Aug 2020 05:56:34 GMT

Despite the 2019-20 season being unusually tough, Singleton dairy farmer John Redgrove and son Daniel still managed to grow enough corn to fill the pit with 10,000 tonnes of silage.

The Redgrove Family, who run 550 milking Holsteins at ‘Rowenvale’, planted 220 hectares of corn last season and saw some good yields.

“In this last season, which we all know was very testing, our PAC 624 corn still yielded about 70t/ha of green chop.

“We planted 220ha of corn including one paddock that was double cropped and ended up with 10,000t of silage under cover, so it’s not hard to work out the PAC 624 was well ahead of the rest if it went up to 70t/ha.

“We did try some short season corn, but never again. We applied the same amount of fertilizer, it received the same amount of water and yielded about 40 per cent less than PAC 624.”

Mr Redgrove said their program has not changed much in the past few years.

“We normally plant a few different varieties because we also grow corn for grain as well and have a long planting window, but our main hybrid we grow for silage is PAC 624 and has been for some time.

“It’s consistently our best variety for both yield and quality (starch) year in, year out.

“It’s still number one as far as I am concerned.”

The Redgroves also planted Sprint forage sorghum last season mainly for hay and with further water restrictions, forage sorghum may play a bigger role in their overall fodder program.

“The Sprint was certainly nice and fine for hay and the quick regrowth was phenomenal.”

Looking to the 2020/21 season, the Redgroves will reduce their corn planting to 60ha due to low water allocations.

“We need to make every post a winner and can’t afford to grow hybrids that are not proven performers for our area, so PAC 624 will once again be our main variety.

“We are reluctant to increase our plant population from 70,0000 seeds/ha as this is a great compromise for us, giving a combination of good yield coupled with a good starch content.

“We may be able to lift our overall yield if we were to plant at 80,000/ha, but that would be at the expense of reducing our grain or starch yield, which is what we want in the finished product.”

10t/ha sorghum crop brings relief after scrapping cotton

Tue, 23 Jun 2020 05:56:34 GMT

With an extremely poor outlook for cotton last summer, it came as a relief to the Coventry family near Texas when their alternative crop of sorghum produced 10t/ha at harvest in April.

Richard Coventry and sons Ian and Scott of ‘Coomooroo’, Bonshaw, usually grow 80 hectares of cotton every summer, but with minimal irrigation water, they switched to the more water efficient crop.

“We moved to sorghum because of the water use efficiency and the attractive prices,” Ian Coventry said.

Mr Coventry said on the advice of their independent agronomist Patrick Jones, they planted 38.5ha of MR-Buster on December 1.

“We’ve grown a few different varieties over the years, but MR-Buster is always a safe bet.”

The crop was planted at 55,000 seeds/ha using a Monosem disc opener on 36inch spacings into a paddock sown to cotton the previous summer and fallowed in winter 2019.

The growers applied 150kg/ha of urea and 100kg/ha of potassium.

Coomooroo is set up for dryland and irrigated cropping, but on this occasion, some available bore water helped water up the crop via two centre pivots.

“We do a small amount of dryland sorghum, but the bores had enough to get the crop going.

“We received 29mm of rain in December, 62mm in January, and got lucky with 185mm falling in February. March was back down to 67mm.”

Mr Coventry said the crop looked excellent all season and they began harvesting in early April.

“We put 380 tonnes of grain in the silos on farm, so a 9.9t/ha average is a very pleasing result.”

He said they will use most of the grain to fatten their steers.

Goondiwindi property finds perfect cotton alternative in Sentinel IG sorghum

Wed, 17 Jun 2020 05:56:34 GMT

Cotton is the lifeblood of Goondiwindi cropping and cattle operation Duddy Management, but herbicide tolerant grain sorghum has been gaining favour over the past few seasons due to its suitability for dryland and irrigation situations, high yield potential and group B chemical tolerance.

Owners Brian Duddy and his son James oversee 4000 hectares of dryland and 2000ha of irrigated cropping country. James Duddy said last summer they had chosen two fields for cotton but a lack of water meant sorghum was the safer option.

“We had two fields in long fallow for 18 months following a successful irrigated wheat crop.

“The optimal time for our cotton plant is October but given the circumstances around the drought – no water allocations or inflow – there was no water stored on farm and no ability to irrigate cotton.

“If we miss out on our cotton opportunity, we always intend on planting the next best option.

“Given the circumstances, Sentinel IG sorghum fit that bill. It’s a high tillering variety which performs in irrigated situations.

“The stubble retention from the wheat crop gave us the opportunity to develop a profile of moisture, but closer to planting time, we were unable to reach that moisture as it was 30cm deep.

“We planted sorghum dry in front of a really positive forecast of rain.”

The fertiliser program included 150kg/ha of MOP, which was applied in September with the use of a one tripper which cleared a path in the stubble for the John Deere MaxEmerge planter. Planting began on January 16 which included 240ha of Sentinel IG sorghum under two lateral irrigators and 10ha of Sentinel IG dryland using a rate of 75,000 seeds/ha on 1m row spacings.

Mr Duddy said they finished sowing at lunchtime and by dark it was raining.

“The crop was essentially rain grown throughout February and March.

“We were fortunate to see a decent run in the river and after the catchment received good inflows, we were able to harvest 2000ML.”

The sorghum received 1.2ML/ha through the laterals in 50mm increments across five applications. Irrigation manager David Campbell applied in-crop fertiliser in the form of 200kg/ha urea and 1.2L/ha of Awaken. The crop was then harvested in the last week of May.

“The first lateral averaged 9t/ha and the second lateral averaged 9.5t/ha,” Mr Duddy said.

“The test weight and screenings were really good, and all of our deliveries have been sorghum one.

“The moderate daytime temperatures certainly helped throughout the growing period, allowing the crop to perform to its full potential.”

The Sentinel IG was harvested at 17 per cent moisture and was run through the on-farm drying facility, allowing them to sell 750t and keep the rest in on-farm storage. Dryland manager Lachlan Pimm said Sentinel IG’s in-crop herbicide control option was not needed for this crop but is a handy feature to have.

“We have planted a dryland Sentinel crop into a paddock which had Flame applied ten months earlier and then used Intervix in-crop to control barnyard grass and it did a fantastic job of that.”

PAC 624 offering silage options for dairy farmers

Fri, 29 May 2020 05:56:34 GMT

Growing corn on the Shoalhaven river flats is always going to be a risky proposition for the Manildra Group but since venturing into it some 6 years ago they have grown some tremendous crops.

“In theory the flats are ideal for growing corn but we always have to live with the threat of floods wiping the crops out. If the floods appear early on you potentially lose everything with corn but other plant species at least allow you to salvage something,” Greg Smith, Farming Manager said.

The corn grown on the Nowra farm fits their program very well with the recycled water from the starch factory being used to irrigate the corn. Corn being a very big user of water compliments their operation and all the corn (200 ha of PAC 624 last season) is grown for silage. The silage is both used on farm and sold to local dairy farmers.

Farming Manager at the Groups Nowra farm, Greg Smith says “you always start worrying after Christmas about the potential of floods & the impact they might have on standing crops of corn with all your input costs already outlaid up front”.

“That’s exactly what happened this last season with river water inundating a lot of the corn and for several days causing some of it to die prematurely. It was a mad rush to get contractor John Henry & his team in to salvage most of it before plant moisture dried to nothing. It was not so much the local water from the 150 mm but the water that came out of the hills where there was up to 400 mm at Robertson and 300mm at Bugong. All the water met together causing king tides resulting in the Shoalhaven River & Broughton Creek breaking their banks,” Greg said.

“Our later planted corn was generally on higher country and was not affected as bad and we were able to chop it all at close to the right moisture of 32% DM.”

“Overall, 75% of our corn was inundated to various levels resulting in a difficult silage harvest with corn ranging from almost dead to spot on moisture in the same field. The early plant (October/November) was obviously more advanced was more effected than the later December plant,” Greg added.

“We may implement a change of approach by planting some quicker maturing corn to try and get us away from chopping in the most prone period for higher rainfall – late Jan-Feb.

“I was more than impressed with the new quicker corn PAC 328 (CRM 104) that Pacific Seeds trialled and had on show at a field day earlier in the year at John Henry’s. That type of maturity looks like it does not give away too much yield compared to the corns under 100 CRM maturity but will come in some 10-14 days quicker than PAC 624.”

“Having said that we will find it hard to go away from PAC 624 as we have been growing it since we first started 6 years ago and it has been really good to us and very consistent with good yields and plenty of starch. It always produces a bloody good cob and plant making excellent silage. The cob size really impressed us and that is what we are chasing, energy not protein in the corn silage.”

Picton Reuse Farm still going strong on BMR forage

Fri, 22 May 2020 05:56:34 GMT

Six years on from introducing brown mid rib (BMR) summer forage sorghum to the Picton Reuse Farm in the Sydney basin, manager Will Davies has trialled a newer, quicker growing variety.

Last season he introduced BMR Rocket to his summer forage program in addition to his first choice, BMR Octane.

Summer forages have proven to be a very important part of utilising the nutrient enriched effluent water at the Picton farm. Located 90km south of Sydney, the 322ha farm irrigates crops with treated effluent using its 40ha of fixed pivot irrigation and 50ha of solid set (fixed sprinkler) irrigation.

Two pivots were planted to forage sorghum last summer. One pivot was planted to 16ha of BMR Octane on December 14 and the second was planted to 23ha of BMR Rocket on December 20.

Mr Davies said the farm is usually planted to oats and ryegrass in winter so he can’t sow much earlier.

“We can’t plant much earlier with our tight program of oats/rye grass in the winter.

“By the time we get the last cut off, it’s usually late November and we like to have the oats/ryegrass replanted by early May.

“So we’re only chasing two good cuts off the forage sorghum and then putting it into large square wrapped bales.”

BMR products are put into 8x3x3 square bales and sold mainly to dairy farmers around the basin. The first cut took place in the middle of February and the second cut was at the end of April. BMR Octane cut slightly better than BMR Rocket on the first cut – though it was planted a week earlier. However, BMR Rocket bounced away much quicker after the first cut, producing more than BMR Octane on the second cut. Also, Mr Davies noticed the BMR Rocket tillered more after the first cut.

“With the delayed planting even further this last season, the heatwave conditions at germination and the very wet February-March period, we were behind with our production compared to last year, with 9.56 tonnes of dry matter per hectare versus 5.76t/ha DM this year.

