Paddock Chat (The West Midlands Group)

With the high cost of crop input prices weighing on most farmers minds at present, we put the focus on chickpea this week as a potential high value legume option for the coming season.

Over the last three years, West Midlands Group trials have found that chickpea have yielded consistently and have had a competitive Gross Margin in our region despite not being a traditional chickpea growing area.

In this episode, Nathan Craig (WMG Executive Officer) sat down with Mark Seymour & Harmohinder Dhammu from the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, to answer the two most asked questions about chickpeas:

• How well do they yield across WA
•  What are the weed control options now available to keep the crop clean?

This conversation covered a lot of good information and so it will be a two-part episode. Be sure to download and listen in to part 2 which is available right now:
https://www.buzzsprout.com/1067260/10154568 

*Harmohinder Dhammu would like to note that at 17:13 of this episode, he should have said "susceptible ryegrass" rather than "resistant ryegrass".

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Part 2 of To Chickpea, or not to Chickpea.

In part 2 of this episode, Nathan Craig (WMG Executive Officer) continues his conversation with Mark Seymour & Harmohinder Dhammu from the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, talking yield and weed control considerations in chickpeas.

This is part 2 of a special two-part episode, so if you've missed part 1, be sure to download and listen to it now:
https://www.buzzsprout.com/1067260/10154438

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In this episode of PaddockChat, Executive Officer Nathan Craig talks with former WMG Graduate Project Officer Adam Anfuso about the Long Season Wheat Project.

• Which was the best preforming variety?
• How far did the wheat roots actually penetrate into the soil?
• Should we be growing Long Season Wheat varieties more?

Nathan and Adam guide us through how we can effectively use our sandy soils down to and below 2 metres, focusing on the concept and results of the 2021 WMG Long Season Wheat Project.

Adam's work on this trial has been a major focus of his master’s degree at the University of Western Australia and this podcast is a special companion piece to Adam’s presentation during the WMG Seasonal Updates Festival 2022. This project is jointly funded through the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund and the West Midlands Group.

For more information on this project, you can find a comprehensive write-up in the WMG February Quarterly 2022, or watch Adam's live stream during Day 1 - Session 2 of the Seasonal Updates Festival 2022 on the WMG Facebook and Twitter pages.

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Dr. Mike Ashworth, Research Agronomist at the Australian Herbicide Resistance Initiative and Matt Willis, Market Development Agronomist at Bayer Crop Science join the podcast to share their knowledge and strategies for weed control in your farming system.   

WMG E.O Nathan Craig leads these 2 special guests on a deep dive into the key elements of an effective herbicide strategy based on the research they have been working on over the last few years. 

This special bumper edition of Paddock Chat contains not only great conversation, but also a wealth of topical and timely information.  

For ease of listening and navigation we have provided some timestamps for this episode: 

• 01:06 – 06:30 Introduction – What’s Your Role in the Agricultural Industry?  
• 06:30 – 15:15 Bayer Trials & Key Findings in the West Midlands & Northern Ag Region  
• 15:15 – 23:22 AHRI Trials & Key Findings in the West Midlands & Across WA  
• 23:22 – 41:05 What Could This Season Bring? What Should I Be Considering? 
  • 23:32 – 32:19 Early Break  
  • 32:19 – 42:08 Late Break  
• 42:08 – 44:18 Where Can I Go for More Information?  
• 44:18 – 45:52 Conclusion – What Keeps You Interested in Agriculture?  

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Amelia Nolan, Program Manager at The Livestock Collective (TLC) joins the podcast to talk with us about the importance of developing widespread knowledge of the ins and outs of the Australian livestock and broader agricultural industries.  

WMG Beef Industry Development Officer Erin O’Brien chats with Amelia about her story, role at TLC and her wealth of knowledge concerning social license and the importance of the community getting access to information that is real and authentic, from all along the agriculture supply chains, from the people actually involved in the industry. 

This edition of Paddock Chat is a companion episode to our Seasonal Updates Festival and Amelia’s dynamic and informative presentation can still be viewed right here (Beginning at 29:50). 

Resources: 

https://www.goodmeat.com.au/ - MLA: Australian Good Meat 

https://www.thelivestockcollective.com.au/ - The Livestock Collective  

https://www.redmeatgreenfacts.com.au/# - Red Meat Green Facts 

https://www.learnaboutwool.com/ - AWI: Learn About Wool 

https://livecorp.com.au/ - Livecorp: For industry who want to see consumer feedback 

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In this episode, Daniel Real, Feedbase Pastural Researcher at the Department of Primary Industry & Regional Development (DPRID) joins us to talk about the Feed365 project and solving a common problem for farmers in the West Midlands region and across WA: early and late season feed gaps. 

Daniel joins WMG Graduate Communications Officer Simon Kruger and Mixed Farming Systems Officer Melanie Dixon to give our listeners an insight into Feed365, the first phase of research, and how this innovative and far-reaching project will be working with farmers across WA, aiming to eliminate the need for confinement feeding in periods of low feed quality and availability.

Our conversation with Daniel was recorded in two parts, firstly in the field investigating trial sites and followed up with a recorded zoom call.

For more information on the Feed365 project be sure to check out the DPIRD website, or get in contact with us at comms@wmgroup.org.au

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It is believed that ancient South American cultures would use a rudimentary form of biochar to increase soil productivity thousands of years ago. Fast forward to the present day and the word Biochar is used to describe a substance that looks almost like charcoal, but that is actually biomass carbonized and made into a solid material, used in a multitude of ways from filtration to improving soil function and fertility.

One of the key impacts of climate change is its inevitable threat to the agricultural industry and food security as a whole. As the focus of WMG Cropping Systems Officer Md Zahangir Hossain’s recently completed PhD, Biochar’s use as a soil amendment has the potential benefits of bigger yields, healthier soils, lower acidity levels, richer microbial activity, and better water retention to name just a few.

This episode forms an introduction of sorts to one of our newest team members Zahangir, while Executive Officer Nathan Craig also joins the conversation, bringing his technical expertise and knowledge to help us delve deeper into Biochar as a soil amendment, its benefits and limitations, and how WMG will be innovatively utilising it within the Future Carbon Project. 

For more information on Biochar, the Future Carbon Project or any of Zahangir’s work, be sure to get in contact with us at comms@wmgroup.org.au

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Communications Officer Simon Kruger and Beef Industry Development Officer Erin O’Brien recently sat down with local farmer and WMG member Steele Rudd.

Steele runs ‘Our Selection’ at Eganu, a mixed enterprise farm, consisting of a continuous cropping program combined with a cattle operation rotationally grazed across improved perennial and annual pastures.

Steele’s proactive response to high grasshopper numbers and an increase in bare patches in the 2021 season has paid dividends, and not only has he seen some great results from strategic oversowing of cereals and perennials management, but he is also one of the farmers highlighted in a recently released DPIRD focus case study on stabilising sandy pasture paddocks with low groundcover.

https://www.agric.wa.gov.au/pastures/stabilising-sandy-pasture-paddocks-low-groundcover 

This episode marks the beginning of a series of episodes that focus on positive responses to low groundcover within the West Midlands region, so be sure to look out for the upcoming episodes featuring Don Bradshaw of Jutomara Park and Geoff Moore of DPIRD. 

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Communications Officer Simon Kruger and Mixed Farming Systems Officer Melanie Dixon recently sat down with local farmer and WMG member Don Bradshaw.

