LEADA Field Day set for September 19

Farmers from across Lower Eyre Peninsula have an open invitation to attend the first ever Spring Field Day to be hosted by the Lower Eyre Agricultural Development Association (LEADA), on Wednesday September 19.  The LEADA Committee plans that this will become an annual event, catering specifically for the information needs of Lower EP farmers.

The day will start at the Ramblers Football Club in Cummins, with several keynote speakers including Professor Robert Park of the Sydney University Plant Breeding Institute, who will provide an update on the ever-changing situation with wheat rusts.

After a BBQ lunch, the venue will shift to the LEADA Focus Site at the ABB Cummins Receival Depot.  Here farmers will be able to see and hear about a range of field trials covering issues including canola management, wheat varieties, barley varieties and how they respond to time of sowing, compaction, and ryegrass varieties for grazing potential.  Researchers and consultants will be in attendance to discuss their work.

Bill Long, a one-time Eyre Peninsula agronomist and now farmer and consultant at Ardrossan, will be a special guest speaker at the field site to discuss soil and water relationships, water use efficiency, and the Yield Prophet crop prediction modelling tool.  This discussion will link to the deep ripping and water use efficiency trial being conducted here by Rural Solutions SA.

Later in the afternoon, it will be short bus trip down to Edillilie to visit a cereal grazing trial being conducted as part of the Grain and Graze program, and a SANTFA variety by seeding rate trial for ryegrass competition.

A general discussion session will then wrap up the serious part of the day, before some social interaction.  In particular, we’d like to hear your ideas on what farming issues LEADA should take on board in its research, development and technology transfer program for next year and beyond.

We have an opportunity to submit an Expression of Interest to the Grains Research and Development Corporation for funding for a project to boost water use efficiency across the Lower EP, by tackling key production limiting barriers.  Give it some thought and come prepared to contribute to the discussion.

So put September 19 in your diary and invite your neighbour along for the day as well.  But if you won’t be able to make it, we’re still keen to hear your ideas for LEADA’s research and development program to progress sustainable agriculture on Lower Eyre Peninsula.  Give me a call at work on 8688 3424, or drop me an email at egan.jim@saugov.sa.gov.au .

SARDI oilseeds researcher Trent Potter checks pod set of one of his canola selection lines.  Trent will be a guest speaker at the Better Canola trials at the LEADA field day on September 19.

AUTHOR: Jim Egan, Senior Research Agronomist, SARDI

CONTACT: Jim Egan, SARDI PT Lincoln, Telephone 8688 3424, or Email egan.jim@saugov.sa.gov.au .