“Also, as a result of the wet, we didn’t get a chance to top dress with urea after the first cut because the pivots were not trafficable, but it did receive 100 kg/ha of solid fertiliser N24 P1 K23.

“Considering the testing season, we are still happy with the overall result.

“I just like the BMR gene making it a bit softer material and therefore a bit more palatable as opposed to other forage sorghums and it does the job for me.

“I think BMR Rocket has a lot to offer as well, particularly if we get the opportunity to plant earlier, and I think bumping up the planting rate from 16kg/ha to 20kg/ha has made a difference in the fineness of the material.”

Emerald Hill growers optimistic about new sorghum varieties

Fri, 22 May 2020 05:56:34 GMT

Emerald Hill grower Peter Loveridge is all about trying new things on farm. Mr Loveridge, who farms with his parents Trevor and Colleen and sister Lucy, said his latest experimentation has been with sorghum varieties.

“We used to grow MR-Buster for years and it served us well, then we moved to MR-Taurus a few years back,” he said.

“For the 2019-20 season, our agronomist Andrew Ceeney suggested we try MR-Bazley and Sentinel.

“We have to look forward at these new varieties. It’s worth seeing what works and what might give you a yield advantage.”

Mr Loveridge said the plan was to grow 38ha of sorghum and 44ha of cotton on paddocks serviced by two new lateral irrigators, but the cotton was destroyed.

“Our cotton was looking good until November 30 when the entire crop was hailed out.

“It was too late to replant cotton, so we decided to go all sorghum.”

Mr Loveridge prepared the area by applying 20 cubic metres per hectare of chicken manure and doing some pre-watering.

“We used a lot of manure so it would set the area up for years to come and the pre-irrigation helped build the moisture profile.”

He then applied 300kg/ha of urea and 10L/ha of Starter Z before sowing 38ha of Sentinel on December 7 and 44ha of MR-Bazley five days later.

“We chose the Sentinel because it can aim for top end yields under irrigation and it also has the benefit of being imidazolinone-tolerant, so we can use group B chemistry to tidy up the barnyard grass in-crop. It was worth doing. It tidied up the area nicely. The MR-Bazley being a tough variety also spreads the risk a little.”

Mr Loveridge made six passes with the laterals, ranging from 26mm to 53mm per application. Good rain from February onwards meant he could switch off the tap. Harvest at the Emerald Hill property began on April 25, with Sentinel yielding an average of 9.7t/ha and MR-Bazley producing 9.5t/ha when it came off three days later. In addition to the summer crop change, the family, who grow wheat, barley and chickpeas in winter, are looking to replace their main wheat variety Spitfire with something newer.

“Spitfire’s been our go-to for many, many years, but Hellfire looks to out yield it significantly, so we’ll need to investigate it too.

‘It’s all about getting the most out of the latest technology, and if something better comes along, we want to trial it.”

Hunter Valley farm Sprints through tough season with forage sorghum

Fri, 15 May 2020 05:56:34 GMT

Like most farms in the upper Hunter Valley last season, ‘Alabama’ at Aberdeen was desperate for a good soaking rain to relieve the pasture and feed situation.

Farm manager Vince Falzon wanted to avoid buying in hay, so he turned to forage sorghum to make their own hay and silage for the Angus herd.

“Our agronomist Ian Downey at Ace Ohlsson suggested we grow Sprint forage sorghum due to its good reputation for producing very fine leaves and stems, excellent fine regrowth (being a sudan X sudan cross) and suitability for direct grazing,” Mr Falzon said.

In late October, he planted 24 hectares of Sprint both dryland and under irrigation at 20kg/ha.

By the end of January, Mr Falzon was eying off his third cut until enough rain fell to end the drought.

As a result, the third cut was delayed, and instead of getting five cuts from the irrigated section, he got four, with a salvage grazing at the end.

“We got two really good cuts and the last two were obviously weather affected. In the case of the third cut, it got a bit rank due to the big rain, but it has proved to be a quick fix for us.

“The Sprint has been phenomenal for us and we are either using it here on farm or storing it for later.

“I must admit, with the hot dry summer it took a bit to keep the water up to it, but we now have good fodder reserves.

“Sprint is certainly nice and fine for hay and silage and is very quick to regrow, with massive numbers of tillers.”

Woodville farmers finish cropping season on top

Fri, 15 May 2020 05:56:34 GMT

The Vollmer family at Woodville near Maitland have finished their corn and forage growing season on a positive note despite challenging summer conditions. Dave and his wife Clare, his parents Alwyn and Janette, and his brother and sister-in-law Tony and Bree run dairy farm ‘Glen View’.

Dave Vollmer said they grew a double crop of corn for pit silage and grazed and baled a crop of forage sorghum while contending with extreme heat and dry as well as a powerful storm.

“We planted our 30 hectares of PAC 624 on November 1 at 85,000 seeds/ha which came through the extremely hot and dry summer very well,” he said.

“We ended up chopping it about 10 days early in early February because there was a big east coast low with 300mm of rain and a lot of wind predicted.

“I’m really pleased we made the call because we ended up with over 250mm with the expected wind.

“It might be a bit on the wet side, but at least it’s all in the pit and not flat on its back or washed down the river.”

The farmers have been growing PAC 624 for six years now as their main hybrid for silage production for the dairy.

“We really like PAC 624 as our main hybrid because it gives us a good yield coupled with excellent quality and last season it yielded 70t/ha of green chop.”

Accompanying the PAC 624 for the November sowing was a small area of a quicker maturing corn to get the program moving.

“We planted a bit of quicker corn just so we could have silage coming in sooner and it spreads our risks as well.

“We turned around and planted the same quicker corn in the same block in February and it came through really well when we chopped it mid-May.

“Double cropping corn isn’t something we normally do, but last season being what it was, it forced us to try to make every post a winner and it certainly paid off for us.”

Mr Vollmer said their forage program also went well despite the weather disruptions.

“We grew a few different types of forage sorghums but we should’ve just stuck to Superdan 2. It’s a much better product for us and our hay requirements.

“We’ve grown Superdan 2 for years now and it is still the best for hay in our minds.”

The Vollmers planted the 4ha block on December 28 and were looking to cut it until the rain began in mid-February

“We made the decision to strip graze it in front of the rain and then it stayed fairly wet for the next six weeks.

“That meant it was taller than we would have liked to cut and wrap for silage, but at least we were able to put it away in round bales.”

Short summers no barrier for PAC 328

Fri, 08 May 2020 05:56:34 GMT

Given the constraints of a very short summer growing season compared to the inland or coast, the Monaro district a round Cooma can still grow corn successfully.

One such grower is Luke Kimber from Dromore Station who usually grows corn for silage for the family dairy down the mountains at Bega.

When the Kimber’s bought the property about 10 years ago it was already laid out with 6 centre pivots (previous owners were growing vegetables) with water coming from the upper reaches of the Murrumbidgee river.

Today the Kimber’s grow mainly Lucerne for hay under the pivots but also 2 pivots in the summer are put down to corn. Due to the shorter season, quicker corns are grown to give some insurance against early frosts with planting not able to commence until November. This then leaves a maximum of 4 months frost free so corn with CRM maturities of 85-100 are usually selected to give some safety.

This last autumn the first frost appeared in mid-March with Luke’s corn still a couple of weeks off from the optimum chopping stage.

Like everywhere else last season was a very difficult & testing one with lack of water & useful rainfall. This meant the planting was delayed and the crop stalled resulting in a delayed maturity & rending it to early frost which is exactly what happened. We planted a 94 day corn and tried a bag of the new Pacific Seeds quicker variety PAC 328 (104 CRM).

Luke was more than impressed with the performance of PAC 328, commenting,

“Even though PAC 328 (104 CRM) is a few of days longer it was a much bigger plant and as a result produced more bulk. In a normal season I think it is still quick enough to get through before the early frosts. I would be rather keen to plant part of a pivot of it next season to give it a real good go,” Luke said.

Southern Highlands newcomers have big plans for their property

Fri, 08 May 2020 05:56:34 GMT

Southern Highlands newcomers James and Kylie Fitzpatrick have big plans for their new property, ‘Glenora’, at Avoca.

The husband and wife team bought the old dairy farm with the idea of developing it into a beef cattle operation.

The pair have been busy bringing the 112ha property up to scratch, organising fencing, drainage, cultivation and cropping.

“We’ve spent a lot of money bringing it into line, including internal fencing, an internal drainage system, and more recently, we deep ripped all the cultivation country,” Mr Fitzpatrick said.

“The money spent on the internal drainage was well and truly justified over the past couple of months, with big areas turned to a soak during the 300 – 400mm we received.”

Heading into spring 2019, the farmers planned to grow corn for silage, but with deteriorating seasonal conditions and no sub soil moisture, they consulted Bowral Co-op agronomist Alex Good.

They decided to plant forage sorghum for hay and silage as a lower risk alternative, sowing their entire 80ha farming area to the crop.

They planted 48ha of Sprint due to its very fine stems and leaves which are perfect for hay, along with 32ha of BMR Rocket for round bale silage and/or hay.

“Ideally I would love to put any silage I make into a pit rather than bale it, but last season was different and part of my planning was to sell the excess hay/silage I put into round bales,” Mr Fitzpatrick said.

The 2019/20 summer season ended up being a real challenge for them, with very limited soil moisture at planting resulting in a very sparse germination originally. Luckily, everything came up later when rain fell in January. However, with no recent cultivation history, there were soft and hard spots throughout the paddocks resulting in loss of plant stands. They managed to cut it all around February 14.

“It was a little taller than I wanted but this was due to the rain and double germination before the big rain but it still made very nice silage.

“After we swathed the crop, we chopped the material before going into the baler.”

They ended up with 750 round bales off the 80ha. After the first cut, everything turned pear shaped. 300-400mm of rain fell over a period of four to six weeks, resulting in big soak areas with springs opening up and it was just too wet to get a complete second cut.

“We managed to get 200 bales off the drier areas on our second cut and then green mulched it all in.

“A disappointing end, but at least we were able to salvage something and recover our costs.”

The country has since been deep ripped and has been planted to oats/vetch with the idea of putting it into pit silage in the spring.

“Both Sprint and BMR Rocket did the job for us under trying conditions.

“By chopping the material before going into the throat of the baler made it all a nice fine material.

“Now that we have got the property into some sort of shape, we’ll start to introduce cattle, which means our cropping area will fall next season, but we still hope to grow either corn or forage sorghum for silage or even both, but in pits not bales.