Don is the Manager at ‘Jutomara Park’, a grazing operation running cattle only, predominantly brought down from Yanrey Station near Exmouth for backgrounding. 

Recalling a series of events over the previous seasons including the effects of cutworm, unseasonal rainfall and increased grasshopper numbers, Don noticed a perfect ‘low groundcover’ storm was developing in the early stages of the 2021 season.

Don's timely and decisive management has turned bare patches and paddocks with low groundcover into highly productive pastures, and not only has he placed 'Jutomara Park' in a great position for the coming seasons, but he is also one of the farmers highlighted in a DPIRD grower focus case study on stabilising sandy pasture paddocks with low groundcover in the West Midlands region.

https://www.agric.wa.gov.au/pastures/stabilising-sandy-pasture-paddocks-low-groundcover 

Not only is this story an excellent example of proactive and practical responses to groundcover issues, but it is also a perfect example of the value of local knowledge and strength of community ties in the region. 

This episode is the second in a series of episodes that focus on positive responses to low groundcover within the West Midlands region, so be sure to look out for the next episode featuring Geoff Moore of DPIRD.

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In this episode WMG Comms Officer Simon Kruger & Mixed Farming Systems Officer Melanie Dixon are joined by Geoff Moore, Research Scientist at the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development. 

When grasshopper issues first arose in the 2021 season in the West Midlands region, Geoff was the first respondent on the ground with the WMG team and our affected members. Geoff specialises in legumes, pastures, livestock feedbase and groundcover among many things, and chats with us as part three in our series focusing on positive producer responses to 2021 seasonal grasshopper and groundcover issues. 

After monitoring the areas of greatest risk in our region and producing several case studies investigating the response to grasshopper, groundcover and soil erosion, Geoff is able to provide some more background on both producer and department response, as well as detailing several key short, mid and long term tactical and strategic options for dealing with groundcover issues.

Geoff and DPIRD have kindly provided some links to extra resources for producers who may be interested in the topics covered during the conversation or those that are hoping to mitigate similar problems in this and coming seasons.

Useful Links:

https://www.agric.wa.gov.au/pastures/stabilising-sandy-pasture-paddocks-low-groundcover

• Tagasaste management with Bob Wilson
•  Pasture Cropping - An introduction to the concept and EverCrop project 
• Pasture Cropping - Experiences of innovative growers  
• Pasture Cropping - Results from the Moora focus site with David Ferris 
• Key steps for successful establishment of sub-tropical grasses with Phil Barrett-Lennard 
• Identifying sub-tropical grass seedlings
• Sub-tropical grass establishment - machinery demonstration
• Producer perspective
• Assessing sub-tropical grass establishment
• Saponins and grasses
• Ketosis in cattle with Marion Seymour

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This episode marks the beginning of a 4-part series of episodes West Midlands Group are releasing in collaboration with the Society of Precision Agriculture Australia and Mallee Sustainable Farming.

SPAA is Australasia’s leading independent advocate and facilitator for increased research, extension and adoption of precision agriculture, delivering industry wide value across different sectors.

MSF are a grower group bringing farmers and researchers together to build more efficient, profitable and sustainable farming businesses in the low-rainfall Mallee region across New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia.

Consultant and farmer Peter Treloar joins MSF’s Jay Cummins, sharing his practical experiences in helping Mallee farmers navigate their on-farm development and application of precision ag systems.

Peter and Jay’s insightful conversation hits on many typical on-farm issues in precision ag and answers some key questions such as what equipment to use and how to get it to work in the best possible way to help make better informed decisions and reduce some of the stresses in farming decisions.

This podcast has been made possible by SPAA with funding from the FRRR Future Drought Fund.

“SPAA is Australasia’s leading independent advocate and facilitator for increased research, extension and adoption of precision agriculture, delivering industry wide value across different sectors.”

SPAA would also like to acknowledge their principal sponsors: John Deere, CNHi, Manutec, and Elders.

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Farmer and consultant Felicity Turner joins Mallee Sustainable Farming’s Tanja Morgan, providing an insight into her work in supporting farmers in the Mallee and Upper Southeast region of SA in relation to integrating Precision Ag (PA) systems into their farming operations. 

Felicity shares her experiences in working with farming families, including the role of PA in helping to guide and make informed decisions.

This is the second episode in our collaboration series focusing on precision ag and mental wellbeing in partnership with the Society of Precision Agriculture Australia (SPAA) and Mallee Sustainable Farming.

If you've missed the first episode in this series, listen to it HERE.

This podcast has been made possible by SPAA with funding from the FRRR Future Drought Fund.

“SPAA is Australasia’s leading independent advocate and facilitator for increased research, extension and adoption of precision agriculture, delivering industry wide value across different sectors.”

 SPAA would also like to acknowledge their principal sponsors: John Deere, CNHi, Manutec, and Elders.

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Episode 3 in our collaboration series focusing on precision ag and mental wellbeing in partnership with the Society of Precision Agriculture Australia and Mallee Sustainable Farming. 

Tim Paschke is a South Australian northern Mallee farmer based at Lowbank who farms in one of the most marginal rainfall zones for cropping in Australia, and for that matter the World. Tim is currently an ambassador and advocate for the Vocal Local project, an initiative of the ifarmwell program.

ifarmwell is a free online tool kit to help farmers cope effectively with life’s challenges and get the most out of every day, regardless of the circumstances they face and has been designed based on what Australian farmers have said they want and what research shows will help.

In this episode Tim joins MSF’s Jay Cummins to share his experiences in this project and about life farming on the edge. The Vocal Locals project is led by the University of South Australia, promoting the ifarmwell program with funding from the FRRR Future Drought Fund. 

If you've missed the episode 1 in this series, listen to it HERE

If you've missed the episode 2 in this series, listen to it HERE

This podcast has been made possible by SPAA with funding from the FRRR Future Drought Fund.

“SPAA is Australasia’s leading independent advocate and facilitator for increased research, extension and adoption of precision agriculture, delivering industry wide value across different sectors.”

 SPAA would also like to acknowledge their principal sponsors: John Deere, CNHi, Manutec, and Elders.

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Episode 4, and the final in our collaboration series focusing on precision ag and mental wellbeing in partnership with the Society of Precision Agriculture Australia and Mallee Sustainable Farming. 

Tanya Lehman wears many hats and is well known in her community for her work in supporting regional communities, helping them to truly thrive. Her latest role sees her helping to support a new project coaching a new group of ‘Vocal Locals’ in the community that are there to share their experiences of how they work on taking care of their mental health and wellbeing especially in times of stress. 

In this episode Tanya joins MSF’s Jay Cummins to talk about her involvement in this forward-thinking project and to share her valuable insights and knowledge in this incredibly important but often underrepresented space.

The Vocal Locals project is led by the University of South Australia, promoting the ifarmwell program with funding from the FRRR Future Drought Fund. 

If you've missed the episode 1 in this series, listen to it HERE

If you've missed the episode 2 in this series, listen to it HERE

If you've missed the episode 3 in this series, listen to it HERE

This podcast has been made possible by SPAA with funding from the FRRR Future Drought Fund.

“SPAA is Australasia’s leading independent advocate and facilitator for increased research, extension and adoption of precision agriculture, delivering industry wide value across different sectors.”

 SPAA would also like to acknowledge their principal sponsors: John Deere, CNHi, Manutec, and Elders.

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Did you know that the rules around asset depreciation are changing on the 1 July 2023? 

