Grassroots Agronomy
@grassrootsag
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Independent farm management consultants. Also part of dynamic @WeedSmartAU team for SE Aus. He's the talker, she's the writer, Tweets are his & hers.
NSW Australia
Joined May 2013
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Last Seen Profiles
Open source software and hardware is now available for anyone to build their own spot spraying system.
@GeezaColeman
& team demonstrated their prototype last week. A few tweaks to get all cameras sensing weeds but a very low cost setup.
@WeedAI_news
@WeedControlLab
@WeedSmartAU
4
34
180
No dust, no clods & moisture at the surface. Sowing faba beans at 40mm into thick barley stripper stubble. Lightly grazed with sheep so mice bait still going on after sowing
@cropmad
9
4
132
Insect melee, ladybeetles dominating the breakdown in a crop of 970 canola. IPM at its best with aphids being devoured by ladybeetles, hoverflies, lacewings & wasps.
@chrisfriendos
5
15
105
Well done Kirrily for taking out the sustainability adviser category at the Syngenta
#GrowthAwards2017
, great to see your hard work & attention to detail recognised
4
13
103
Canola struggling to hit the big yields this harvest. Wet areas, late season disease & mould have had an impact. Data from
@PhenologyisFun
also shows the lack of sunlight had an effect with lowest light intensity recorded in 50 years.
10
11
98
Hessian fertiliser bags in mint condition, found under a pile of rubbish in an old woolshed. Hard yards back in the day lumping these bags on & off trucks.
#retro
6
9
92
This week Mum & Dad celebrate 60 years of marriage, farming & family. A great story on their life on the dairy farm at Gerroa. via
@SCRegister
6
3
89
Vetch radish companion mix on red soils at Ardlethan. Run down farm getting a huge boost above & below ground, this will provide rotation benefits for the next 2-3 years
@rockhallmains
@trent_gordon2
#warakirricropping
5
4
87
Single disc seeding systems proving their value in 2024. Dry on top but with moisture below, early April sown canola is emerging evenly. Accurate seed placement across a range of soils & stubble types.
#noclods
3
6
87
Barley varieties showing up big differences in crop competition.
Planet on the right making life hard for ryegrass or wild oats to set seed, whilst the Spartacus canopy remains open.
Even on 300mm rows the Planet (in a wetter year) is a powerhouse for crop comp
@WeedSmartAU
3
10
85
Clever design for feeding sheep in a droughtlot, blows rubber belting clean then drops grain 👍
@awlhillside
Tony this is our rubber belt set up in the droughtlot. The belting is set in a graded trough and cleaned with an old airseeder fan. Seems to work well.
9
22
136
2
13
85
Given the recent political debate in NSW, it was pretty cool to find this koala today near Junee. A bit rare for this region!!
9
3
83
Samira faba beans going into thick stripper stubble from last year. The new hydraulic downforce is a big improvement over the old springs. Row unit holding a consistent 50mm sowing depth
@RobHart14
4
2
83
Stock water now in every paddock with 8ft trough & pre-cast pad. Fed by a 2 inch line on gravity + concealed float. Very happy with the setup heading into summer.
8
0
81
44Y90 canola bulking up as the showers keep rolling through Kamarah, impressive dry matter for a long term cropping block.
#warakirricropping
@trent_gordon2
@rockhallmains
6
5
78
Huge day on the bike 🚲 for
#msgongride
, amazing experience with 10,000 riders from Sydney to Wollongong. WAC men raised $18,000
6
8
79
Coil gauge wheels making a difference in the mud, helping get canola in on sticky clay. Not a silver bullet but keeping the wheels turning.
9
7
82
Excellent comparison where 2 headers were working in the same paddock last harvest. One header with a
@seed_terminator
the other running chaff decks. Grower has been running chaff decks for 6 years.
Huge reduction in ryegrass after only 1 year with an impact mill
@WeedSmartAU
7
9
78
The stubble whisperer
@Quiggs
getting through big straw loads with their simple Horwood seeder. 250mm (10’) rows, CR9090 header & crash grazing with 1200 xbred ewes all seem to help.
