What a year 2020 has been. We have made it through floods, drought, bushfires and pandemic.
No matter how cruel the season, farmers like Walcha’s Kevin Mathews have always delivered. Read more about Kevin’s determination to make the best of every situation.
Of course, nobody farms alone. And it’s often at the most dreadful times, like last summer, that we’re reminded what it means to be part of something bigger. The stories of resilience and selflessness will always be remembered.
With rain falling in most corners of the country and a La Nina promising reasonable summer rainfall, we look forward to a memorable 2021 with a renewed sense of prosperity and purpose.
This edition of Seasons is packed with useful information and practical tools to help you get the job done. But don’t leave it at that: pick up the phone and give your locals Elders team a call. We are always there, in your corner.
Read more from Seasons below
La Nina and the grain market
The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) recently declared that the world is now in a state of La Nina or ‘the little girl’. This is good news for Australia’s grain production and bad news for other parts of the world. But what does it mean for grain prices?
Heartbreak, resilience and humanity at its best
The Black Summer bushfires brought devastation to the land, the animals and the people we at Elders love. Elders area manager Colin Lane is responsible for Gippsland, Victoria, and witnessed
the heartbreak and also the incredible resilience of his community.
What’s driving agricultural land values
Learn what’s driving demand for Australian agricultural land and underpinning strong property prices in most regions.
Deep soil fix brings yield gains
Deep placement of potassium and phosphorous could boost yields for crops like sorghum by as much as 1 tonne a hectare. Traditionally, soil samples are taken from the top 10 centimetres, which means soil tests often fail to detect deficiencies 20cm beneath the surface.
Getting through drought together
Kevin Mathews, who owns and runs Jiskardale outside of Walcha in the New England region, describes drought as “a most horrible time to be a grazier,” saying that “the responsibility of feeding animals through an exceptional time of scarcity is a heavy burden to carry alone.” Read the story of how he made it through.
Did you know Elders is one of the largest providers of potato varieties to the Australian market?
New varieties of potatoes, like Allora, La Strada and Kingsman are undergoing Elders testing. Get the inside word on them now!
What is the driver behind the business model?
Agriculture is in a positive cycle, a big part of Australia has had good winter rains and the season in the north is looking promising. Commodity prices are either at a good sustainable level or there’s reason to expect production levels will abate the lower prices.
Capture market opportunities and manage seasonal volatility with the right financial solutions
Elders offers quick and easy access to invoice funding and cash advances to free up existing working capital bank reserves. With no establishment costs, growers can set up facilities ahead of time at no cost and be prepared to take advantage of livestock trading opportunities. Facilities can be repaid at any time at no penalty, offering flexible top-up funding.
Tree crop stress management during summer
Want to understand how to manage summer tree crop stress? TEC agronomist Roop Sandhu explains how to make your trees more resilient.
Peeling back the layers on herd performance
Genomics is no longer just for stud stock. Commercial beef farmers can use the technology to help identify the elite individuals within a group will highlight traits requiring improvement and inform bull buying decisions. Here’s how to make it work for your herd.
Why distribution agribusiness is the vehicle to driving AgTech adoption in Australian agriculture
Technology is great but only when there are advisors you can trust to explain how it works, the data it produces and what that means for efficiency gains, improving quality, meeting the demands of buyers and consumers, and finally, increasing yield in a more financially and environmentally-sustainable manner.
Summer weed management and stored moisture
It’s impossible to ignore in a paddock where a summer spray missed. Eliminating weeds from a paddock while they are small makes a big difference to mositure coservation, not to mention the valuable nutrients weeds can rob from the soil
Crop protection
ADAMA’s new Plemax® will give you a good-looking head
Deal with chemical-resistant pests. Ideal for use in early to mid-seasons, Plemax from ADAMA manages chewing pests that other pesticides can’t touch.
Another hot summer is on its way. Be ready with Surround.
With record temperatures and high ultraviolet radiation causing damage and losses in valuable horticultural crops, it’s time to start preparing for the coming onslaught of hot weather. See how Surround® Crop Protectant can help maintain yields.
EverGol energy delivers early crop establishment in Victoria
To get early establishment in his cropping program at Boort in northern Victoria, Giles Cunningham knew he needed to get on top of key cereal diseases like crown rot and rhizoctonia. Find out how he did it with EverGol.
Corteva Agriscience launches new organic insecticide
Organic farmers have a new pest-control tool. Entrust® Organic is a naturally-derived insecticide based on metabolites produced by the fermentation of naturally occurring soil organisms.
Bi-Agra Band soil treatment is an agricultural plant establishment aid that improves germination and boosts broadacre crop yields
Growers can retain nutrients as well as moisture in their crops with SST Australia’s Bi-Agra Band soil treatment technology specifically designed for no-till and minimum till use in all broadacre crops, including canola.