With the $1000 write-off threshold being reintroduced next financial year, RSM Principal Reagan Manns joins WMG Executive Officer Nathan Craig to find out what this could mean for your business when buying and replacing machinery in the coming years.

Find out the questions you need to ask to avoid paying more tax than you need to!

This episode covers: 

*How to structure your farm business to avoid a higher tax bill

*Asset depreciation  schedules 

*Replacement schedules

*Risk of creating income when you don't need to

To learn more about this topic in relation to your farm business, you can reach out to Reagan at Reagan.Manns@rsm.com.au or call 9652 2380.

RSM Australia is a proud long-term sponsor of the West Midlands Group.

West Midlands Group is proud to bring you another episode of Paddock Chat.

Our members receive lots of great information just like this - to join the WMG community go to www.wmgroup.org.au

 We are also very socially active! Follow us on Twitter @WMG_WA  or Facebook @westmidlandsgroup 

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Diving into how to take control of livestock depredation on your farm

WMG host Erin O'Brien dives into Wild Dog control and the need for  proactive management.

In this episode WMG host Erin O'Brien dives into what are the signs of wild dog activity and how to minimise stock depredation with guests Greg Mifsud National Wild Dog Management Coordinator from  Invasive Species Solutions and Paul Pitaro Lead LPMT from Vertebrate Pest Management. 

Greg and Paul explain why it's crucial to have a baiting program, how you can save time and money by being proactive in your approach to wild dog and fox control and how to reduce the risks around baiting when you have working dogs.

They go on to outline the relationship between calicivirus and why this is the opportune time to increase your baiting activity, as well why it s critical to approach pest control as a "community" issue and not as an isolated activity.

We hope you enjoy this episode as much as we did.

The following  resources are available for landholders 

https://pestsmart.org.au/toolkits/wild-dogs/

www.wilddogplan.org.au 

You can contact Greg Mifsud at greg.mifsud@invasives.com.au or call 0448189909

http://www.vpma.com.au/contact.htm

Contact Paul Pitaro ( based in Dongara) at paul@vpma.com.au or call 0438 337 642

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This episode explores the current challenges for weed control in the Northern Agricultural Region of Western Australia from the view of Matt Willis, Market Development Agronomist with Bayer Crop Science. Newly appointed Director of the Australian Herbicide Resistance Initiative (AHRI) Associate Professor Ken Flower joins the discussion to outline how collaboration between all industry stakeholders is needed to develop a more robust and diverse farming system that has a lower reliance on herbicides to do the heavy lifting for weed control. 

SPOILER: The harnessing of technology, particularly variable rate application and the ability to detect the current and future location of weeds in the paddock features strongly in this episode!

The West Midlands Group would like to acknowledge Bayer Crop Science as a long-term sponsor of the group.

Resources :
Ken Flower UWA ken.flower@uwa.edu.au 
Australian Herbicide Resistance Initiative 

 Matt Willis Bayer CropScience
matt.willis@bayer.com 

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WMG EO Nathan Craig interviews WMG’s Beef Industry Development Officer Erin O’Brien on her BeefLinks Backgrounding project. This episode explores the findings of the project, and what’s in store for the future.  

The project is part of a more extensive BeefLinks Program, funded by Meat & Livestock Australia through the Donor company and University of Western Australia. This program is a four-year research partnership that aims to drive an integrated and complementary R&D program for northern and southern production systems across WA to achieve profitable, consistent and sustainable beef yields matched to consumer expectations. 

Today’s episode covers: 

• Insights from the project's findings
• What the data collected revealed about cattle performance through the supply chain
• The role backgrounding plays in the supply chain
• Key tools that producers now have to make more informed decisions
• Key steps to move forward and improve management styles
• How WMG plans to continue to work and support producers moving forward

 We hope you enjoy this episode, if you have any questions or would like to get in touch with the West Midlands Group please email admin@wmgroup.org.au or call 9651 4008  

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The Good, The Bad and the Fungi: A Look at Soil Pathogens

This episode takes a closer look at the microscopic world of soil pathogens with Dr Dominie Wright, Senior Laboratory Scientist in DDLS and leader of the DPIRD plant diagnostic group. 

Dominie joins WMG EO Dr Nathan Craig and WMG Mixed Farming Systems Officer Melanie Dixon to discuss how growers can better identify and manage soil pathogens (known more commonly as root diseases) on their property. This conversation is supported by the key findings of the recently completed WMG project "Soilborne Pathogen Identification and Management Strategies for Winter Cereals". The project gave a local perspective on the effectiveness of current break crop control options.

This project was made possible with support from @GGA_WA
 and @DPIRDWA, and is a @theGRDC
 investment.

If you are keen to learn more about this topic, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us at admin@wmgroup.org.au or call 9651 4008 

You can become a West Midlands Group member today by visiting our website https://wmgroup.org.au 

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It is widely recognised across the WA Wheatbelt that crops and pastures need large amounts of Potassium (K) to achieve maximum plant growth. Most of the agricultural soils in WA are low in K and this means plants mainly rely on getting K from the soil through fertiliser application and recycling of plant-available K from deeper in the soil layers.

This episode explores potassium nutrition in the West Midlands region with Summit Fertilizers Area Manager, Brett Beard, and WMG Mixed Farming Systems Officer Melanie Dixon. We speak about how to understand what’s going on in your soil, why potassium has been forgotten in the past, and the results of Summit's long-term potassium trials in the region.

The West Midlands Group would like to thank Summit Fertilizers for their long term support as a Diamond sponsor.

You can contact Brett for more information at:
0429900607
bbeard@summitfertz.com.au    

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In this week’s episode of Paddock Chat we speak with agronomist Nick Eyres about his journey to starting his own agronomy business, Greenough Specialty Ag, and how it has allowed him to expand the research side of his role. Nick speaks highly about the importance of increasing protein development in farming systems and tackling other common soil health issues in the northern ag region.

We hope you enjoy this episode, if you would like to learn more about the West Midlands Group and how we help support our local farmers and the sustainable future of Agriculture, visit our website at www.wmgroup.org.au or email us at admin@wmgroup.org.au

To stay up to date with these topics and to follow Nick’s work head over to Twitter @eyres_N or contact Nick at gsaconsulting@outlook.com.au

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In this episode of Paddock Chat, we speak with Anna Cornell from NACC NRM about the 'Growing Great Ground' project. The project aims to combat wind erosion and enhance on-farm biodiversity in the northern agricultural region.

Anna, who has a personal connection to the region, shares her passion for making a positive impact on her community and the environment.

Anna discusses how workshops and other events have played a crucial role in educating producers about new technologies and sustainable practices. These activities have contributed to a wider adoption of effective strategies, resulting in increased ground cover and native vegetation.

The 'Growing Great Ground' project, in collaboration with the Northern Agricultural Catchments Council (NACC) and the Australian Government’s Regional Land Partnerships initiative of the National Landcare Program, is dedicated to fostering sustainable land management practices and promoting biodiversity conservation, creating a lasting positive impact on the region.

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In this episode of Paddock Chat, WMG Executive Officer Nathan Craig sat down with Reagan Manns from RSM Australia to talk through the federal budget handed down on 9 May 2023. 

While this was considered a pretty tame budget, there were a few tweaks that snuck in at the last minute, including updates to the instant write-off threshold and taxing of profit in superannuation funds. 

For more information on this topic or to contact Reagan directly, reach out to Reagan.Manns@rsm.com.au or call 9652 2380. 

