WeedSmart Week goes to Mildura, Victoria
The weed spectrum is changing in the Victorian Mallee and herbicide resistance is having a noticeable impact on grain cropping businesses in the region.
The herbicide and non-herbicide tactics that form the WeedSmart Big 6 have been researched and demonstrated in the field so growers can confidently employ these tactics to minimise the impact of herbicide resistance on their farms.
Each year growers and agronomists are invited to attend WeedSmart Week, somewhere in Australia. This year the 3-day event will be held in Mildura, Victoria, from 30 August to 1 September, 2022.
The event will start with a 1-day forum at the Mildura Arts Centre. The second day will include a machinery expo and farm tours with prominent growers of the Mallee region showcasing their farms and sharing their innovative weed control methods. At the machinery expo, growers will speak about their experiences with the latest in spray and camera technology, impact mills and other mechanical weed control tools. The day will conclude with a complimentary sundowner.
The third day will include farm tours to 2-3 farms with the farmer or farm manager outlining their weed management practice within their farming systems.
Program leader, Jessica Strauss says the WeedSmart Week theme, ‘Diversify and Disrupt – Use the Big 6 to beat crop weeds’, highlights how growers are implementing the WeedSmart Big 6 tactics to produce ‘more yield, fewer weeds’ every year.
“This will be the eighth WeedSmart Week event and is made possible through the support of the GRDC as the major sponsor and a wide range of herbicide and machinery companies – all with skin in the weed control game,” she said. “Growers who have attended previous WeedSmart Week events have returned home armed with new knowledge and heightened enthusiasm to tackle their weed problems head-on.”
“WeedSmart Week brings together a wealth of knowledge and experience from local and inter-state growers, researchers, advisors and technology experts – putting the spotlight on herbicide resistance and weed management,” said Ms Strauss. “Growers can see first-hand what is and isn’t working and consider how key principles can be applied directly to their own farming operation.”
Low weed seed banks underpin all profitable farming enterprises. Keeping weed numbers low and quickly regaining control of blow-outs is the sole purpose of the WeedSmart program.
The local organising committee plans to explore the resistance issues in the region and the herbicide and non-herbicide tools available to curtail the extent to resistance. Mixing and rotating herbicide modes of action is an essential and potentially complex tactic that requires a good understanding of the available chemistries and their best fit in the crop rotation.
The growers, agronomists and researchers speaking and participating in expert panels at the Day 1 forum will spark important discussions about herbicide resistance and how the Big 6 tactics can be used to target the weed species and farming systems of the Mallee region.
The bus tour on Day 2 will include farm visits and machinery expo, hosted by Ben White, Kondinin Group’s research manager. The bus tour on Day 3 will include visits to 2-3 farms. A full program will be released in June.
Register for this important 3-day event for the ‘early bird’ single ticket price of $210 (GST incl), guaranteeing a seat on the broadacre-focus bus tours and machinery expo, as well as the forum, all fully catered.
Early bird prices available until 31 July, 2022.
The Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) is a platinum supporter of WeedSmart. This investment ensures growers have access to world class research outcomes in strategies to mitigate weeds and control herbicide resistance.
WeedSmart extension agronomist, Jana Dixon (green cap) leading discussions with farm visit host, Ben Marshman, Owen SA, and the growers and agronomists attending WeedSmart Week 2020 in Clare.
The WeedSmart team appreciates the local support of the following agronomists on the Mildura WeedSmart Week organising committee:
- Tanja Morgan, Mallee Southern Farming Systems
- Brad Bennett and Ed Nixon, Agrivision
- Andrew McMahen, Nutrien
- Michael Moodie
- Rick Rundell-Gordon