Pacific Seeds wheat program boosted by an expert recruit

Thu, 07 May 2020 05:56:34 GMT

Wheat breeding in Western Australia has just received a boost with a molecular breeding expert from South Africa recently joining specialist seed breeding company LongReach Plant Breeders.

WA farmers produce 15 per cent or $8.6 billion of Australia’s $59b agricultural production according to the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics (ABARES) with 65pc of that output consisting of wheat production.

Wheat breeder Dr Scott Sydenham (PhD, Molecular Breeding) was recruited by the LongReach Plant Breeders team to provide his expertise in molecular breeding and said that his main drive was to help growers to navigate common issues like pests, diseases, and climate volatility.

“In South Africa I was a pre-breeder on multiple national projects, specialising in molecular breeding, so one part of my job with LongReach is applying my molecular marker expertise,” Dr Sydenham said.

“More or less, that translates into creating competitive varieties with resistance to specific diseases and pests while looking at ways to modify seed varieties to better handle periods of drought.

LongReach has spent nearly two decades providing wheat growers in Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales, and Queensland with superior wheat varieties to overcome an array of environmental challenges.

The company, a joint venture between Pacific Seeds and Syngenta Australia, has research teams across the country but this will be its first breeder in WA.

With climate volatility representing a constant hurdle for wheat farmers, the introduction of superior varieties has given growers greater surety during periods of drought and also support in disease and pest resistance.

“Along with product development officer Matu Peipi here in WA, I will be working on a national scale to lead certain trait introduction projects by targeting needed traits that complement the Australian environment,” Dr Sydenham said.

“There are a lot of fascinating traits in Australian wheat that I hadn’t had exposure to before, which has given me an incredible opportunity to interact with world-renowned researchers.

“We’re currently looking at starting more regional developmental pipelines for diseases and abiotic stresses that are relevant to WA conditions – this is something we’ll be working on for the next three to five years and hope will produce significant outcomes for growers in this region.

“Through the LongReach program, our goal is to deliver growers robust and high yielding varieties with attractive traits for all the key production zones of the Australian wheatbelt.

“Ultimately it comes down to creating the best possible varieties for the growers and to boost their profitability. “We’re really excited about what is to come in the next couple of years.

“There is a lot of potential in the pipeline.”

Farmer makes $3600/ha with Hyola 970CL canola

Tue, 05 May 2020 05:56:34 GMT

Southwest Victorian farmer Tom Wilson went into his first season growing graze and grain canola not knowing what to expect, but after seeing returns of $3600 per hectare, he’s sold on the idea of the dual-purpose crop.

Mr Wilson, farm manager at 2300ha merino and lamb operation Salt Creek, Woorndoo, had grown canola for grain before but he wanted to branch out to dual-purpose canola.

“We’ve grown grazing cereals like red wheat and regular canola, but this was the first time growing grazing canola,” he said.

“We needed to find some opportunity feed for late autumn and early winter, and rather than growing annual ryegrass or silage which gives you one shot, we liked the added bonus of a cash crop.

“We looked at it a few times in the district and our agronomist suggested we give it a try.”

He decided to plant 50ha of Hyola 970CL in mid-December 2018 following 70mm of rain, but then the tap turned off until the following May.

“It was very hardy considering we had little rain for the first half of the year.”

Mr Wilson grazed lambs on it in March-April and June, harvested the crop for grain in December 2019 and did a third grazing in January-February this year.

The crop was sown at 3kg/ha. The fertiliser program included 80kg//ha of MAP at plant, 1t/ha of lime and 400kg/ha of gypsum in March, 150kg/ha of urea in mid-June and 200kg/ha of urea in mid-August.

Looking at the total life of the crop from December 2018 to February 2020, it received 650mm of rain.

For the March-April grazing, he put 1500 lambs on the canola and recorded a total weight gain of 3.25kg per lamb over five weeks. Across the 1500 lambs, that was 4875kg of weight gain, and at $4/kg, equated to $19,500 or $390/ha.

For the June grazing, he put 3000 ewe lambs on the canola for 10 days for a 2.5kg gain per animal. That was 7500kg total, and at $4/kg, equated to a return of $30,000 or $600/ha.

The harvest on December 30 was just as impressive, with Mr Wilson seeing an average yield of 4t/ha and an oil content of 46 per cent. At $611/t plus oil bonus, he made $2556/ha.

The final January-February grazing consisted of 1000 lambs over eight weeks. The animals gained 1.5kg each, which was 1500kg total for a return of $6000 or $120/ha.

Combining the three grazings and grain gave Salt Creek a total return of $3666/ha.

Mr Wilson, who has managed the property since 2012, said the return was excellent.

“Nothing has come close to that return.

‘It’s a great fit for a mixed farming enterprise and I’ll be planting more this year.”

Bundella grower lands a top crop with Lancer

Tue, 05 May 2020 05:56:34 GMT

It was an uncertain season for Bundella grower Andrew Campbell, but a few good decisions along the way and planting a quality wheat variety like Pacific Seeds Lancer helped him harvest a top crop.

Mr Campbell, who runs cattle and cropping property ‘Rockgedgiel’ with his wife Kimberley and parents Colin and Meg, said deciding to plant into a paddock with a full moisture profile helped protect it from the lack of in-crop rain.

“In 2018, we dry sowed 350 hectares and the season was very average. We ended up stripping 1.5t/ha,” he said.

“Coming into 2019, the full profile mixed with a bit of rain in March set up the paddock well.

“There was a lot going on at the time and we were about to have our third child, so we sowed the wheat in the third week of April, which is pretty early for Lancer.

“The paddock had a good slope on it so there was a chance of frost, but with the elevation, we thought it should be fine.”

He said the season outlook was ordinary but rain at the end of April improved the situation.

“It got in and up, and after 30mm in late April, it never looked back.

“The winter was mild, and although it didn’t have a lot of in-crop rain at 94mm, it put on a lot of biomass.

“In September and October, we were looking at it asking the question, ‘How much moisture is left, do we bale it?’

“There were good returns on hay but ultimately we didn’t want to deal with thousands of bales in the paddock, and there is always value in retained stubble.”

Mr Campbell harvested the crop on November 8 and yields were nearing 6t/ha in the best parts.

“We made the decision to let it go and that decision paid off, with the crop yielding 5.5t/ha on the top end of the paddock and lightening off at the bottom. The average was 4.4t/ha.”

Screenings were 1.3 – 2 per cent, test weights were 83kg/hL and protein was 10-11pc.

The family has been growing wheat there for many years, and in that time, have been able to experiment with many different types.

“We used to grow Ellison for a time, then we moved onto Gregory, then Suntop and Coolah.

“They were all good varieties for the time, but a few people around the district started growing Lancer and I had a look at it too in 2017.

“I like it as a whole package. It’s a mid to late maturing type but you can sow it early if you need to and it’s tough.

“No matter the season, it always seems to yield.”

The Campbell’s have finished planting 80ha of Dawson oats and 250ha of Bennet wheat to feed their 450 weaners, 70 first calvers and 500 cows and will now focus on the Lancer.

They have included dual purpose wheat in past cropping rotations, growing Marombi, Wedgetail and Sunlamb, and will plant 100ha of Kittyhawk for the first time this year.

“Kittyhawk has been looking like a good option here, so we’ll give it a graze and then lock it up for grain. After we put that in, we’ll sow Lancer to 280 hectares of long fallow country.”

Hyola 970CL canola - the crop that keeps on giving

Tue, 05 May 2020 05:56:34 GMT

In 2019, Natimuk farmer Brian Klowss planted canola in April like he normally would, but instead of being finished with it at year’s end, he continued to get reap gains from it until April 2020.

That’s because he planted graze and grain canola – a dual purpose type that keeps on giving.

Mr Klowss owns and manages 3200ha property Arapiles Plains where he runs Merinos for wool and grows cereals, vetch, clover and canola.

Recently, he also ventured into Merino breeding via his own stud to diversify risk.

He said the dual-purpose crop has been extremely valuable to his operations.

“We grazed the canola three times and harvested 1.6t/ha average from it, so the feed value itself more than paid for the crop.”

Growing season rainfall was recorded at 280mm.

He sowed 30ha of Hyola 970CL on April 4 at 3kg/ha with 100kg/ha of MAP.

On June 10, he applied 140L/ha of UAN, then on July 20 he applied 600mL/ha of Intervix and 100L/ha of UAN.

In early June, 840 weaned lambs grazed for five weeks and gained 2.5kg each over that time.

On December 16, he harvested the crop for an average yield of 1.6t/ha and 46pc oil, which made for an oil bonus of $600t/ha.

The lambs were back on the crop in late-December, with 300 grazing for eight weeks, gaining 2.4kg average each.

Then in March, 300 ewes went to lamb down for six weeks.

Mr Klowss calculated the combined value of the weight gain, grain harvest and oil bonus at $1607/ha gross.

“We’ve grown triazine tolerant and regular Clearfield crops here, but the Hyola 970CL just keeps going and the feed value is unreal.

“We’ll plant it again this year.”

Seeds of opportunity

Thu, 30 Apr 2020 05:56:34 GMT

Covid-19 is a world event unlike anything any of us have seen before. Because of its unpredictable nature, the future loses clarity, and it’s tempting to simply take each day as it comes. But just because something is difficult, doesn’t mean it should be ignored. The issues that we know haven’t disappeared. Farmers are still facing the same problems, and it’s up to our industry to continue to develop technology and invest in a sustainable future that’ll see Australian agriculture thrive.

Pacific Seeds’ focus hasn’t changed. Rather than stagnating and awaiting a return to normalcy, it views this as an opportunity to seek technological breakthroughs, find ways of becoming more efficient and approach every problem with innovation in mind. In an effort to reflect the iron willpower and perseverance of the farmers it serves and collaborates with, Pacific Seeds remains optimistic, committed to discovering new technology that innovates both on and off the farm.

The importance of progress

Pacific Seeds has seen huge potential in a range of projects driven by their technical development teams. From advancements in breeding herbicide-resistant crops to finding ways of battling climate change through heat tolerance research, it is prioritising farmer profitability and productivity.

Later this year, it’s set to distribute bag labels with QR technology so that customers have improved access to seed quality information. It’s also developing a suite of digital tools to support hybrid selection and management. And with the opening of a state-of-the-art seed processing plant in Toowoomba, along with exploration into other services that would complement its seed products, Pacific Seeds is taking every step to invest in and innovate Australian agriculture.