Earlier podcast episodes with RSM can be found here

https://www.buzzsprout.com/1067260/12115179

https://www.buzzsprout.com/1067260/9994925

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"Exploring Global Economics & Markets with Ben Picton: Rising Interest Rates, Consumer Trends, Social License, the Pandemic's Impact and more"

Senior Strategist for Global Economics & Markets in the Australia/New Zealand region for Rabobank, Ben Picton, delves into the current economic landscape to cover several key areas impacting the Agricultural industry.

If you would like to contact your local Rabobank branch you can find them via their website https://www.rabobank.com.au/ or in the Moora Office at 14A Dandaragan Street, or you can reach them on 9690 8500.

We hope you enjoy this episode. If you would like to learn more about the West Midlands Group and how we help support our local farmers and the sustainable future of Agriculture, visit our website at www.wmgroup.org.au or email us at admin@wmgroup.org.au.

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In this week’s episode of Paddock Chat WMG Executive Officer Nathan Craig chats with Bayer Crop Science's Matt Willis about successful strategies for fenceline weed management.

Matt speaks about historical applications and management of paddock fencelines, the continual increase in glyphosate resistance, new alternatives and trials with Bayer's Alion©, best practice and the 2023 WMG Spring Field Day Bayer Fenceline Trial.

We hope you enjoy this episode, if you would like to learn more about the West Midlands Group and how we help support our local farmers and the sustainable future of Agriculture, visit our website at www.wmgroup.org.au or email us at admin@wmgroup.org.au

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In this episode of Paddock Chat we sit down with Rabobank Farm Inputs Analyst Vitor Cacula Pistoia to discuss the current land market in Australia.

Vitor provides insights into how land values are tracking across the country, the reasons behind the current trends and more importantly, how land values compare in the West Midlands region. Vitor also provides an outlook for the future and what we might expect moving forward.

If you missed our earlier episode with Rabobank Senior Strategist for Global Economics & Markets - Australia/New Zealand, Ben Picton, you can listen here.

If you would like to contact your local Rabobank branch, you can find them via their website, at the Moora Office - 14A Dandaragan Street, or call them on 9690 8500.

We hope you enjoy this episode. If you would like to learn more about the West Midlands Group and how we help support our local farmers and the sustainable future of Agriculture, visit our website at www.wmgroup.org.au or email us at admin@wmgroup.org.au

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In this episode of Paddock Chat we sit down with Justin Laycock, who is a Research Scientist at the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development.

Justin speaks about how DPIRD and growers across the Wheatbelt have been collaborating to transform ground cover management as we know it.

If you would like more information, contact Justin at justin.laycock@dpird.wa.gov.au.

Resources:
Geoglam RaPP
NRInfo
National Maps (previously Terria Cube)
Terria Cube How To Guide
VegMachine

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The Soil CRC Knowledge Sharing Project extension series is produced and presented by Simon Kruger, project grower group participant and Project Communications Officer at West Midlands Group in Western Australia.

In this four-part series, Simon sits down with other participating grower group representatives to reflect on some of the key learnings from the Soil CRC's Knowledge Sharing Project.

In this episode Simon chats to Birchip Cropping Group’s Kelly Angel about reactive events and strategic engagement.

The project was led by Dr Hanabeth Luke from Southern Cross University. For more information visit www.soilcrc.com.au.

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The Soil CRC Knowledge Sharing Project extension series is produced and presented by Simon Kruger, project grower group participant and Project Communications Officer at West Midlands Group in Western Australia.

In this four-part series, Simon sits down with other participating grower group representatives to reflect on some of the key learnings from the Soil CRC's Knowledge Sharing Project.

In this episode Simon chats to Central West Farming System’s Diana Fear about engaging with farmers in challenging times.

The project was led by Dr Hanabeth Luke from Southern Cross University. For more information visit www.soilcrc.com.au.

Support the show

The Soil CRC Knowledge Sharing Project extension series is produced and presented by Simon Kruger, project grower group participant and Project Communications Officer at West Midlands Group in Western Australia.

In this four-part series, Simon sits down with other participating grower group representatives to reflect on some of the key learnings from the Soil CRC's Knowledge Sharing Project.

In this episode Simon chats to his West Midlands Group colleagues Dr Nathan Craig and Melanie Dixon about sharing knowledge and engaging with farmers at their Pasture Walk events.

The project was led by Dr Hanabeth Luke from Southern Cross University. For more information visit www.soilcrc.com.au.

Support the show

The Soil CRC Knowledge Sharing Project extension series is produced and presented by Simon Kruger, project grower group participant and Project Communications Officer at West Midlands Group in Western Australia.

In this four-part series, Simon sits down with other participating grower group representatives to reflect on some of the key learnings from the Soil CRC's Knowledge Sharing Project.

In this episode Simon chats to AIR EP’s Joshua Telfer about shifting soil and land management narratives.

The project was led by Dr Hanabeth Luke from Southern Cross University. For more information visit www.soilcrc.com.au.

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This is the first ever episode of Paddock Chat, the West Midlands Group podcast that takes a closer look at what is happening in a paddock near you.
In this episode, our host Kirra Holley caught up with Chris O’Callaghan and Jim Miller to chat about how the Midlands Biosecurity Group is tackling wild dogs in our region. Our conversation was recorded in mid-April and due to restrictions in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19, this interview was recorded via Zoom so the audio quality isn’t amazing. We do talk about the extermination of feral pests so if you don’t want to hear about the nitty gritty of animal control, maybe skip this one. USEFUL LINKS: Visit www.mbg.org.au for more information about pest control in the Midlands region. You can contact the West Midlands Group via www.wmgroup.org.au or email us on comms@wmgroup.org.au. 

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In this episode, we chat with Summit Fertilizers Area Manager and Marchagee farmer, Juliet McDonald about what's keeping her busy in the paddock right now, how to spot the missing links to improve your crop performance, what she thinks we can expect from the 2020 season and plenty more. This conversation was recorded on the 15th of May 2020 when we were still waiting on the break of the season. USEFUL LINKS:
Summit Fertilizers Area Managers - https://www.summitfertz.com.au/area-managers.html
Summit's N Gauge Strips - https://www.summitfertz.com.au/services/fuel-gauges.html
Contact the West Midlands Group - https://wmgroup.org.au/contact-us

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This week's episode has literally come from a paddock near you! We caught up with Dandaragan farmer, Zac Roberts in a paddock full of perennials on Strathmore in Dandaragan to talk all things pasture improvement. Zac farms with his father Wade and brother Jeremy on approximately 10,000 hectares spread across four properties within the Dandaragan Shire. The Roberts family run a mixed enterprise made up of 30% cropping and 70% livestock, and have been experimenting with pasture improvement for roughly 15 years, with much success! Recorded on the 4th of June 2020, this conversation covers Zac's experience improving pastures with perennials and annuals. 