Valor® Herbicide for long-term weed control in fallows
The science shows that early control of fallow weeds can lead to significant increases in the levels of stored plant available water and increased availability of nutrients. For this reason, more and more growers are turning to Valor® Herbicide from Sumitomo
Rancona® Dimension gives easy disease protection
The Pagonini family has found success beating rhizoctonia disease over the last few years with Rancona Dimension on their wheat and barley seed. There have been other unexpected payoffs, with fewer handling issues, too.
Fertiliser
More Yield, More Profit – Maximising Yield Potential Through Optimising Nutrition
Want to know how summer cropping foliar applications work and what they can do for your bottom line? Learn how Stoller can protect your crop from productivity losses caused by summer stresses.
Guaranteed quality for better results
Give your crop a dose of fast-acting highly available nitrogen, with the improved harvest quality characteristics of calcium using fast, convenient fertigation. Find out more about YaraTera CALCINIT.
Seed
Quantam II MAXP® proven persistence
Not all tall fescues are the same. Dry matter yields and softer leaves differentiate Quantum II MaxP, which has also proven over many years that it can survive challenging conditions.
Pasture mix turns failed cropping into productive grazing country
Read how Adrian McInnerney has worked with Barenbrug to impove pastures at the 2,500-hectare Bengalla Station in Queensland.
Animal health and fencing
Multimin Evolution: The new trace mineral injection for modern cattle
The Multimin trace mineral injection for livestock, has been upgraded with Multimin Evolution Injection for Cattle. Read on for a briefing about the changes.
Productivity increases after Waratah exclusion fencing installed
Exclusion fences are providing increased productivity through improved weaning rates or increased production by reducing grazing pressure from kangaroos on pastures and or cropping country. But experts recommend do your homework on the best design. See how Waratah’s premium Australian made exclusion fence works here.
Check your local sheep drench resistance status online
Are your sheep vulnerable to drench resistance? Dr Matthew Playford from Dawbuts, Australia’s leading veterinary parasitology laboratory in Camden NSW, has been involved in developing the ground-breaking website, SheepTRAX in conjunction with Zoetis.
Gallagher Ag Devices App gives farmers confidence and peace of mind with a complete view of fence performance
Check your fences without going out to the paddock. The new and improved Gallagher AgDevices App delivers real-time information and alerts about fence performance directly to a compatible smartphone.
Feeders, tech and general
Maximising dry feed and stubble using Optisync™; A new player in rumen efficiency
The 2020/2021 summer season is looking to provide ample opportunities to graze a bulk of dry feed and pasture. Optisync is Alltech’s safe and traceable non-protein nitrogen (NPN) source with controlled release technology, giving you more for less.
A Goal without a Plan is just a Wish
While growers are focused on harvesting the results of the 2020 season, it’s safe to say that agronomists will already be working on the 2021 season. Starting the next season knowing exactly what has to be done where and when is a major advantage in transparency for everyone.
Why happy stock are healthier stock
Dealing with a variety of water pressure on the one property is a common problem. And nobody wants to have a range of different float valves on hand to enable them to deal with the high and low water pressures they encounter. The Philmac 200 Series High Flow Float Valve solves this problem with a high-pressure adaptor.
Complete Stockyard Packages for Easier Livestock Handling
Drafting time doesn’t have to be a nightmare. Take the stress out of drenching, drafting and livestock handling with a better set of yards. Arrowquip has complete stockyard packages to make the job easy.
Lift productivity by diversifying pastures with high-performing herbs
Achieve better results from your next new pasture investment by including Choice chicory and Ecotain environmental plantain in your seed mix, producing a high quality, highly digestible forage for your livestock.
Applaud® insecticide now registered for SLWF
Applaud Insecticide is now registered for use in Australian cotton. Approved in October, the product is to be used for control of Silverleaf White Fly and Solenopsis mealybug.
Cyclone N Sure gates – an impressive list of features!
There’s nothing more frustrating than farm gates that don’t last the distance. The N-Sure gate from Cyclone has graduated mesh spacing close from the ground up that increases to a maximum of 100mm at the top, delivering security where it’s needed.
Managing plant stress for improved production.
In a recent trial involving almonds, Mega-Kel-P returned an extra $784 /ha. See how it boosts productivity, especially around flowering time.
O-rings that stay put
Designed for tough conditions, Plasson saddles are easy to assemble and provide a simple way to make threaded connections to new or existing pipelines
Poly Silos, Clearly a Better Solution
Have you considered whether your next silo should be steel or poly? Investigate your options with Enmach.