While it’s hard to plan for an uncertain future, it is still possible to act on the things we do have control over. And for Pacific Seeds, that means foreseeing farmers’ problems and coming up with solutions that keep them going. Because no matter what tomorrow brings, their productivity and growth will always be essential.

Seeds of hope

Thu, 09 Apr 2020 05:56:34 GMT

Uncertainty is a constant in agriculture. Over almost sixty years, Pacific Seeds has faced many of the same challenges as Australian farmers and, like a lot of other businesses in this industry, came out the other side of each one even stronger. Covid-19 puts us in unchartered waters, but Australian agriculture’s ability to adapt is tried and tested. In fact, confidence amongst our farming community is currently the highest it has been in five years.

Never stop changing

Being able to adapt to any situation, whether its digital revolutions or worldwide pandemics, is what keeps good businesses going. The unpredictable nature of Australia’s environment has made those who work in agriculture masters of change. Because of this, opportunities are created out of uncertainty.

Pacific Seeds has already taken steps to improve how they do business and ensure that they are as resilient as the farmers they serve. By digitalising processes and upgrading systems and infrastructure, they’re keeping communications and supply chains strong. And they’re committed to the ongoing support of regional communities in both good times and bad. From the sponsorship of grower groups, footy, cricket and netball clubs to hosting functions in local communities, Pacific Seeds is supporting causes both on and off the farm.

Unbreakable spirit

The level heads and steady calm of those working in agriculture have always been a source of stability in times of trouble, and now is no different. It’s paramount that businesses and farmers collaborate to continue the all-important work of feeding the nation and the world. Pacific Seeds is confident that this will become yet another moment in history where Australian agriculture overcomes every obstacle, no matter how great. Because we don’t break, we adapt.

Reliant wheat pulls through tough season at Brigalow

Tue, 24 Mar 2020 05:56:34 GMT

For brothers Greg and Terry Dalgliesh and their wives Sue and Simone, 2019 was one of the toughest years on record at their Brigalow farm ‘Galtymore’.

Despite this, the team managed to harvest 1.6 tonnes per hectare from their crop of Pacific Seeds Reliant wheat.

Greg said while their usual wheat crop averages about 3t/ha, they were lucky to harvest anything last season.

“We started planting barley at the end of March after receiving 73mm of rain and the wheat was sown through early to mid-May,” he said.

“Then we had 11mm in early June. After that, the tap turned off.”

Mr Dalgliesh said there was no relief until harvest in late October when some storm rain came through.

“It wasn’t until harvest that we saw any rain, which was still less than 10mm.

“Given the extremely challenging season, we were very impressed with the Reliant wheat.”

He said the plan for this year’s winter was to sow 125ha of Reliant.

Victorian grower one of the first in Australia to grow TruFlex-triazine canola Hyola 530XT

Mon, 24 Feb 2020 05:56:34 GMT

West Victorian grower Rowan Scott is one of the first in the country to grow new TruFlex-triazine tolerant stacked canola technology – specifically, Hyola 530XT.

TruFlex is the first new herbicide-resistant trait offering since Monsanto, which was recently acquired by Bayer, launched the Roundup Ready® herbicide trait in 1996.

Pacific Seeds released two new hybrids with the TruFlex trait for the 2019 plant – Hyola 410XX which is a straight TruFlex hybrid, as well as Hyola 530XT which offers both the TruFlex trait as well as triazine tolerance for that hybrid.

Mr Scott, who runs ‘Blue Banks’ at Toolondo, south of Horsham, said it was recommended to him by his agronomist Darren Scott, who is also his brother, to clean up a worsening ryegrass problem.

“We were using Roundup Ready canola about ten years ago then we moved to mostly triazine tolerant crops.

“Lately, we’ve been treading water with ryegrass control.

“I cut wheaten hay as an integrated weed management method, but we needed something else.

“The ability to apply both triazine and Roundup was a big drawcard and TruFlex gives me more flexibility, providing a wider weed spraying window beyond the current six-lead stage up to first flowering.

“What I found was the Hyola 530XT was excellent in drowning out the weeds, plus I was really happy with the yield.”

The farmer planted 33 hectares of Hyola 530XT alongside 600ha of triazine tolerant and open pollinated canola from April 25, 2019.

He used a John Deere 1890 with disc seeder on 10-inch row spacings and applied 70kg/ha of MAP and 200kg/ha of urea.

Mr Scott harvested the crops from December 10.

“The Hyola 530XT yielded 2.3t/ha and oil content hit 43.5 per cent – overall a very good result for us.”

He also planted Trojan wheat, which averaged 5t/ha.

The season was one of the better ones for the Tooloondo farm, with most of the 350mm of the year’s rainfall falling in the growing season.

“Rainfall was down a bit on average, but it fell at the right time, plus we had a cool finish in spring, a dry sept into October and we didn’t get any nasty hot days.”

This year he plans to increase the number of hectares sown to the innovative new canola variety.

“I’ve got a couple of paddocks earmarked for the Hyola 530XT this year – we’re looking at 200ha at this stage.”

Pacific Seeds recognises agents and growers at awards night

Tue, 10 Dec 2019 05:56:34 GMT

Pacific Seeds’ annual Agents and Industry Christmas Party has recognised some of the most outstanding rural retailers and growers on the Central and Southern Darling Downs.

Rural retailer Pursehouse Rural won the big prize, taking home Agent of the Year for its service to the seed industry.

Nick Park was at the event at the Toowoomba Showgrounds last Thursday to collect the award.

Farmer of the Year went to Bill and Anita Middleton for their ongoing dedication to the advancement of cropping.

Trial Co-Operator of the Year was scooped by growers Melvin and Dianne Mengel for their high level of participation in Pacific Seeds’ trials.

Elders Group received the Farmer Service Award for its outstanding contribution to the industry.

PB Agrifood was recognised for its work in the industry, winning the Agent Excellence Award, and Olsens Produce was presented with the Excellence in Service Award.

Gaylene Anderson, Nutrien Ag Solutions, took home the Gold Medal Award for her work ethic, while Brian and Del Kronk received the Appreciation Award for their 35 years as Pacific Seeds trial co-operators.

The Agent Service Award was presented to Felton Produce and CRT Killarney Co-Op won the Field Service Award.

The Grower Focus Award went to Varys Brookstead and the Customer Service Award went to Nutrien Ag Solutions.

Norco Rural Stores picked up the High Flyer Award, while NFW Group and CRT Raff Group both earned Achiever Awards.

Hyola hybrid canola offers superior blackleg resistance

Wed, 27 Nov 2019 05:56:34 GMT

Hyola hybrid triazine tolerant (TT) canola varieties are showing superior levels of blackleg resistance compared to commonly grown open pollinated (OP) TT varieties, according to the GRDC 2019 spring blackleg management guide.

The industry publication assigns canola varieties one of nine blackleg ratings, from the highest rating of R (resistant) to the lowest rating of VS (very susceptible).

Varieties Hyola 350TT, Hyola 550TT and Hyola 559TT are rated R, R-MR and MR respectively, while popular OP TTs like ATR-Mako, ATR-Stingray, ATR-Bonito and ATR-Wahoo are rated MR-MS, MR-MS, MS and MS respectively.

The twice-yearly guide, published in autumn and spring, can help growers determine whether they are in a high-risk situation and what practices they can change to reduce or prevent yield loss from blackleg.

Its release comes at the perfect time for canola growers, some of whom are already planning their 2020 sowing.

Pacific Seeds, the producer of Hyola, continue to invest in research at its state-of-the-art blackleg screening glasshouse facility in Toowoomba, along with the intensive field screening program right across Australia’s major canola growing regions.

The company has established an industry-leading intensive blackleg screening program that is actively applied across all its parent lines and new hybrids under development.

The result is that Hyola hybrids in each herbicide tolerance group continue to demonstrate some of the highest adult resistance ratings possible in the industry – a major credit to the diligent and focused research team.

For a copy of the guide, visit here: https://grdc.com.au/resources-and-publications/all-publications/publications/2019/blackleg-management-guide

Pacific Seeds completes Australian-first $2.4 million custom seed processing line

Fri, 01 Nov 2019 18:18:54 GMT

September 20, 2019

Market leader Pacific Seeds has completed the installation of a state-of-the-art $2.4 million processing plant, custom-built to facilitate growing demand from customers and provide the highest quality product to the market.

The new plant combines multiple cutting-edge mechanisms that are expected to increase seed processing capacity by 30 per cent and significantly improve seed cleaning and treatment across a wide range of crops.

Pacific Seeds processing and warehousing manager Angus Rathie said the design for the new plant would mean improvements across seed quality, plant safety and plant efficiency.

“This project has been in the works since early 2018 and we’ve worked hand-in-hand with PETKUS Technologies, a German based firm, and GrainTech Engineering who have been the principle equipment designers and suppliers,” Mr Rathie said.

“The initial concept plans for the plant were based around having a portable commercial sized colour sorter available for cleaning our seed, so that we could move around from silo to silo.

“As we developed the idea with GrainTech, we realised that we could hit two birds with one stone by combining those plans with additional upgrades to the seed cleaning shed and amplify our overall cleaning and treatment activity.

“Once we had the design refined and approved, we had to be very strategic with how the new plant installation was scheduled, as we had to maneuver construction activity amidst our ongoing agricultural activity.”

Other principle partners with Pacific Seeds in the project included QA Electrical, Pulford Air and Gas and a number of local subcontractors who helped to ensure the success of the processing line replacement and installation.

“Across the board, this new plant means significant benefits for customers, the company and for our growers,” Mr Rathie said.

“The plant has been designed for maximum flexibility, in order to make the cleaning and treating process more efficient and to produce a high-grade product.

“Our new seed cleaner, the PETKUS M 12S multi-cleaner, was especially manufactured for flexible, high quality use and can be used on a wide array of seed varieties.

“With multiple settings and quality control levels, all future cleaning will be done with the highest precision.

“The seed then travels the cleaner over the PETKUS G40 and G20 gravity separators, with an innovative design approach to their layout to improve cleaning efficiency.

“Along with the new seed cleaning technology and gravity tables that have been integrated into the design, we’re particularly excited about the PETKUS Roeber OptoSelector 901 colour sorter.

“The advanced software processes the individual kernel images and incorporates size and shape recognition technology as a standard feature.

“This helps to remove any seeds that are particularly hard to detect, seeds that the cleaner or gravity tables might not sort out. There is also a seed treater built into the line for treating crops like wheat or chickpeas.”