USEFUL LINKS
West Midlands Group 2019 Pasture Trial Results: https://www.wmgroup.org.au/wmg-pasture-trial-2019-1, https://www.wmgroup.org.au/wmg-pasture-trial-2019-2

Pasture experts as recommended by Zac were; Phil Barret-Leonard - https://agvivo.com.au/our-team/, follow Phil on Twitter @pbl1972; Angelo Loi - https://www.agric.wa.gov.au/angelo-loi; Grant Bain - https://evergreen.asn.au/committee/; and you can follow Clayton South on Twitter @CJSouth6.
You can also follow Zac on Twitter @zacroberts80

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In this episode, I caught up with Nutrition & Production Specialist Bronwen Fowler from Nutrien Ag Solutions to talk about mastitis in ewes. Following the dry summer, sheep producers should keep an eye out for this highly contagious and damaging disease in their flock. We caught up with Bronwen in mid-June 2020 to get her advice on preventing, recognising, managing and treating mastitis.
USEFUL LINKS: 

• DPIRD - Mastitis in sheep
• Mastitis in Sheep - Disease Management
• Understanding mastitis in sheep
• Paddock Chat Podcast Feedback Form: https://airtable.com/shr99hNSKZRIkH9B1
• Get in touch with Bronwen via Bronwen.Fowler@Nutrien.com.au or call her on 0447678457

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In this episode, we caught up with Dandaragan grower Duncan Glasfurd to delve into his experience with ameliorating soils, and late-season amelioration in particular. We cover why they choose to wait for rain when ameliorating, the preparation of a paddock prior to amelioration, how management changes following amelioration and all the things to consider before giving it a go that will save you time and money. This conversation was recorded on the 29th of June, 2020.
USEFUL LINKS
Follow Duncan on Twitter via @DuncanGlasfurd
Follow Plozza Plows on Facebook at @PlozzaPlows  and on Twitter via @PlozzaPlows
Feedback Survey via https://airtable.com/shr99hNSKZRIkH9B1
RESEARCH LINKS
Deep Incorporation Of Lime Into Acidic Subsoils
Amelioration of water repellent sands – long term impacts
One-Off Tillage Options For Water Repellent Gravel Soils
Clay Spreading On Water Repellent Deep Sand
Lime Incorporation Into Acidic Sandplain Soils In The West Midlands
Developing And Testing Innovative, Practical And Reliable Methods For Incorporating Lime Into Acidic Sandplain Subsoils

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In this episode, we're talking weeds and pests with agronomist and farmer Courtney Piesse. We cover how the season is looking so far, our options for resistance management, the pests our crops could be vulnerable to in 2020, and the exciting new Agtech on the horizon for managing weeds. This conversation was recorded in early June 2020.
Useful Links
Get in touch with Courtney on 0429377608 or email him at knoxy8865@gmail.com.
Support the show (https://www.wmgroup.org.au/become-member)
Feedback Survey via https://airtable.com/shr99hNSKZRIkH9B1
Further Resources
Diagnosing Diamondback Moth
Fall armyworm in WA
Herbicide options for annual legume pastures
Comparison of pre-emergent herbicides for annual ryegrass control in wheat
Can double break crop rotations be effective and profitable across the Wheatbelt?

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In today's episode, we're talking weaning for best results. We caught up with Dr Danny Roberts (DPIRD veterinarian and researcher) to talk about:

• The benefits of weaning at 12 to 14 weeks after the start of lambing
• Things to consider before weaning
• Paddock and nutrition tips to get the best results for both ewe and lamb after weaning

You can get in touch with Dr Danny via email on danny.roberts@dpird.wa.gov.au or call his office on 9892 8535.

Useful Resources
Flock value grows from weaning well 
Sheep weaning best practice

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In this episode of Paddock Chat, West Midlands Group's executive officer Dr Nathan Craig caught up with Dr Hanabeth Luke to delve into the topic of RegenAg.

Their conversation covers:

• What is Regen Ag really? 
• How does it fit into and does it already exist in traditional farming systems? 
• What the future holds for research in this rapidly developing field and the exciting new Regenerative Agriculture course delving into successful regenerative practices.

Get in touch
Dr Hanabeth Luke | E: hanabeth.luke@scu.edu.au
Dr Nathan Craig | E: eo@wmgroup.org.au

Useful Resources
Study a Bachelor of Science with a regenerative agriculture major
About the Soil Health Survey
Youtube: Soil CRC Project: Surveying farm practices - Dr Hanabeth Luke

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In this episode, we caught up with Head of Succession Planning at Rabobank, Rosemary Bartle. We tackle the tricky topic of succession planning! In our conversation, Rosemary shares her tips on:

• How to get started and what to expect
• Who needs to be involved in the planning
• Keeping things fair and negotiating compromise

Get in touch
Rosemary Bartle | E: Rosemary.Bartle@rabobank.com
Rabobank Succession Planning Team and brochure

Useful Resources
Succession Planning Information Sheet
Succession Planning Fact Sheet
A guide to succession: sustaining families and farms
Succession Planning: the do's and don't's
Succession planning protects family, farm and business

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In this episode, we caught up with Head of Succession Planning at Rabobank, Rosemary Bartle. In part two of our chat with Rosemary we cover:

• Decision making around active and inactive family members
• Strategies to continue the process even when you don’t see eye to eye
• Where should succession planning take place? Is there a spot for success?
•  And Rosemary’s top tips for succession planning

Get in touch
Rosemary Bartle | E: Rosemary.Bartle@rabobank.com
Rabobank Succession Planning Team and brochure

Useful Resources
Succession Planning Information Sheet
Succession Planning Fact Sheet
A guide to succession: sustaining families and farms
Succession Planning: the do's and don't's
Succession planning protects family, farm and business

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You're listening to our first ever mini-episode! In lieu of our usual programming, we're recommending some great podcasts working in the ag space that we're sure you'll love. Find links to those podcasts in the show notes below. Make sure you listen to the end of this mini-episode for a sneak peek of our upcoming ep featuring livestock production specialist, Dr John Milton on the topic of animal nutrition and an opportunity to trial a West Midlands Group Membership for FREE!

Useful Links
Agtech – so what?
Raboresearch food and agribusiness
The Yarn Podcast
Farmers and Charmers 

Free WMG Membership Trial - Sign up
Paddock Chat Feedback Survey

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If you were lucky enough to attend our Beef Cattle Nutrition in Practice workshop back in August this year, you would have had the opportunity to hear from today’s guest, livestock production specialist and Honorary Research Fellow in the UWA Institute of Agriculture - Dr John Milton. If you didn’t get there, then this episode catches you up on the great information you missed out on! 

In this episode the West Midlands Group’s Beef Development Officer, Charles Callaghan caught up with, Dr John Milton to discuss the following questions from cattle producers:

• What are the fundamentals of animal nutrition?
• Key points when matching the available feed to the animal requirements
• What’s the process for implementing a supplementary feeding program

Now, the information is fairly technical so feel free to get in touch with Charles if you have any questions or if you would like to get in touch with Dr John Milton. Their contact details are below.

Contact Information
Charles Callaghan: beefofficer@wmgroup.org.au
Dr John Milton: 0427 346 727

Useful Resources
Free WMG membership - 3 month trial
Paddock Chat Feedback Form

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In this episode,  the WMG caught up with farm manager Mark Drake from Lawson Grains' Walyoo operation at Regans Ford. We discuss:

• How their crops are performing following the 2020 season
• His tips for finding and retaining staff during harvest
• What Walyoo did to tackle safety and continue production when COVID19 hit WA earlier this year 
• The procedures in place to ensure the Walyoo team gets through harvest safely and successfully

Follow Mark on Twitter @Drakey04.

Useful Resources
Work Health and Safety Bill passes Upper House
Paddock Practices: Managing and retaining staff
Safe Farms WA 30 Minute Checklist - Are you compliant? (FREE)
Farmsafe Safety Induction Tool (FREE)

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Have your lambing percentages been impacted without any obvious cause?
Did you get new rams this year? 
Have the neighbour's ewes or rams found their way into your flock? 