7
2
76
Adjoining crops of 45Y91 canola, LHS on pea stubble vs RHS after wheat. Nothing new but even with robust rates of N (applied early) the loss of leaf on cereal stubble is ordinary. Understand it is a cold wet winter but biomass prodn & green leaf retention after pulses is awesome!
7
5
78
A new
@theGRDC
project is measuring soil moisture differences under stripper or draper cut stubbles.
Paddock scale trials at Urana, Matong, Junee & Quandialla over 2 years. Thanks to our grower cooperators &
@tony_swan64
@Matt_KellyFL
@jimmyholding
@JohnCBroster
@grassrootsag
5
9
77
A wet winter yet track tractors on CTF tramlines have been able to keep spreading. Some of these of paddocks are completely saturated yet these tractors have stayed afloat. Compacted CTF trams working to our advantage.
1
2
77
Strip of faba beans which missed inoculant at sowing. Crop is stunted & N deficient. Poor fabas this year + no N legacy for next years canola. A great reminder on the importance of pulse inoculation.
3
4
76
Very impressed with fallow brew + double knock (Terrador + paraquat) 5-7 days later. Chasing sowthistle, cudweed, fleabane, prickly lettuce & wireweed. Committed growers spraying small weeds during a prolonged harvest
@EnglefieldPlai1
@YupiriTony
9
6
76
Tillage radish on vetch BM at Ardlethan punching 60-70cm into dense clay subsoil even in the presence of Cl salts. Worms also active at 30cm
4
21
73
Ideal day to check out
@JohnCBroster
stripper vs draper stubble trials. Wind was gusting 30-40 kph with visible differences at ground level. 2nd year of a fantastic CSU project looking at wind speed, soil temp, air temp & crop growth.
@NathanHatty
3
11
73
Ungrazed Feast canola and vetch mix going nuts, March sown into heavy stripper stubble. Canola is holding green leaf despite the winter habit and wet soils, SOA applied & looking good so far. Vetch will be terminated in late winter for canola to finish
@MckinleyMatt
6
3
72
Grazing companion mix sown into run down annual pasture. Radish & turnip firing with cereal starting to fill in the gaps. Sheep ready to rumble on in.
@lvherbert_leo
@karrawarra
3
2
70
Clever grower solution for ⬇️ damage in canola:
36m boom
Shield on front of tractor & boom
3PL drawbar to lift boom
5
14
69
Kittyhawk vetch radish turnip mix stocked at 20 dse/ha, with merino hoggets. Lock up Kittyhawk in 2 weeks then terminate companions.
@awlhillside
@SamLehmann92
7
3
68
Shelbourne stripper and iHSD working together in wheat for ryegrass seed collection & destruction.
@RobHart14
@mitchmiller25
Remarkable to see ryegrass plants completely stripped of all seed. 165mm (6.5”) narrow rows holding up seeds heads for collection.
@WeedSmartAU
3
5
67
Grazing canola now knee high & ready for sheep. SOA applied before sowing has kicked in & crops are firing.
5
2
68
Wheat with faba beans & tillage radish on the mid row. Symmetry in the companion crop mixes.
@Pontaragrain
in year 3 of +/- strips, no yield loss measured to date.
3
3
67
44Y94 canola into stubble now emerged after seeding with the new Bourgault disc. Hydraulic downforce working well in mixed soil types and thick stubbles.
Change of direction so going across last years rows. Mouse bait spread evenly at sowing using scatter plates
@ganmain
3
2
65
The value of CTF will be realised as 2020 sowing looks set to continue on wet soils in southern NSW.
Fully matched CTF systems proving their worth as the gear gets heavier and compaction risk increases
#bigseederboxes
#wetclaysoils
@EnglefieldPlai1
@aritchie17
5
5
64
A few mice observations - no hard data but what we are seeing (there are exceptions)
Barley stubbles = highest risk
Sheep grazing stubbles = clear winner
Less harvest grain loss = less mice
Impact mills help ⬇️mice
Baiting at sowing works best
Well informed with
@MouseAlert
2
10
65
Hydraulic downforce helping
@rockhallmains
get vetch & wheat into hard setting clay at Ardlethan. New block so tight soils & no cover, but seeding depth consistent.
