Tony’s Tractors

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The Rudd Government is delivering on a key election commitment for regional Australia-investing $40 million to support the growth of innovative food and seafood industries. Today the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Tony Burke announced applications are open for three key funding programs to support these local industries. ‘We need to maintain a competitive edge for our food production sector by boosting productivity right along the production chain and value-adding to capitalise on new markets.

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The Rudd Government continues to deliver on its commitment to help the farming sector adapt to climate change, with applications now open to primary industries groups and natural resource management groups for grants of up to $80,000. Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Tony Burke said the funding would encourage farming, fisheries, forestry and natural resource management groups to be involved in collaborative projects which help them adapt to climate change. Mr Burke said the FarmReady funding followed $46.2 million announced under Australia’s Farming Future for research and development to help our primary industries adapt to climate change.

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The Hon Tony Burke MP Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Tony Burke said many Australian families enjoyed fresh Australian seafood at Christmas and the website would be welcomed. ‘You can’t beat the quality of fresh, locally caught Australian seafood and this will help to take some of the stress out of seafood shopping,’ Mr Burke said.

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A world-wide search to name the New7Wonders of Nature has commenced, and Tourism Australia is calling on everyone to vote for an Australian natural landmark by December 31. Any site that is clearly defined as a natural site, monument or landscape, that is not created or significantly altered by humans for aesthetic reasons, is eligible for nomination. Stage three runs from July 29 to mid-2011 and is a global public vote for the top seven locations, culminating in announcement of the final New7Wonders of Nature.

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Soil compaction may be costing Australian agriculture up to $850 million a year in lost production, however the problem could be largely overcome by widespread adoption of zero-tillage controlled traffic farming systems. Mr Whitlock recently completed an investigation into the effects of wheeled soil compaction on crop growth and a pilot study on various controlled traffic systems in Victoria. Soil benefits included structural improvements through drying and wetting cycles, ‘biological’ ripping by plant roots and incorporation of organic matter improved water infiltration rates and greater ability to store plant-available water, and greater soil porosity allowing more oxygen in the soil - essential for microbial activity and soil health.

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This week’s Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) Update at Swan Hill took place under a cloudless sky, typifying a 2006 season with little promise in the region. Natya farmer Tim Gleeson told growers at the Update that a positive mindset was an important asset for a farmer, particularly when the season was looking grim. Dr Hayman said it was overwhelmingly likely that growers would have to take a risk management approach to climate change and variability because he considered it very unlikely that the magic bullet - accurate long-range weather forecasting tools - would be available to them in the foreseeable future.

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Conventional wisdom dictates that the timing for windrowing canola is short and unforgiving, with yield and oil content penalties if the &Acirc`rules’ are not followed. Trials show windrow timing has little influence on seed oil content of canola when the crop is assessed at more than 10 per cent seed colour change. Windrowing Hyden and Surpass 501TT at 10-60 per cent maturity showed no significant yield reductions.

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The growing threats of climate change, globalisation and agri-terrorism mean Australia needs to overhaul its biosecurity system, according to a major new report. Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Tony Burke today released the detailed report by an expert panel chaired by Roger Beale AO, One Biosecurity: A Working Partnership. The report makes 84 recommendations which represent the biggest reforms to our biosecurity system in more than a century.

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When the invitation says BYO , we all know what we are expected to bring, right?. The organisation has had a strong focus in recent years on weed control - being involved in several Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) projects in that area - and promoted a number of field days and farm tours to improve grower skills in the operation of crop sprayers. While there would be very few instances of that much spray being wasted, a loss of even 10 per cent amounts to a considerable sum in a spray budget that might reach $200,000 on a modern grain and cotton farm.

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One of the cornerstones of traditional graingrowing has involved the multiple tillage of cropping land. Of course, embarking on no-till is not just a matter of sowing a crop and watching it grow. Consequently Dr Rainbow’s advice for those thinking about taking on no-till is not to rush in but to plan carefully.

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