If you answered yes to any of those questions, your operation may have been exposed to Ovine Brucellosis. Ovine brucellosis is a highly detrimental reproductive disease that can affect all breeds of sheep. West Midlands Group’s mixed farming systems officer, Brianna Hindle and I caught up with DPIRD vet Dr Kristine Rayner to get her expertise on how to manage and reduce the risk of ovine brucellosis. And later in the episode, I caught up with Dandaragan producer, Peter Negus to hear about his experience managing an infected mob.

You can follow Pete Negus on Twitter @Peternegus11.
Get in touch with Dr Kristine Rayner via Kristine.Rayner@agric.wa.gov.au

Useful Resources
Everything you need to know about Ovine Brucellosis
How to check ram's testicles in 3 minutes (Youtube)
Ovine Brucellosis Accreditation Scheme Guidelines
List of Ovine Brucellosis accredited flocks
Brucellosis in animals
Free WMG membership - 3 month trial
Paddock Chat Feedback Form

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Earlier this year, many farms across the West Midlands region suffered a severe weather event and wind erosion. This episode features a conversation from back in late October this year that the West Midlands Group's executive officer Nathan Craig had with Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development’s Paul Findlater on the topic of wind erosion.

Tune in to hear Nathan and Paul discuss the history of wind erosion impacts on farming, the reasons why wind events have caused so much damage to paddocks in recent years and preventative methods to reduce the risk of erosion this Summer and Autumn.

Get in Touch
Nathan Craig
Paul Findlater

Useful Resources
Diagnosing wind erosion risk
Harvest actions to reduce 2021 erosion risk
Managing wind erosion in southern WA
After the win - what next? Panel Discussion for practical tips on wind erosion
How much stubble do I need to retain?
Stubble Management Optimiser

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Feral pigs cost the agricultural industry over $100 million each year, largely via predation of lambs, competition with livestock and damage to property and crops. In this episode, I caught up with Peter Adams, DPIRD development officer and returning guest, the Midlands Biosecurity Group’s coordinator Chris O’Callaghan to get a better understanding of their impact on the Midlands region and what we can do to reduce their populations and damage to farm businesses. You can follow Pete on Twitter via @FeralTwit and Chris via @OCallaghanChris.

Useful Resources
Feral Pigs
Code of Practice
Define your feral pig problem and assess the impacts 

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When the West Midlands Group’s Nathan Craig caught up with DPIRD’s Paul Findlater recently to chat about the wind erosion in our region, after checking out some of this year’s trial site, they discussed the performance of a few of those as well as checked some of the interesting things that were happening in roadside paddocks on their way back to the WMG office. They also discussed why Paul loves working in agriculture after many years in the industry.
Listen to the first episode featuring special guest, Paul Findlater here.
Learn more about our current trial sites here.

Contact Information
Paul Findlater
Nathan Craig

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In 2020, Coorow farmer and WMG member Charles Wass hosted a collaborative WMG and Liebe Group trial site to explore options to increase production on what was previously an unviable paddock. 

The paddock was ameliorated with a Plozza Plow in June 2019 and seeded to 8 plots of varying pasture varieties in May 2020.

On today’s episode, you’ll hear a conversation between myself, Charles and WMG mixed farming systems officer Brianna Hindle who ran the trial alongside the Liebe Group, where we unpack the trial's performance, including specific pasture varieties, and the impacts of ameliorating the site after the break of the season.

Get in touch
Brianna Hindle's contact information can be found here.

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Are you currently using ASBVs to guide your decision making when purchasing rams? 

If you haven’t had a go at using Australian Sheep Breeding Values (ASBV) just yet, this episode will give you a better understanding of what they are, and how you can apply them to your operation to improve productivity and profitability.

Essentially, ASBVs are an estimate of the genetic potential a sheep will pass on to its progeny. 

They are a great tool to help you decide whether a ram is the right fit for your flock’s performance and genetics goals. 

In the episode, Kirra caught up with Murdoch University’s resident sheep genetics expert, Bronwyn Clarke to unpack the topic!

Useful Resources
Getting started with sheep genetics (ASBVs and Indexes)
LAMPLAN
Useful Fact Sheets
MERINOSELECT

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Are you planning on burning your crop stubbles ahead of seeding this year? Research has shown there are many benefits to retaining stubbles.

West Midlands Group's executive officer Nathan Craig caught up with Ken Flower to discuss the advantages of retaining stubble to ensure good soil moisture retention and crop establishment, and to minimise soil erosion. Ken is a lecturer at UWA’s School of Agriculture and Environment and Institute of Agriculture and has conducted extensive farming systems research with the GRDC.

Nathan and Ken also discuss how to maximise pre-emergent herbicide efficacy and tips on managing any impact grazing stubbles can cause.

Useful Resources
Think again before lighting up heavy stubbles
GRDC Stubble Initiative
Wind erosion strategies to save your soil this summer - Paddock Chat

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In this episode, WMG’s Brinley Porter caught up with Calingiri farmer, Sarah Mason to unpack her experience eradicating spiny rush from her property. Sarah gives insight into the ongoing activities and tools they use to ensure the re-establishment of the invasive weed is prevented.

And later in the episode, we get to know the newest member of the WMG team, Erin O’Brien. We talk about the BEEF LINKS project, what motivated Erin to get into ag after growing up in Perth, and her unique choice of pet.

Useful Resources
Everything we know about Spiny Rush
Managing sharp rush workshop study

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Today on Paddock Chat we’re talking farm safety. Is your farm business up to scratch when it comes to safety? In light of the recent changes to WA industrial manslaughter legislation, there is a renewed push to get farming operations up to scratch for the safety and well-being of everyone on-farm: employees, employers, family members, contractors, and visitors. To shed some light on how producers can approach farm safety in their farm business, we caught up with the executive officer of Safe Farms WA, Maree Gooch.

Useful Resources
Safefarms.net.au
Safe Farms WA Free Farm Safety Checklist
Legislation: OHS Act (WA) 1984
Rural Edge Farm Safety Workshops

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Precision ag technologies have huge potential for managing variability in our agricultural systems. We caught up with the Agrarian Management consultant, Bindi Isbister, to shed some light on how we can implement precision ag in our farm businesses to improve input efficiency and boost yields.

Bindi also shared some great tips on where to start, and how to tackle the roadblocks that many producers face when implementing precision ag tech on-farm.

Useful Resources
Profit from precision agriculture (GRDC)
Precision Agriculture Manual - Getting Started (GRDC)

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Today on Paddock Chat we are talking potatoes. 

We caught up with Brad Ryan who farms with his family in Dandaragan. They run a mixed enterprise with a focus on ware and seed potatoes. “Ware Potatoes” refers to any potatoes destined for human consumption while still in potato form.

Brad unpacked their operation, giving us an insight into what their growing season looks like, how they tackle constraints such as damaging winds and the innovations they’ve implemented on farm to improve power and water usage.

Useful Resources
WMG "Variable Rate Irrigation for better potatoes" trial report
Northern Valleys Agribusiness Project Case Study Market analysis for Potatoes
2019 WMG Pasture Trial Results featuring Rye Corn

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Today on Paddock Chat we are talking preg scanning. Ultrasound scanning pregnant ewes, or pre-scanning, is a management practice that can boost lambing percentages by helping producers manage the needs of pregnant ewes. It also means you can manage dry ewes more effectively. We caught up with Bec Martin, who runs Martin's Ewe Scan across the Midlands region, to learn more about how it works and the potential benefits.