The upgraded plant design includes team member-friendly features such as increased access points to machinery, replacement of all bucket elevators with pendulum elevators, updated ladder and walkway positioning, localized plant equipment and improved emergency technology.

“Seed quality was certainly a key criterion that we considered during the planning stage of this project, but we also wanted our staff to benefit from the upgraded plant,” Mr Rathie said.

“We were really trying to target the ergonomics of the previous plant and meaningfully design the new plant to create an environment that’s a lot more pleasant and rewarding for the team to work in.”

Pacific Seeds marketing manager Andrew Short said the timing of the new plant installation was ideal.

“We’re currently harvesting forage sorghum, grain sorghum and corn in Kununurra, so this will be the first seed to be processed with the new equipment.

“We’ve had a good season up in the Ord following on from a successful production cycle in southern NSW and MIA.”

Mr Short said due to the smaller winter crop in Queensland and northern NSW, a larger fallow area could mean increased demand for summer crops.

“The dry winter and early spring have led to significantly higher demand for forage and there are also indications for an increased grain sorghum demand, depending on rainfall.”

Sprint, BMR Octane perfect summer feed options for Wagyu farmer

Fri, 01 Nov 2019 05:56:34 GMT

October 3, 2019

A Wagyu farmer in northeast Victoria has found the perfect source of summer feed in his quest to address the herd’s decrease in production when pasture growth slows down.

Thomas Giltrap, who runs Giltrap Pastoral at Mitta Mitta with partner Bonnie and parents Hugh and Judy, said planting Sprint and BMR Octane forage sorghum in November and grazing it through to March gave the herd a much-needed boost to their conditioning.

“Dad used to grow a bit of forage sorghum in the past for dairy cattle, but he transitioned out of dairying four years ago and we were just relying on pastures of ryegrass and clover during the summer months,” Mr Giltrap said.

“In the hotter months as the pastures shut down, the cows weren’t putting on much weight, so Sprint and Octane made a big difference.”

Mr Giltrap was topping and strip grazing across seven plots totalling 12 hectares and putting the cattle through their on-farm computerised scales regularly to check their progress.

“We had 180 head on seven days of fodder and were seeing an average of 0.9kg/ha/day weight gain, sometimes climbing to 1.3kg.

“As soon as it gets cold in the autumn, sorghum shuts down. Our last grazing was in March, but we probably could’ve gone longer because autumn was milder than usual here.”

The family have 280ha of picturesque land in addition to leased country and the Mitta Mitta River running through their property means they can be self-sufficient.

“There were two weeks of 40-plus temperatures in January, so we had to keep the flood irrigation up to the forage.

“The other benefit of forage sorghum is that it takes half as long to irrigate compared to pasture.

“We have thought about growing crops like corn, and some farmers do around here, but our place isn’t really conducive to cropping.”

Mr Giltrap said in light of the 2018-19 summer forage success, he is planning to run the program again.

“We’ve been really happy with Sprint and Octane because it’s cost effective and fills the feed gap.

“I’ve already organised the paddocks we’re going to use later in the year.”

Dairy still going strong on PAC 606IT corn silage

Fri, 01 Nov 2019 05:56:34 GMT

September 4, 2019

Shepparton dairy farmer Duncan Crawford has been fuelling his 800 Holsteins on corn silage from varieties PAC 606 and PAC 606IT for six seasons and he doesn’t plan on changing the program anytime soon.

Mr Crawford said that’s because it produces high quality, high yielding silage and the maturity is ideal.

“We’ve been growing PAC 606 and its replacement PAC 606IT for six seasons now under the two centre pivots,” he said.

“We can hit our target of 23 tonnes per hectare of dry matter most seasons and it’s great for putting condition on the cows.

“Having a CRM of 114 also maximises the growing period, so it gives us a chance to grow a decent crop and then get early autumn growth after harvest.

“There are varieties with a shorter CRM available, but we find the 114 maximises yield and when it comes off, it’s not so late we can’t sow the winter crop.”

Duncan runs ‘Fenton Hall’ with his wife Emily and father Ross, milking the 800 cows on a 60-unit rotary with auto draft.

They also grow wheat for silage, Lucerne, perennial ryegrass, Italian ryegrass, and buy in grain to supplement the diet.

Mr Crawford said they run three 1000t earth bunkers at the property – one for pasture, one for Lucerne and one for corn.

“We aim to plant the corn in early November and harvest in March, so then we have feed in the bunkers to supplement the herd over winter.”

Last season, the farmers stuck to that window, seeding 47ha of PAC 606IT on November 16 with chicken manure into a paddock out of Italian ryegrass that was strip tilled before sowing.

Mr Crawford said it was a hot, dry season, with tight water allocations to go with it.

“It was a terribly dry, awful, hot summer season and it was a pretty tight year for water too. Luckily enough we filled our cobs.”

Shepparton received 28mm in November, 37mm in December, 7mm in January, 7mm in February and 5mm in March – a growing season rainfall total almost half that of the annual median.

Each month’s annual median temperature was also exceeded in that period, making it tough going for the corn.

Despite all this, the family harvested the corn at the end of March and averaged 22t/ha DM from the 47ha block.

“Getting close to our usual 23t/ha DM target was pretty remarkable given how harsh the season was. In the best seasons we can get the 606it to push 26t/ha DM.

“The 606it having the IT gene also gives us the option to spray Lightning herbicide in-crop to tackle weeds.”

The paddock has now been sown to wheat, which will go on to produce silage for the cows, and the Crawford’s will sow their seventh season of PAC corn in November.

Stewardship key in preserving herbicide efficacy

Fri, 01 Nov 2019 05:56:34 GMT

Pacific Seeds advocates the preservation of Australia’s canola herbicide production systems through the correct selection and application of canola production systems.

Part of any sustainable farming practice involves good stewardship, and adapting to new farming practices and technologies, especially with regards to integrated weed management (IWM).

The stewardship principles for Hyola® CT Technology fully align with the broader Clearfield® Stewardship System.
Pacific Seeds also recommends that no more than two (2) Group B herbicides are applied in any four (4) year period on the same paddock as this is an important component of the Clearfield® stewardship program, and where possible, care should be taken to avoid applications of Group B herbicides in consecutive years unless at least two years’ previous good weed control has been achieved with methods other than Group B herbicides.

Through Pacific Seeds leadership in developing new and novel canola herbicide technologies, we can provide our growers with increased options and flexibility

Pacific Seeds also encourages any person applying pesticides to keep accurate records of all herbicide usage.
Reducing the weed burden can increase yields, reduce production costs, protect the integrity of Australia cropping systems, protect grain from marketing risks both domestically and export (i.e. weed seed ontamination), and increase the sustainability of grain production in Australia.

Through Pacific Seeds leadership in developing new and novel canola herbicide technologies, we can provide our growers with increased options and flexibility…“more tools in the tool box” so to speak…during the canola phase of their cropping rotation. This aligns well with the industry WEEDSMART’s “The Big 6” basis for an IWM program which can be summarised as follows:

ROTATE CROPS AND PASTURES: Use double break crops, fallow and pasture phases to drive the weed seedbank down over consecutive years.
DOUBLE KNOCK – TO PRESERVE GLYPHOSATE: Follow glyphosate with a high rate of paraquat to control survivors in a fallow or pre-sowing situation.
MIX AND ROTATE HERBICIDES: Rotate between herbicide groups; Use different groups within the same herbicide mix; Always use full rates.
STOP WEED SEED SET: Crop top canola, pulses and feed barley (APVMA APPROVAL NO.: 62723/114765) in weedy paddocks; Consider hay, brown manure or long fallow in high-pressure paddocks; Spray top/spray fallow pasture prior to the cropping phase.
CROP COMPETITION: Adopt at least one competitive strategy (but two is better), including reduced row spacing, higher seeding rates, east-west sowing and competitive varieties.
HARVEST WEED SEED CONTROL: Capture weed seed survivors at harvest using chaff lining, chaff tramlining, chaff carts, narrow windrow burning or integrated weed seed destructors.

Agronomist takes advantage of igrowth on family farm

Fri, 01 Nov 2019 05:56:34 GMT

October 14, 2019

Being an agronomist means Scott Rogers, Moree, advises farmers during planting, spraying, harvest and any time in between, but being a farmer himself means he can then take those lessons back to the family farm.

It’s a handy position to be in, and one that paid off last season for the sorghum side of his business.

Mr Rogers said in his role as McGregor Gourlay senior agronomist, he was able to observe new sorghum herbicide tolerant technology, igrowth, in its earliest stages.

“I saw how [the first variety] Sentinel IG had performed in various trials from both a yield and weed control perspective,” he said.

Gathering enough information on the crop, he was keen to plant the Pacific Seeds imidazolinone-tolerant sorghum himself.

“I chose to plant 250ha of Sentinel IG to take advantage of the in-crop weed control options that the igrowth technology provided while knowing that it has high yield potential as well.”

Scott farms 815ha property Newstead at Pallamallawa with his wife Maree, planting summer crops sorghum and mungbeans and winter crops wheat, barley and chickpeas.

The crop was planted in the last week of October, which was later than he would normally like to plant, but that was when the rain fell.

He sowed it at a rate of 60,000 seeds per hectare on 60-inch rows into a paddock planted to chickpeas in 2017 and was slated for wheat in 2018 but due to the dry conditions, was cancelled.

The fertiliser program consisted of 140kg/ha of urea pre-plant (in March, due to plan to plant wheat) and a 12L/ha application of liquid Starter at-plant.

Chemical applications included a PSPE mix of Terbyne at 800g/ha and Dual Gold at 1.3L/ha, while the herbicide approved for in-crop use, Intervix, was applied at 800mL/ha.

“The Intervix provided excellent control of yellow vine and grasses that are normally difficult to control in-crop.”

Mr Rogers said as with most areas, it was a hot and dry growing season.

“We received 80mm of growing season rainfall but only half of that would be considered effective, with one good fall of almost 40mm and the rest as sporadic small falls.”

The header went through the crop in the second last week of February, returning an average yield of 3.8t/ha, with a range of 2.3-5.3t/ha – the difference being mainly due to soil type.

Mr Rogers said seeing the technology around the region gave him the knowledge and confidence to implement it at his own farm and will use it in future.

“I’d grow it again. It’s a high yielding variety that provides us with the option to plant into paddocks that may have imazapic residues or provides us with another mode of action for in-crop control of hard to kill weeds.”