#warakirricropping
2
1
63
Canola going into faba stubble west of Lockhart. Perfect conditions after last weekends rainfall. After 2 very wet years handy to be sowing this block with an actual seeder!! Disc chopping nicely through faba residue while soil temps still warm.
@Tom_L_Carr
#warakirricropping
0
2
63
Windy dusty day yet topsoils in place under stripper stubbles & narrows rows. 100% groundcover & cool soil temps under the tall straw, helping retain marginal moisture 👍
@MckinleyMatt
@AerodromeAg
0
8
62
We’re looking for an agronomist to join the crew…
Please DM if you’d like more details.
Retweets appreciated, thanks!
0
44
59
Awesome
#chaffline
research by Michael Walsh,
@JohnCBroster
& co measuring chaff & weed seed comparisons b'ween stripper & draper fronts this week. Great team with
@dfox05
@WeedSmartAU
@AHRI_Team
3
14
62
HWSC & farming systems ramped up with a Seed Terminator + Shelbourne stripper in Fathom barley.
@MckinleyMatt
is committed with diverse rotations, narrow rows and now a mill to destroy weed seeds.
Low % of late ryegrass heads not stripped but collection improving with maturity.
1
4
62
Companion crop of vetch & arrowleaf clover - absolutely cranking. March sown into barley stripper stubble, grazed all winter, grasses sprayed & locked up for grain. Canola next year to utilise some low cost N
#doublebreak
@RobHart14
2
3
62
It’s only been 6 months but
@JessicaZieltjes
is already a highly valued member of our Agro team. She’s built great relationships with new & existing clients - not sure how we managed without her 🤩
4
0
61
'Weedlining' post chaff decks
@Pontaragrain
Targeted weed control on chaff tramlines = efficient + effective.
#weedsmartfarm
@AHRI_Team
3
19
58
Impressive to find plant roots at 1.5m in heavy clay despite hostile subsoils with chloride salts and sodicity. Gypsum, no-till, stubble and early sowing proving their value in sthn NSW. Not all soil issues need to be fixed with deep ripping!
@cropmad
6
5
59
Keep on dry sowing, have confidence the seed is tough in no-till soils, Dr John Passioura CSIRO proved it 10 yrs ago
3
30
57
Living the agronomy dream - checking crops & pastures on a cold wet day. Can-Am with doors making it easy & keeping out the chill.
@chrisfriendos
0
0
56
Companion king, vetch, radish & turnips loving some sticky clay soils at Brushwood
@ganmain
Agistment cattle not keeping up with the dry matter hence the huge tubers. Should punch a few deep roots into the sodic subsoil.
0
4
57
Spectacular skyline ahead of this afternoon’s storms.
2
2
57
Huge response from ProGibb this winter. Phalaris, brome, clover pasture at Henty has kept growing through winter compared to untreated strip. Building a feed wedge for when sheep come off the crop.
@rohanandkellie
4
8
53
Vetch & clover mix slowly recovering after a dry start at Henty.
Breaking up long term HRZ canola:wheat rotations with pulses. Clean up resistant ryegrass & add some N.
1
1
57
Minotaur barley on 165mm (6.5”) rows sown 1st May into 5t wheat stripper straw.
4 weeks later. 3-4 leaf 122 plants/m2 & tillering. Crop up on marginal moisture, no effective rainfall over the last 8 weeks. An impressive & resilient farming system.
@braesidek
@MJKohlhagen
4
2
59
44Y94 canola emerging through stripper stubble from 2 years ago. Sown @ 1.6kg/ha for 32 plants/m2 established. Excellent result on sodic red & grey clay soils.
Hydraulic downforce & JD single disc + some patient operators = a cracking job.
@chewy_notley
#warakirricropping
6
1
56
Windmill grass seeding where a hay cut was done last season. Yet none present in an adjacent block with tall stripper straw on narrow rows. Doesn’t like the extra cover
@WeedSmartAU
2
5
55
Lancer wheat proving its value yet again, no fungicides applied & still stripe rust free. This block on a chickpea stubble is also providing stiff crop competition for the ryegrass
@YupiriTony
@WeedSmartAU
0
5
55
Companion crop of vetch & arrowleaf clover. March sown, grazed all year, planned to harvest but arrowleaf has dominated the space. Poor old vetch struggling under the thick clover vines. Remarkable that the clover is still green in December
#fixN
@RobHart14
4
1
55
Beautiful weekend in the Riverina, crops & sheep all looking pretty tidy. Feeling for our friends & family in lockdown, eventually we can all catch up again!