Useful Resources
Get in touch with Bec - martin.ewescan@gmail.com
Sheep pregnancy scanning benchmarking
Pregnancy scanning for improved productivity and welfare

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Today on Paddock Chat we’re getting into the research behind WA’s wild dog problem. Joining us today is a wildlife ecologist and DPIRD research scientist, Dr Tracey Kreplins. Tracey busted some common myths about wild dogs, gave us an update on the research being done in WA, and some insight into the kind of activity we may see following a productive breeding season and mild summer. 

We are also joined by returning guest, Midlands Biosecurity Group coordinator Chris O’Callaghan. You would have heard from Chris on our first ever episode of Paddock Chat called “Pest management starts at home” or on our episode about tackling the growing feral pig population called “How to cure our feral pig problem”.

Useful Resources
Listen to the extended version of this episode here
Visit MBG website www.mbg.org.au

Contact Information
Email Chris O'Callaghan (MBG) via eo@mbg.org.au
Follow Tracey on Twitter via @westauscanids
Follow the MBG on Twitter via @midlandsbiogroup

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Today on Paddock Chat we caught up with Andrew Kenny who farms a mixed enterprise of cropping and sheep with his family in Badgingarra. The Kenny's use crop grazing during the season as a way of maintaining high stocking rates. Andrew runs us through the benefits, the constraints and the management that goes into crop grazing. We also chatted about their experience with ultrasound preg scanning ewes. It’s a tool the Kenny’s have been using for a long time and they’re now considering the next steps and new technologies that could boost flock production.

Useful Resources

Get in Touch

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Today on Paddock Chat we caught up with Danelle Smith, who is the manager of the Moora RSM branch, to discuss the upcoming changes to the superannuation payment scheme. These changes are some of the first since the inception of the current scheme in 1992.

Useful Resources
https://www.ato.gov.au/super/apra-regulated-funds/in-detail/apra-resources/superannuation-changes-industry-roadmap/

Get in Touch
RSM Moora - (08) 9651 1606

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Today on Paddock Chat we are talking all things feed budgeting! 

We caught up with Murray Grey who farms with his wife Adele, and father-in-law Colin in Yathroo. They run a cattle operation in conjunction with their family’s pastoral station in the West Pilbara. Murray is passionate about optimising feed and works hard to budget available feed accurately throughout the year.

Murray unpacked their operation, giving us an insight into how exactly they budget feed, and the improvement they have made to pastures and feed sources on-farm.

This conversation was recorded in early May 2021.

Useful Resources
Feed Budget and Rotation Planner (MLA)

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Today on Paddock Chat we are talking all things feed budgeting! 

This episode continues on from our previous episode, where we caught up with Murray Grey who farms with his wife Adele, and father-in-law Colin in Yathroo. They run a cattle operation in conjunction with their family’s pastoral station in the West Pilbara. Murray is passionate about optimising feed and works hard to budget available feed accurately throughout the year.

Murray unpacked their operation, and discussed his golden rules for grazing management.

This conversation was recorded in early May 2021.

Useful resources:
Feed Budget and Rotation Planner (MLA)

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On this episode of Paddock Chat, we're tackling the topic of farm safety again. Returning guest Maree Gooch will break down and simplify the steps needed to start the process of implementing a good health and safety strategy in your business. 

We also preview the new ‘Green card for Ag safety’ which is now available to agricultural businesses to guide employees in the basic safety practices needed for your business.

Our guest, Maree Gooch is from SafeFarmsWA. She returns to the podcast after her previous episode,   "Farm safety to protect your people and your business" took a deep dive into why we need health and safety plans. 

This episode slices the topic of farm safety down into easily digestible chunks so that you can finally make a start on your health and safety plan!

If this episode is useful to you, be sure to revisit ‘Keys for a safe and successful harvest’ with Mark Drake. In that episode, Mark goes through the key steps in the implementation of a health and safety program within his own farming operation



Useful Links:

Visit the SafeFarms WA website: https://safefarms.net.au/

Your free downloadable 30 minute checklist for your business https://safefarms.net.au/p/safe-farms-checklist 

Support what we do and become a member https://wmgroup.org.au/index.php/become-member 

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Are you seeing a lot of grasshoppers and locusts on your farm this year? After reports of high grasshopper numbers in the area, Paddock Chat decided to chat with DPIRD entomologist Svetlana Micic to learn more about what's going on.

Local farmer Will Browne also joins the pod to talk about what he's seeing on the ground, and get advice on controlling grasshoppers for this local area.

Topics covered include:
• What is the difference between a grasshopper and a locust
• How to identify the different types of grasshopper
• Which species are present in our area at this time of the year
• How to control locusts and grasshoppers 

Emergency Permits: https://apvma.gov.au/
DPIRD: https://www.agric.wa.gov.au/

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Today’s guest interviewer is Callum Love, Sustainable Agricultural co-ordinator with the Northern Agricultural Catchment Council (NACC). Callum recently caught up with Nick Eyres who has been an agronomist with Elders for nearly 5 years servicing the Midwest region of WA, mainly around the Geraldton and Mingenew areas. Nick also works closely with NACC and the Yuna Farm Improvement Group (YFIG) in many of their sustainable agriculture projects.

Callum and Nick explore some of the work with legumes in the low rainfall zones that has been recently completed between NACC and YFIG. Nick also shares his experience on his own farm, a 10-hectare property at Greenough, where tests all his new ideas for including legumes in the crop rotation.

Some of the interesting discussion points include:

·         Use of serradella to stabilise sandy soils

·         Use of legumes to improve the benefits of soil amelioration

·         What are the risks in growing alternative legumes?

·         What does sustainability really mean?

For more information visit:

Northern Agricultural Catchment Councill (NACC)

https://www.nacc.com.au/

The Northern Agricultural Region NRM strategy

https://narvis.com.au

Yuna Farm Improvement Group

https://www.yfig.org.au/

Support the show (https://www.wmgroup.org.au/become-member)

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We're previewing the biggest day of the WMG Calendar, Spring Field Day! WMG Executive Officer, Nathan Craig, walks us through the agenda of the event and what to expect for Spring Field Day. 

Guests on the podcast include: 
• Matt Willis from Bayer Crop Science presenting his work on optimum pre-emergent herbicide strategies
• Daniel Real who will be presenting his work on established crops at the field day in the main tent. 

The West Midlands Group 2021 Spring Field Day is on September 21st, and will showcase a packed agenda. Held at John and Emma Scotney's farm, 'Warialda', in Badgingarra, trial sites include break crop trials at the main site as well as the cereal site and Bayer herbicide site on Mungedar Road. 

The usual NVT's will be at the site - wheat, barley, oats, canola and lupin. These will be presented by Richard Devlin (Living Farm), Michael Hickey (Nuseed) and Dion Bennett (AGT) 

This year, West Midlands Group will be running concurrent sessions, to give attendees the opportunity to maximise value by choosing a personalised agenda that closest aligns with their interests. This allows attendees to focus on livestock, cropping, or mixed systems at their desire. There is truly something for everyone!

Topics for the day include: 
•  WMG pasture mixes and evaluation of soil biology below by Pauline Roberts
• Mike Ashworth from the Australian Herbicide Resistance Initiative will be sharing in the main tent how herbicides degrade in the West Midland region compared to other regions in WA. 
•  Mark Seymour will be on hand to present the evaluation of herbicide tolerance of break crops, including all the tadera, chickpea, lentil, faba beans, lupin, blue lupin to name a few. 
•  What's new in vetch varieties and their sustainability for our region. 
•  Soil amelioration: winter amelioration strategies to lower wind erosion potential, crop nutrition following amelioration
•  Cattle production with Erin O'Brien
• The keynote address for the day will be given by Cec McConnell who is the Soil and Land Commissioner and has been overseeing the development of the new Soil Health Strategy that is currently under development. 