PAC 440 corn converts dairy farmers

Fri, 01 Nov 2019 05:56:34 GMT

October 14, 2019

Princetown dairy farmer Steven Brown is reducing the impact of feed prices and drought-prone pasture by trying his hand at homegrown corn silage.

Mr Brown had been feeding his 450 Fresian and Jersey cows a ration of barley, soybean meal, baled grass silage, corn grain, and pasture, but with the price of hay and grain fetching up to $450 and pasture being depleted by the dry, his bottom line was taking a big hit.

“We envisage grain getting dearer and while we believe grass is the best feed – usually perennial grasses – a few years ago we lost our grass due to dry season,” Mr Brown said.

“It costs time and money to get that established again.

“If you look at dollars – buying in vetch is $300-450 and cereal hay is $400 – it’s getting too dear.

“We’ve been feeding whole corn from farms adjacent to the Western Treatment Plant near Werribee, but even if corn silage costs you $200-220/t in the pit, it’s cheap feed.

“We’re trying to be more self-sufficient.”

Mr Brown attempted his first corn silage crop four years ago, but the small input program and dry conditions hampered the crop.

Their second attempt last season was a different story, with his 34ha dryland crop of PAC 440 yielding an average of 18t/ha of dry matter or 48t/ha wet (1660t harvested).

“We were staggered by the result. We went in thinking we’d get 12 or 13 tonnes per hectare, but to get 18t/ha was outstanding.

“We weighed the cobs and were getting 265-270 grams per cob. Most plants were single cob, but some were double.

“We believe the fresh corn is better than dried whole corn. It helps with cow health and getting cows in calving. Our cows are consuming 12kg per cow, per day dry.”

Mr Brown said every load was weighed to get an accurate yield, and while the tonnage was nice, it wasn’t the primary goal.

“You can go on about how tall your crop is, but the cob is what we’re after – the size of the grain relative to the cob and the quality.

“The cobs were slightly smaller than other varieties, but the smaller core meant larger kernels.

Steven and his wife Jo, in partnership with their son Travis and his partner Sarah, run the 480ha property.

Steven and Travis put a large part of the success down to their agronomist Harrold Hanlon at MG Trading Colac, Brown McNeill Contracting for preparation and harvesting, and Logan Contracting, who used their brand new, state-of-the-art planter.

“Harrold really got the program going for us. He advised on the inputs and the corn variety, which has a medium CRM of 108.

“That works for us southern corn growers because we want the crop off early.

“We only calve in autumn, so we want it off early and put it back to grass before it gets too wet.

“Spraying out the paddock early so we had plenty of soil moisture also made a big difference. We’re doing that a lot earlier now.”

Mr Brown said the fertiliser program was designed with enough inputs to aim for a 20-tonne crop.

The program began with a pre-plant deep band application of 92kg/ha of nitrogen (Entec treated urea).

This was followed by an at-plant application of 27/30/0/3 zinc-coated DAP and a broadcasted blend of 27/20/280/22.

The PAC 440 crop was sown on November 17 and received 75mm GSR before being harvested on April 12 and put into aboveground silage with plastic wrap near the feed pads.

“We didn’t get a lot of rain this summer last summer, but we did get some good rain right on tasselling.”

Mr Brown said they are increasing the hectares planted to PAC 440 to 50ha this season.

“If we could average 14-15t/ha dry over the next eight years, I see it as very high-quality feed and great value.”

Pacific Seeds unleashes Hellfire wheat

Fri, 01 Nov 2019 05:56:34 GMT

October 14, 2019

Pacific Seeds has unleashed LRPB Hellfire wheat, a new high protein APH variety for Queensland and NSW growers.

Bred by LongReach Plant Breeders and marketed by Pacific Seeds, LRPB Hellfire recently debuted at field days held at National Variety Trials across both states.

Pacific Seeds wheat manager Neil Comben said spring was the perfect time to introduce LRPB Hellfire to the industry.

“LRPB Hellfire is in the NVTs and is being bulked up on farm this year, so growers are keen to see it before it’s made commercially available for the winter 2020 plant.

“There was a great deal of interest in Hellfire because it can deliver high protein and yield.”

Mr Comben said quality testing during development in both the LongReach program and the NVT system has shown that LRPB Hellfire consistently produces protein levels similar to that of Spitfire, with significantly improved yields.

“This feature makes LRPB Hellfire an important tool for growers looking to take advantage of stack averaging marketing opportunities, such as GrainCorp’s Croptimise program, without sacrificing yield across the cropping program.”

He said LRPB Hellfire has a medium plant height, good standability and a solid disease package suitable for all main season growing areas in Queensland and NSW.

“LRPB Hellfire shows excellent early vigour, solid resistance to Stem and Stripe rusts, good RLN tolerance, and good yield performance under the added stress of Crown Rot.

“The large grain, high protein and low screenings make LRPB Hellfire a standout grain package.”

Growers are encouraged to contact their local Pacific Seeds wheat associate for more information and to secure seed now.

Mark Donaldson Memorial Shield comes full circle

Fri, 01 Nov 2019 05:56:34 GMT

October 21, 2019

Respected Central Queensland farming award, the Mark Donaldson Memorial Shield, has come full circle in its ninth year, with Mark’s wife Kim and son Patrick Donaldson winning with their crop of sorghum.

The shield honours respected Capella farmer Mark Donaldson, who died in a tragic accident at the family property in 2010. The Donaldsons, who farm Neelia, Capella, grew a crop of MR-Taurus which yielded 5.7 tonnes per hectare.

Farm manager Wayne Ross said they were fortunate to harvest such a good crop given the tough conditions the region faced.

“It was a pretty challenging year through the district,” Mr Ross said.

“We were very fortunate being in the right spot to get 376mm of in-crop rain, because Clermont nearby didn’t get much at all.”

Mr Ross, along with Mr Donaldson, planted 1200ha of sorghum across three varieties at the end of January.

The sorghum was planted on 1m skip rows using a Flexicoil 820 and a Simplicity air cart. They aimed for an established plant population of 55,000 plants/ha and ended up with 50,000 plants/ha.

“The crop went into chickpea stubble (harvested October), so we didn’t need to apply any fertiliser and there was a good profile of moisture.”

The MR-Taurus was harvested in July, while the other sorghum was taken off in August.

“We received a late rain during the second growth stage, which is where Taurus shined.

“It was the only decent crop we harvested.”

The competition focuses on sorghum crops from the Capella district and Central Highlands.

Previous winners include the Gregg family with MR-Bazley in 2018, the Sampson family with MR-Buster in 2017, the Lund family with Pacific MR43 in 2016, Garry Gersbach with MR-Apollo in 2015, Ivan Gowlett with MR-Scorpio in 2014, Garry Gersbach with Pacific MR43 in 2013, David and Alan Storey with MR-Buster in 2012 and Alan Garside with MR-Buster in 2011.

MR-Bazley sorghum delivers for Yallaroi growers

Thu, 31 Oct 2019 05:56:34 GMT

September 12, 2019

Sorghum is well-known for its water use efficiency but a father-and-son at Yallaroi were still not prepared for the yield their crop managed to produce through the dry 2018-19 summer.

Andrew and Zack Thompson’s 150ha crop of MR-Bazley sorghum yielded over three tonnes per hectare on just 110mm of in-crop rainfall from mid-September to mid-March.

“The crop averaged about 3.1t/ha, which was a great result considering we’re usually up at 4t/ha and the season was very tough,” Zack Thompson said.

“It was a nice reddish colour and had a good grain size, so it’s gone off to the chicken and pig operations all over the country now.”

Mr Thompson said due to the undesirable season outlook prior to seeding, their best chance was to plant MR-Bazley, known for its standability, and put it on wider row spacing.

“We went with 60-inch rows and aimed for a plant population of eight plants per metre – ending up with six plants per metre.

“Using Bazley on wider rows with good population will still bring good yields when times are tougher.

“It’s got a good wide-angle root system to assist in fossicking for water in that wider inter row space.

“You could see the root system through the cracks in the soil.”

The paddock that the MR-Bazley was planted to was fallow barley stubble from the 2017 winter crop season and was strip-tilled in early February 2018, with 150kg/ha of urea applied in the process. Starter Z was then applied at 60kg/ha at-plant.

Mr Thompson said they had 700ha of sorghum planted over the 2018-19 season but the MR-Bazley handled the dry the best.

The family, who have been farming the property for 46 years, also plant 600ha of barley, 300ha of wheat and 300ha of chickpeas in winter.

Looking ahead to the 2019-20 season, he said the plan is to sow another 150ha of MR-Bazley regardless of the outlook.

Integrated pest management in canola

Wed, 30 Oct 2019 05:56:34 GMT

A 2016 study conducted by cesar and Advanta Seeds has found three popular neonicotinoid insecticide-based canola seed treatments offer the same protection from green peach aphids (Myzus persicae- GPA), and that the coatings offer superior protection compared to no treatment.

The research, headed by cesar director and entomologist Dr Paul Umina, showed no significant differences between Cruiser Opti, Poncho Plus and Gaucho seed treatments, and all conferred high levels of protection against GPA for up to eight weeks after seedling emergence.
Additionally, seedlings treated with Cruiser Opti, Poncho Plus and Gaucho showed lower plant damage than seedlings in the untreated controls.

Advanta Seeds canola business manager Justin Kudnig said the results were timely given recent outbreaks in southern Australia.

“Following GPA’s contribution to the costly outbreak of Beet western yellows virus (BWYV) in southern Australia in autumn-winter 2014, Advanta Seeds worked with cesar for the first time to clear up any confusion on seed treatments and their role in suppressing GPA,” he said.

Mr Kudnig said the research was one of six fields currently under investigation under its wider Innovative Crop Solutions (ICS) banner.

Dr Umina said though the trial results were convincing, it was important to note the trial was conducted on aphid ‘biotypes’ that have no insecticide resistance.

“The efficacy of some insecticide seed treatments could be considerably lower against field populations of aphids with resistance,” Dr Umina said.

He said the trial was also conducted under ‘semi-field’ conditions; therefore the length of protection observed may not necessarily correlate to all field situations and growing conditions.

“Monitoring of seedling canola crops is recommended even when using insecticide seed treatments on canola. This is particularly the case in seasons that follow considerable summer rainfall, which tends to provide a green bridge of weed hosts for aphid survival.”

Out in the field with breeder Dr Solomon Fekybelu

Thu, 19 Sep 2019 05:56:34 GMT

Pacific Seeds Sorghum Plant Breeder, Dr Solomon Fekybelu was a son of an Ethiopian police officer who never expected he’d be living in Toowoomba, Australia working as a scientist for an internationally renowned agricultural company – Pacific Seeds.