0
0
54
Maximus CL barley sown at 50kg/ha on 165mm rows providing some robust crop competition
@WeedSmartAU
A strip of Spartacus is sown on the right of the block as a comparison. Paddock scale demos are so valuable for assessing new varieties
@RobHart14
4
2
53
Wet & cold in mid October - something very different in our area, the crops are certainly loving the long mild finish!!
1
1
54
Lots happening at the Rethus farm on
@WeedSmartAU
Week tour at Horsham - custom twin disc precision seeder, 48m Agrifac, Crop Stalker, batching trailer and a whole lot more....
Many thanks to
@TRethus
@GRethus
@RethusLuke
0
2
54
Finding ryegrass dead or wilting under hybrid canola. Moisture stress starting to bite but deeper rooting canola has the competitive edge.
@WeedSmartAU
0
0
53
3000 sheep contained in droughlots at Illabo, actively managing groundcover, topsoil & body weight.
Efficient process using farm built troughs for feeding barley with straw and canola silage for roughage.
@awlhillside
@SamLehmann92
committed to the task!
1
6
54
New JD disc seeder on 7.5" rows getting crops up with precision. 160/m2 wheat, 44/m2 canola & 32/m2 plants lupins.
@ScholzFarming
#cropcomp
4
10
54
Wild hail storm north of Coolamon this afternoon, was like driving through the snow, eerie mist!
5
12
53
Seeders gradually rolling through the program in southern NSW, staying afloat (most of the time). Soakages the main culprit in the eastern hills. Beckom wheat going into canola stubble
@chrisfriendos
0
2
50
Chaff deck + MAV = ✔️
12m CTF, weed control, stubble mgt
Thanks to
@stephen_hatty
& co, Matong
#weedsmartfarm
@AHRI_Team
1
15
53
Vetch, radish, turnip, cereal companion mix sown March & still producing feed for ewes & lambs. Huge bulk of quality feed improving soil fertility, soil structure & more 👍
@BrentAlexande19
1
3
52
Canola pushing through Millet stubble. Cover crop sown to provide groundcover after chickpeas died from waterlogging. Millet taken through to harvest and double cropped to canola on a full profile. A very wet and mild summer has made this happen, not normal!!
#warakirricropping
2
1
50
Albus lupins going into grazed stripper stubble on 165mm rows. Nice dust on top with 60cm of moisture below
@RobHart14
#lowcostcrop
#cropcomp
2
3
50
SHO safflower starting to branch and show some potential. Ideal year for a comparison of safflower vs canola on sodic red soils.
Looking at profit over the rotation and potential to offset frost risk, capture late season rainfall & penetrate dense clay subsoils.
@stephen_hatty
3
2
51
Timok vetch punching out some impressive nodules, grasses sprayed more sheep to come.
@hugh_cruikshank
2
2
50
Manganese toxicity prevelant this year given warm dry conditions and slow growing roots hitting an acid band. Recovery can be slow for affected canola plants.
Dr Sergio Moroni, CSU has a wealth of knowledge on the topic.
9
15
51
Love it when the fog rolls in at 4.00pm, thick as but much better than the dust storms that rolled through earlier this year.
1
1
51
Remarkable week with over 260 growers attending
@theGRDC
harvester workshops in SNSW. Great to see such collaboration to benefit growers.
@GRDCNorth
@PrimarySales
@mrchriswarrick
@seed_terminator
@grassrootsag
@KondininGroup
@combinekassie
@deltaagribus
@WeedSmartAU
4
7
49
Checking out the stopping skills of an autonomous Fendt with WeedIt
@BeefwoodFarms
today on
@WeedSmartAU
tour. High level tech in practical use for camera spraying and track renovating
#efficiency
Information sharing at its best 👍
2
14
50
Double knock in the summer fallow is proving effective yet again. Terrador + paraquat 10-14 days after 2,4-D + glyp has controlled cudweed, fleabane & sowthistle.
Plenty of pressure on spraying teams to get through the workload but satisfying to achieve success.