All this, amongst more, will be followed by the Rabobank Sundowner!

Demonstrating new ideas, practices and technology will also be a big focus of this years Spring Field Day. 

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On this weeks episode of PaddockChat, Northern Agricultural Catchment Council NRMs Annabelle Garrett speaks to local farmer, Pip Bain.

They discuss Pip’s experience in the Agricultural industry, as well as what it means to farm sustainably. They also discuss cell grazing and the benefits that pasture management can have on feed availability for livestock. 

This discussion ties in with the BeefLinks Backgrounding Project, which is funded by MLA and UWA and is working to develop the northern beef cattle supply chain.

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Each year, the United Nations marks October 15th as the International Day of Rural Women. The day celebrates and honours women and girls living in rural areas. It recognizes the huge role that rural mothers, daughters and grandmothers play in producing food, and building agricultural and rural development worldwide. 

To mark this day, the WMG team have put together a special episode of PaddockChat.

On today's episode of PaddockChat,  the WMG team sat down with three incredible women; Debbie Dowden (Challa Station), Margi Weir (Executive Officer of the Southern Rangelands Pastoral Alliance) and Martha Lindstad (Yarrie Station) for a roundtable discussion about this day.

In this episode, we cover what this day means for us, our experiences as rural women, and how other women in the industry have shaped our careers, lives and communities!

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PaddockChat coming to you from the ute as Erin O'Brien (Beef Industry Development Officer) and Melanie Dixon (Mixed Farming Systems Officer) interview locals about their experiences managing grasshoppers and locusts this season. 

In an effort to gain a better understanding of the pest problem in the region, Melanie and Erin visited farms in the area on behalf of DPIRD to surveil damage. While there, Melanie and Erin recorded these interviews with local growers Charles Wass and Steele Rudd, who discussed grasshopper problems this season, management practices and what has or hasn't worked. 

Apologies for sound quality issues, this episode really *is* coming to you from the paddock!

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On this weeks episode of PaddockChat, West Midland's Group's Beef Industry Development Officer caught up with Rio Tinto pastoral manager Simon Mathwin to discuss virtual fencing technology. 

In this episode, Sim and Erin talk about how virtual fencing works, the origins of the trial and how it's progressed in 2021. They also discuss potential commercial uses for the technology and how the trial slots into a larger BeefLinks program.  

The virtual fencing technology trial, currently being tested at Rio Tinto-owned Hamersley Station in the Pilbara, is part of a wider #BeefLinks program. #BeefLinks is a research and development program funded by Meat and Livestock Australia, The University of Western Australia and MLA Donor Company.  Virtual fencing sits alongside West Midlands Group's backgrounding project to deliver a wider program to strengthen the capabilities of the Northern cattle supply chain. 

Virtual fencing technology use was showcased for the first time in Western Australia at a BeefLinks field day, organised by West Midlands Group, UWA, MLA and Rio Tinto earlier in the year. To stay up to date with the progress of the virtual fencing trial, including when a second BeefLinks Field Day will be held to showcase the technology to the public, follow West Midlands Group on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or call to subscribe to our mailing list.  

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Professor Terry Rose from Southern Cross University joins the podcast to share his strategies for improving soil health in your farming system.  

He talks through common strategies for improving soil health including cover cropping, interrow management to improve soil biodiversity and how to manage different soil types and season conditions. 

World Soils Day is coming up on December 5th, and to acknowledge this event WMG is talking all about how our region is looking to improve soil health.  In this episode, Terry Rose talks about strategies that may work in the West Midlands region specifically. 

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In this episode, we take you to our most recent event, a perennial pasture field walk hosted by Will Browne and facilitated by Ben and Sean Plozza, held on the 30th of November. This was our first event that focused solely on grower discussion and peer to peer learning.

At the beginning of this episode, we get a farm introduction from Will Browne before hearing from Ben and Sean Plozza about the event, and why they brought the idea to the WMG team in the first place. We then hear thoughts about the field walk from some of the people that attended including Fred Echaniz, Craig Forsyth and Ken Sharpe. 

This podcast was recorded by the WMG team, including Jamieson Kay, Melanie Dixon, Adam Anfuso and Erin O’Brien. This episode was recorded in November 2021.

Keep an eye out for our write up of the day.

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In this episode of Paddock Chat Erin spoke to RSM Accountant Ella Raffan about the benefits of using Xero as a part of your business management.

Xero is a cloud-based accounting program which enables the user to access it at any time, and makes sharing information with accountants or advisors simple.

This conversation was recorded in December 2021.

Useful resources:
Xero  

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In this episode of PaddockChat, Beef Industry Development Officer Erin O'Brien sits down with Zoey Durmic and Peter Hutton to talk about the Carbon Neutral by 2030 Project, which includes their work in DietID. 

CN30 and DietID are projects within the BeefLinks research and development program, which is being delivered by Meat and Livestock Australia, The University of Australia and MLA Donor Company to strengthen production in the Northern Beef Supply Chain. 

In this episode, Peter Hutton and Zoey Durmic discuss their trips to the Pilbara to catalogue methane retention in native Australian plants. They hope this information will change our understanding of the potential of methane reduction in the cattle supply chain, ultimately helping to achieve Carbon Neutral by 2030. 

They also touch on virtual fencing and backgrounding, and how these projects interact with CN30. 

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In this episode of Paddock Chat, Executive Officer Nathan Craig sat down with Helen Viola, who is a Bookkeeper with RSM, to discuss how digital payroll systems are making it easier for businesses to manage their payroll.

Key points:
1. Many programs are now on the Cloud which allows Bookkeepers easy access to business accounts when required.
2. It is important for businesses to understand the programs they are using, and RSM is available to help with any queries.
3. Digital payroll systems will help businesses to save time and collate information accurately.

Contact RSM Moora: (08) 9651 1606 

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In this episode of Paddock Chat, we look to demystify the first steps that farmers need to take in creating a ‘smart’ or ‘connected' farm, where the Internet of Things (IoT) can make farm management that much easier!

Nathan Craig (WMG Executive Officer) sat down with both Nathan Dovey, CEO and Phil Honey, Smart Farm Coordinator of Stirlings to Coast. Nathan has been involved with Stirlings to Coast for more than 6 years, and Phil's role is to assist farmers to adopt digital technologies and de-risk some of the adoption challenges around this.

We discuss their collective experience in setting up two farms in the Great Southern region of WA with fence to fence 4G phone service, as well as talking about some of the tools that they have installed, including  a large network of over 25 weather stations and some of the key management benefits that they have seen so far.

Useful Resources:
SMART FARM INITIATIVE

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In this Episode we spoke to Reagan Manns from RSM in Jurien Bay about the use of Figured and XERO to supercharge your business financial budgeting process.
Topics we cover:

• What is Figured and how does it differ from other packages
• What are the benefits of using Figured above the standard XERO budgeting package
• Where does the real power lie in having an integrated budgeting package

And the real question: how to get started and who can help me get my first budget up and running!

For more information, contact RSM Moora: (08) 9651 1606 

We would like to acknowledge and thank RSM who have been a valued supporter of the West Midlands Group over the last 10 years.

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