Dr Fekybelu is an expert in the field of plant genetics and breeding and dedicated his expertise to develop resilient sorghum hybrids that improve the competitive advantage and profitability for farmers.

“Technology is changing the way we predict and analyse new hybrid varieties. By using molecular tools and analysis, we can avoid lengthy and costly field trials in order to bring these varieties to market,” Dr Fekybelu said.

About 50 per cent of Australia’s sorghum is used domestically; the rest is exported to China and other Asian markets.

Dr Fekybelu said Pacific Seeds will soon introduce two new commercial hybrids that will significantly improve yield and midge tolerance.

“My plan is to replace the existing hybrid varieties we offer with new and improved ones over the next few years.”

His research is being done a long way from where he grew up in Ethiopia with his parents and brother and sister.

Dr Fekybelu witnessed the results of critical food shortages and insecurity firsthand growing up in Ethiopia, which inspired him to pursue a career in plant biology.

“The food supply crisis in Ethiopia was bad, but it ultimately led me to a career in plant sciences. I wanted to be part of the solution and because I was always interested in agriculture, I knew that is where I could make a difference.”

“If you can improve the genetic makeup of a crop to yield better, to adapt better, to tolerate diseases or pests then that is going to have a bigger impact to productivity.”

Dr Fekybelu studied plant genetics at universities in Ethiopia and the UK, before going on to get his PhD in plant breeding in South Africa.

After pursuing an academic career, it was a job advertisement to work for the Queensland Government which drew him to Australia.

“I coordinated the national and international projects related to the development of improved maize and sweet corn germplasm, it was a rewarding role where we improved the disease resistance and eating quality of sweetcorn.”

After seven years with the DPI, Dr Fekybelu came to Pacific Seeds in 2014 where he was tasked with running the sorghum breeding program to maintain the company’s competitive edge.

“We have just started a new initiative using genomic selection to increase genetic gain by improving prediction accuracy and reducing the time it takes to develop new hybrids. Unlike the conventional breeding methods, with genomic selection we will be able to focus on crosses and parent lines that are likely to succeed.”

An accurate prediction model means the process will be more precise, faster and efficient.

Mr Fekybelu says the next five years will focus on integrating new technologies such as high throughput phenotyping and genomic selection in the breeding program while continually improving the product portfolio of Pacific Seeds.

Out in the field with breeder D David Tabah

Wed, 14 Aug 2019 05:56:34 GMT

Pacific Seeds Canola Senior Breeder Dr David Tabah has had many lives, from childhood in the Canary Islands to the halls of Oxford University.

Now Toowoomba-based Dr Tabah is leading the Canola Breeding Program at Pacific Seeds, helping increase yields and maintain high levels of resistance to Blackleg.

“I have always wanted to play a part in solving the food supply crisis, in the face of tougher environmental conditions and a growing world population.

“The varieties farmers grow can have a huge impact on yields and being able to contribute to this is what drew me into plant genetics.”

Dr Tabah is in a race against time to control Blackleg – a serious disease which can cause significant yield losses and presents itself as stubble or stem rot on canola crops.

“We are working as fast as we can to stay on top of blackleg. Our approach is to understand the genetics behind resistance and the background genetics of our germplasm.

“As an industry, we are all working towards more durable resistant varieties,” he said.

“If we don’t continue to breed, the disease will overcome all resistance and farmers will have to rely on chemical control alone. By continuing to release new varieties, farmers will have the best chance of running a profitable business.”

Canola is Australia’s third biggest crop in the wheat belt.

“Despite global climatic change, Australia continues to increase yields and contribute to helping feed the world, which is exciting,” Dr Tabah said.

Educated at the prestigious Oxford University, Dr Tabah then went on to complete his PhD through the University of Bristol before taking on a role at a small vegetable breeding company in the UK as a breeder and molecular biologist.

“It was a very small company, so, with my colleagues, I ended up doing a bit of everything from planning new products to changing the oil in the company car.

“I was well trained in genetics, but my first job taught me how a commercial breeding company can operate on a tight budget, so it allowed me very practical knowledge.

“Our lab was producing cutting edge research on a shoe-string, it was basically a modified kitchen, yet we made every effort count towards practical outcomes.”

Dr David Tabah’s childhood in the Canary Islands was made idyllic by their unique plants and animals, which sparked a lifelong interest in biology.

“My interest in biology started from a young age, running through the countryside and looking at all the amazing plants and animals,” he said.

Dr Tabah later moved into a new role as a tomato plant breeder for Enza Zaden in Spain.

“I enjoyed working with tomatoes, a very interesting horticultural crop, but I had ambitions to work in broadacre crops, and because of my background in Brassica, canola felt like a good fit.”

He soon landed a job in Western Australia as a Senior Canola Breeder, before moving to the east coast with Pacific Seeds in 2017.

One of Dr Tabah’s key achievements has been applying the newest technologies and advanced statistical methods in plant breeding to ensure Pacific Seeds is supplying the best hybrids in the market.

“Most canola farmers in Australia are wheat and barley growers. Aside from the high profitability of canola, a big driver to grow canola is to control weeds for future cereal crops, using canola as a break crop.

“What we have done is focus on the reasons farmers grow canola, which are yield to drive profit from canola itself, and herbicide technologies to improve yields of their subsequent crops.

“We recently released the first Clearfield® and TT stacked hybrid in the world (Hyola 580CT).

“This year, we released the first TruFlex® hybrid (Hyola 410XX) and the first TruFlex® and TT stacked hybrid (Hyola 530XT).

“We are also ready to release a TruFlex® and Clearfield® stacked hybrid (Hyola 540XC). These new technologies will be valuable for weed control for canola farmers across Australia.”

TruFlex® offers growers a wider weed spraying window, extending beyond the current six-leaf stage up to first flowering.

“Our main goal is to continue to supply new improved hybrids, with higher yields, that are disease resistant and provide options to farmers so they can choose the right products for their farm.

“We need to keep doing what we are doing to ensure the viability of the industry.”

Pacific Seeds will have two new hybrids with the Truflex trait available for the 2019 planting: Hyola 410XX, which is a straight TruFlex® hybrid and Hyola 530 XT, which is a world-first stacked hybrid that offers both the TruFlex® trait as well as TT tolerance.

Pacific Seeds is expecting huge demand this season for TruFlex® seed.

Growers of Pacific Seeds varieties win all RASQ sorghum awards

Mon, 15 Apr 2019 05:56:34 GMT

Growers of Pacific Seeds varieties have won all of the sorghum awards at this year’s Royal Agricultural Society of Queensland (RASQ) Queensland Country Life Grains Outlook crop competition.

The farmers claimed first, second and third places in both the dryland and irrigated sorghum categories at the official presentation ceremony at the Heritage Bank Toowoomba Royal Show on Friday.

Continuing last year’s success, Pilton growers Phil and Chris Moar were awarded first place in the dryland sorghum for the second year in a row.

The Moars’ crop of MR-Scorpio scored 168.8 points and yielded 10.438 tonnes per hectare.

Second place in dryland sorghum was awarded to Greg Rockliff, Dalby, for his crop of MR-Taurus which clocked 150.9 points and a yield of 9.333t/ha.

Brookstead’s Brazil Farming Co took home third for their MR-Buster, which was awarded 111.9 points and yielded 6.919t/ha.

In the irrigated sorghum category, Dalby’s Derryck Mickleborough took first place for his crop of MR-Scorpio, attracting 167.8 points and yielding 9.803t/ha.

Charles Farming Co, Cambooya, was second placegetter with a 9.615t/ha crop of MR-Apollo on 164.6 points.

Third was also collected by Mr Mickleborough for his crop of Sentinel IG, yielding 8.919t/ha on 152.6 points.

In the field wheat competition, the champion title was awarded to Mundalee Grains, Yandilla, for a Reliant crop that yielded 3.572t/ha and scored 132.99 points.

There was no wheat reserve champion this year.

The champion crop title was awarded to Jason Sinclair, Condamine, for his cotton that yielded 16.46 bales per hectare and received 194.2 points.

Graincott at Dalby picked up reserve champion crop for their corn, which yielded 16.448t/ha on 189.2 points.

The annual event showcases the best summer and winter crops grown on the Darling Downs, including corn, soybeans, mungbeans, sorghum, sunflowers, cotton, wheat, barley, canary, triticale, chickpeas and faba beans.

Autumn the perfect time to plant grazing oats

Wed, 20 Mar 2019 05:56:34 GMT

With recent rain and a shortage of feed after a hot and dry summer, grazing oats is the perfect option to fill the feed gap, according to Pacific Seeds forage development lead Wayne Chesher.

Mr Chesher said autumn was the ideal time to introduce oats to the paddock.

“Many areas received some useful falls recently and are now at a point where they may be looking to plant a forage crop to provide feed over autumn and winter,” he said.

He pointed to economies of scale, geography and the crop’s ability to fatten animals due to high quality protein and energy as the major drawcards as to why farmers should consider planting forage oats.

“Oats are fairly commonly grown in the western districts of Queensland and New South Wales as it is a lower input crop which offers a good body of feed and higher protein and energy levels. When native pastures are not at their best, this particular plant comes into its own in the colder months.

“When it comes to early sowing Taipan is a great choice as it establishes well in warm soils, up to 29°C, and provides quick early growth with high dry matter yields.”

He said Comet is a particularly popular variety due to its resistance to most strains of leaf rust and its ability to produce large quantities of high-quality autumn feed.

Pacific Seeds’ third variety, Drover, is chosen by many growers due to its versatility across winter and spring.

“Drover stays vegetative into spring often providing reliable feed until more traditional spring feed sources such as forage sorghum are able to be planted.

“All three Pacific Seeds oat varieties can handle the harsh conditions that graziers can come to experience and can certainly fill the feed gaps that may occur between May and September.”

Roundup Ready canola $105-ha more valuable than OP TT, trial shows

Mon, 11 Mar 2019 05:56:34 GMT

A large-scale trial conducted by farmers and an agronomist north of Trayning, WA, which compared open pollinated triazine tolerant (OP TT) canola to Roundup Ready (RR) canola, has demonstrated a $105 per hectare benefit for RR over OP TT.

Farmers Trevor and Carol Fowler teamed up with Landmark Wyalkatchem agronomist Bernie Quade for the 2018 broadacre evaluation in search of better grower-based data for the area.