@WeedSmartAU
6
5
49
A big thank you to clients who openly shared their droughtlot experiences last night. 15 businesses & over 45,000 sheep represented.
Despite the challenges droughtlots preserve pastures & make feeding an efficient process.
Thanks also to vet Peter Armstrong for his input 👍
3
2
49
Ultro has provided season long ryegrass control in a high pressure block. Tricky year for post em grass herbicides given wet conditions & aerial applications. The long acting nature of Ultro has therefore been very effective.
@Adama_AU
@WeedSmartAU
6
4
50
Amberley faba beans sown 1st week April. Longer season variety being trialled by growers to take advantage of early sowing into thick stubbles. This is when soils are warmer + grow more biomass + fix N for longer.
@takadamarrar
2
2
50
Double knock failure, glyphosate resistant rye surviving a single shot of paraquat.
Paraquat best on small weeds with high water rates & RR rye needs 2 x applications.
This rye tested cletho susc. apply post em then HWSC + diverse rotations + mixnrotate
#Big6
@WeedSmartAU
5
4
48
Impressive crops around Merriwagga, western NSW. Rotations paying off as vetch feeds the sheep then sets up the canola following. Smart operators taking advantage of a favourable season. Top work
@evanlord85
@lukeschulz9
& team.
2
2
47
Outstanding double knock results on resistant ryegrass, glyphosate followed by paraquat + B Power
#mixnrotate
3
11
49
Timok vetch pumping on the dry matter above & below ground. Grasses controlled but no room for broadleaf weeds. Sheep going back on then lock up for grain.
@hugh_cruikshank
1
1
49
T4510 canola punching out some decent yield at Junee in a decile 1 season. Yields becoming very stable with long term zero-till & stubble retention.
4
1
49
Faba beans are always a strong indicator of any aluminium at depth. April sown fabas patchy & struggling to nodulate whilst other areas look good. Ideal time to start 5cm pH testing to check for an acid throttle & guide lime requirements.
0
5
49
No dust. No clods. No worries.
#sofar
😉
12m Excel disc on 166mm rows (6.5"), 72 units = no room for weeds. Thanks to
@dfox05
& co
@AHRI_Team
1
4
47
Top day at Ardlethan sharing ideas with the southern NSW Warakirri Cropping teams. Lots to discuss in a big year incl. soil pits, rotations, agronomy & farm operations. Thanks to the Cowabbie crew for your hospitality & people focus
#warakirricropping
2
2
48
Tillage radish hit with a rubber tyred roller to stop seed set. Tubers snap off as the roller goes over, helping delay termination of vetch in the mix.
0
2
48
Samira faba beans on sodic soils loving a timely start and subsoil moisture.
A challenge to get sown but worth the effort given the crop health and uniformity.
@cropmad
#warakirricropping
1
0
47
Wheat on clay struggling to survive the wet, yet March sown companion mixes next door are firing. A little soft underfoot but sheep are going hard on the radish and wheat & leaving the vetch for now
@hugh_cruikshank
4
0
47
Great session yesterday looking at soil pits at Tallimba. Checked out lucerne fallow vs cereal stubble. Fascinating to see pH, roots, structural changes & moisture down the profile
#warakirricropping
4
6
48
Big sowthistle lingering after dry sowing and no knockdown.
Weedit camera spray used with a Lontrel application.
Only 10% of the paddock was sprayed and emerging canola untouched.
Low cost, effective weed control.
@aritchie17
@WeedSmartAU
3
7
48
Differences in weed growth at Urana
@theGRDC
stripper vs draper stubble trial.
Too wet for timely spraying so weeds got away, bigger sowthistle in the draper cut. Stripper stubble has suppressed weed germ & growth.
540mm rain since harvest so very wet!!
@Farm_Link
@tony_swan64
1
4
47
Canola harvest rolling on in southern NSW. The old Claas is consistently punching out the tonnes + a nice spread on the residue. A tidy crop thanks to
@ganmain
@tom_cleland02
@MckinleyMatt
0
0
48
Morgan field peas defying the dry & frost to set up some impressive pods. Another low cost pulse helping clean up grass weeds & lift fertility. Ella also very helpful with grub checking 😛
@Pontaragrain
3
2
48