Herbicide resistance costs the grains industry hundreds of millions of dollars annually. Something needs to change.
That’s why Australia’s agricultural sector has united and in 2013 established WeedSmart, an industry-led initiative to enhance on-farm practices and promote the long-term sustainability of herbicides and seed traits.
Research partners, commercial organisations, government, advisors and growers joined forces to engage growers and agronomists in addressing Australia’s growing herbicide resistance problem. The industry was concerned that critical messages were inconsistent and that many growers and advisors did not understand the mechanisms of herbicide resistance nor the tactics needed to combat the problem successfully.
The Australian Herbicide Resistance Initiative, based at The University of Western Australia, won the tender to deliver practical and timely information about successfully managing herbicide resistance to growers and agronomists across Australia.
The small team quickly grew and WeedSmart now has a national communications and extension team based in the Western, Southern and Northern growing regions.
WeedSmart is now the ‘one-stop shop’ for information on combating weeds in Australian broadacre cropping systems.
Read more about the history of herbicide resistance research and extension in Australia.
Our Team
Karen Smith
Lisa Mayer
Siobhon Eacott
Jo Contencin
Cindy Benjamin
Paul McIntosh
Chris Davey
Peter Newman
Greg Condon
Jana Freebairn (Dixon)
Sustainable herbicide use will secure the viability of the Australian agricultural sector.
Lisa Mayer
A united industry voice
WeedSmart is the industry voice that delivers science backed weed control solutions to growers and advisors for long-term profitability in Australian Agriculture. WeedSmart delivers a national stewardship campaign for key stakeholders to focus on encouraging attitudes and actions aimed at minimising crop weeds and sustaining herbicide use through the implementation of WeedSmart’s Big 6.
The WeedSmart Big 6 provides practical ways for growers to fight herbicide resistance by farming with diverse tactics within both summer and winter cropping systems.