Mr Quade said the result of this trial confirms that consideration needs to be given to the RR canola system as an alternative to the traditional OP TT canola system in this environment.

“After taking into account an assumed seed cost of $74/ha for RR seed and $1/kg for retained Bonito, there is a total benefit of $105/ha growing RR over TT in this trial,” Mr Quade said.

“Importantly, this does not take into consideration that the total herbicide costs are lower in the RR system, that there are RR varieties that can now show even higher performance than 404RR from a profitability standpoint, and also that pedigree Bonito was used in the trial but retained seed pricing was used.”

The agronomist worked on a price of $535/t for GM grain and $575 for non-GM grain.

He said the district doesn’t grow any RR hybrids due to the perceptions around the value equation.

“There’s the perception that RR canola is either too risky due to significant upfront seed cost or that this crop type delivers no economic benefit over and above OP TTs.”

A 50-hectare block, sprayed out of lupins in 2017, was planted to Hyola 404RR and a 20ha block in the same paddock alongside it was planted to Bonito with a Flexicoil air seeder on April 20.

Atrazine and propyzamide were used pre-emergent on the Bonito and propyzamide on the Hyola 404RR.

Standard post emergent treatments of atrazine and grass selectives were used in the TT and Roundup in the RR canola.

Opening rain was received on May 24 of 10.5mm, then June received 49mm, July had 46.5mm, August had 24mm, September had 9.5mm and in October, 14mm fell. The total growing season rainfall was 153.5mm.

Fertiliser at seeding consisted of 24 nitrogen, 5 phosphorus, 4 potassium, 4 sulphur, 0.05 copper and 0.1 zinc, and at the six-leaf stage, 17 of nitrogen and 19 of sulphur were applied.

Mr Quade said a photo taken with Normal Difference Vegetative Index (NDVI) technology on August 3 of the in-season biomass shows a distinct line in the image where the variety changes from Bonito to Hyola 404RR.

“The improvement in vigour and biomass of Hyola 404RR over Bonito was very significant which would only aid to overall weed control. ”

The demo was harvested on November 24 with the Fowlers’ header and yield of both varieties was taken immediately alongside each other in 1km runs to enable the closest possible comparison.

Mr Quade said the profitability of the RR system in this trial is one reason for utilising this system, not just if clethodim is beginning to fail in controlling ryegrass in an OP TT system.

“Also, the proven significant increase in biomass and vigour of the RR system, which aids weed suppression, needs to be considered as a real benefit to any farming system.”

Bayer contributed towards trial costs and trial concept and Pacific Seeds supplied Hyola 404RR seed for the trial.

Calls for dual-herbicide canola answered with Hyola 580CT

Mon, 04 Mar 2019 05:56:34 GMT

South Australian canola growers have been calling for a dual-herbicide tolerant non-GM canola hybrid combining Clearfield and triazine tolerant technologies, and Pacific Seeds has answered those calls, becoming the first company to sell it for the 2019 season.

The new technology, known as Hyola CT, is available nationwide in the form of the first variety, mid-season hybrid Hyola 580CT.

Yorketown farmer Richard Dodd was one of the first in the country to trial the new technology last season.

Mr Dodd said with the rapid expansion of group b imi-tolerant crops such as wheat, barley and lentils in his district, Hyola CT is an important part of the winter cropping IWM toolbox.

“Dual-herbicide canola is a big winner in our district because there’s heavy use of group b’s,” he said.

“We planted this on a block we recently purchased that has group b ‘imi’ residues, but because it was such a small plot, we just used the Clearfield element.

“My agronomist got me onto the Hyola CT, because we want the dual tolerance for the canola we are planting this year – so we can use the TT chemicals for our weed control.”

He planted six hectares on the new paddock about 20km from their home block, ‘Temana’, where he farms with his father Colin.

The pair crop 3000ha of wheat, barley, canola, lentils and faba beans, along with producing vetch hay.

They also run 40 cattle and a contract windrowing and spreading business.

Seeding starts around Anzac Day, with beans going in first, followed by canola and cereals.

The Hyola 580CT was sown early May with a fertiliser program that included 80kg/ha of Granulock, 125kg/ha of SOA and 150kg/ha urea.

“It was very dry except for August when we received 100mm, which saved the year effectively.

“Yorke Peninsula also experienced frost that we’d never had before and received a little more rain at the start of October.

“All-in-all it was a dry, challenging season.”

They harvested the canola in mid-November, with the new variety yielding 1.8t/ha on average – the same as their 44Y90 CL alongside it.

“This coming season we’re going to use Hyola CT again but put in 200ha.”

Pacific Seeds launches new herbicide resistant hybrid canola following Chinese approval

Mon, 04 Mar 2019 05:56:34 GMT

Market-leading seed producer Pacific Seeds has announced this week plans to launch two new canola varieties to the Australian market, following the Chinese government’s approval of the Bayer-developed TruFlex® herbicide resistant trait.

TruFlex® is the first new herbicide-resistant trait offering since Monsanto, which was recently acquired by Bayer, launched the Roundup Ready® herbicide trait in 1996.

It offers canola growers a wider weed spraying window, extending beyond the current six-leaf stage up to first flowering.

Pacific Seeds managing director Barry Croker said Pacific Seeds had taken a commercial decision to integrate the Truflex trait and conduct seed production prior to approval from China.

“We wanted TruFlex® hybrid seed ready for the growing season in April as we anticipated approval from China would come through early this year, however this meant we needed to start production in mid 2018,” Mr Croker said.

“We’re pleased that the approval has come through, and we have just harvested good pilot quantities of seed in Chile, the seed will ready for sale with the TruFlex® trait following the appropriate processes and logistics are completed.

“This is the first big innovation in extended spray application technology since 1996, farmers have been crying out for an innovation and we’re so excited to be able to offer the latest technology now, responding to the demand from our customers.

“By providing an extended the spray window, the TruFlex® trait offers more flexibility for growers and improved weed management.

“Effective weed management is an essential part of delivering, higher yields and cleaner paddocks.”

TruFlex® received regulatory approval in China in mid-January of this year, after a six-year wait.

“China is Australia’s largest export market for canola, so this approval was essential for growers,” Mr Croker said.

“Our customers have been demanding this product for some time, and we have listened ensuring Australian canola growers can start to reap the benefits from TruFlex® canola during the 2019 season.”

Pacific Seeds will have two new hybrids with the Truflex trait available for the 2019 plant – Hyola 410XX which is a straight Truflex hybrid, as well as Hyola 530XT which is an Australian first stack which offers both the Truflex trait as well as triazine tolerance for that hybrid.

“We encourage farmers to contact their regular rural retailers to find out more about this new trait and the opportunity to access seed for the 2019 cropping season.

“We’re expecting massive demand this season for TruFlex® seed, which offer farmers more flexible and more effective spray-resistance for better weed management as part of their IWM programs.”

Mingenew grower adopts new wheat variety Havoc after trial

Fri, 15 Feb 2019 05:56:34 GMT

Mingenew farmer Paul Kelly is adding new wheat variety Havoc to his program this year after it topped his 2018 on-farm trial.

Mr Kelly runs 3106-hectare Edenvale Farms with his wife Sue and daughter Rebecca, while his other daughters Tara and Shaina work off-farm.

He planted a four-variety wheat trial in addition to his regular commercial crop, putting Havoc up against his regular varieties Scepter, Mace and Ninja.

Each variety was sown to 11ha on their ‘Santa Fe’ property and each plot measured 1.2km.

He said the results were interesting, with the newcomer performing the best, the noodle wheat following next and one of his oldest

varieties coming last.

“The Havoc won on the day, yielding an average of 1.92t/ha. Ninja went 1.81t/ha, Scepter went 1.68t/ha and Mace was 1.55t/ha.

“I harvested 24 tonnes off the Havoc, so I’ll keep it all for sowing this season and later down the track I can trade it with other farmers or sell it.

“It also had low screenings of two per cent and a good hectolitre weight of 79.2, though the entire crop across all varieties was low for protein this year.”

Mr Kelly said he plans to sow Havoc, Cobra and Scepter this year, replacing Ninja with a different noodle variety.

“I like to have two or three wheats going at once – I don’t like putting all my eggs in the one basket. If one variety fails due to rust or some other factor, you have something to fall back on.”

The crop was sown on June 1 in a paddock out of lupins and was harvested in late November.

He said while the season didn’t offer suitable rainfall, they were happy to get all the grain off and see reasonable yields.

“It was sown on good country, but it was a funny year. At the end of August, we thought we’d beat our big 2016 yield if we got 35mm of rain for September, but we only received 10mm. By the end of the season we were down 80mm on our long-term average, but overall, we’re happy enough with the season.”

Now is a good time to test wheat seed

Sun, 10 Feb 2019 05:56:34 GMT

Given a run of poor weather over recent wheat harvests, wheat variety marketing company Pacific Seeds is reminding growers to make sure they get their retained planting seed tested for germination and vigour prior to planting.

Pacific Seeds wheat manager, Neil Comben said that seed grown in a tough season, has experienced rain events over harvest, or which has experienced extreme heat or humidity in storage can often give sub-optimal results when planted.

“Seed is a living organism, so if it experiences extremes during either its growing or storage phases, it is inevitably going to be affected.

“Recent winters have been tough and shown us that growers really need to make the most of the rain when it comes to get their crop established. The last thing we want them to experience is a poor establishment due to poor quality planting seed.

“It’s not enough to rely on germination tests done at harvest; farmers need to get their seed tested again now to make sure it gives them the best possible start to the season.”

Mr Comben said it might also be a good time for growers to look at refreshing their wheat seed in the lead up to the 2019 winter crop.

“The more years of continuously retaining seed, the greater the risk of contamination through the introduction of seed from other varieties.

“We recommend that wheat growers routinely refresh their wheat seed to maintain a variety’s genetic purity so the traits, yield and agronomics they are chasing are there when they need it.

“It is also an opportunity for growers to assess recently released varieties which may offer additional yield or protein over older stalwart varieties on farm.”

Over the past two years, Pacific Seeds has released two new lines into the APH market – LRPB Reliant and LRPB Mustang.

“LRPB Reliant is living up to its name as a reliable performer across environments and data shows it is the highest yielding APH wheat variety for the main season plant, whereas LRPB Mustang offers growers excellent yield in a quicker maturing package,” Mr Comben said.

“These new wheats come from the same breeding program as LRPB Lancer and LRPB Spitfire, which are two on-farm favourites for their overall reliability and trait package.”

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