Realising the busy schedules of growers and agronomists, The Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) will again offer their popular Grains Research Updates straight to digital devices.

GRDC Online Grains Research Updates are virtual sessions led by experts that share the latest findings and information on a variety of grain research and development topics. These webinars provide valuable insights and relevant knowledge directly to growers and agronomists without the need for them to leave their farms or offices.

GRDC Grower Relations Manager, Graeme Sandral, says that the Online Grains Research Updates have a great reputation for providing relevant grains industry information.

"These webinars are free and tackle topics of national significance, offering invaluable insights to growers and agronomists throughout our northern, southern and western grain-growing regions,” he says.

“The next session of updates will run from May 30 until June 13 and cover four separate topics. Each webinar kicks off at 9am AEST and lasts approximately 1.5 hours. There is no cost to participants, and they will receive a link to the recording and other resources associated with each topic post-session”.

The first session of the series, scheduled for May 30, is on irrigation efficiency. Photo: GRDC

The first session in the series, scheduled for May 30, is centred around irrigation efficiency and will be led by experts/researchers from the Universities of Queensland and Southern Queensland. The session will discuss innovative technologies to enhance irrigation decision-making and optimise irrigation efficiency.

On Thursday, June 1, the spotlight shifts to optimising clethodim efficacy and addressing haloxyfop MRL issues in export canola.

"This session delves deep into maximising the efficacy of group one herbicide applications, with particular emphasis on clethodim,” Mr Sandral says.

“The session explains resistance levels, the role of translocation, the influence of weed size, timing, spray coverage, adjuvants, water quality, temperature, frost, and tank mixes. We will also look at haloxyfop MRL issues in export canola."

Looking to the future, June 6 brings a session on deciphering weather and climate forecasts. This update will leverage off the Agri-Climate Outlook project's to provide practical tips on utilising data from the Bureau of Meteorology for short and long-term forecasting.

A recent disruption to sowing operations, when satellite GPS enabled systems failed in April, highlights the critical nature of robust, resilient systems. The final webinar on Tuesday June 13 examines this incident and possible solutions to manage potential future problems.

"During this webinar we'll hear from Tim Neale of Data Farming, who will provide an overview of the incident and discuss potential mitigation strategies,” Mr Sandral says.

“Representatives from manufacturers CASE, John Deere and Trimble will share the resources they have to help tackle such issues. Sowing is such a critical time of the season, and we can’t afford to sit around waiting for a satellite to come back online."

Growers and agronomists interested in attending any of the Online Grains Research Update sessions are encouraged to register via the GRDC website.

Tuesday, 30 May – Irrigation efficiency

Thursday, 1 June – Optimising clethodim efficacy and haloxyfop MRL issues in export canola

Tuesday, 6 June – Advances to assist growers to interpret weather and climate forecasts

Tuesday, 13 June – What happened in April when satellite GPS enabled systems failed & options to manage future outages

For more information, visit the GRDC website.