Grains Research and Development Corporation

When local insights drive research extension, the results are practical and relevant. Following grower feedback from Queensland’s Maranoa region, GRDC hosted a Crop Chat Grower Information Session in Surat connecting local growers with researchers from Department of Primary Industries (Queensland), The University of Queensland, CSIRO and GRDC. The event focused on regional priorities such as herbicide resistance, soil fertility, nitrogen optimisation and pasture dieback, demonstrating how GRDC’s National Grower Network (NGN) delivers targeted, grower-driven outcomes. 📸 Photo: Lucy RC Photography 🔗 Read more: https://bit.ly/4oo4VtF #GRDC #GrainsResearch #GrowerEngagement #CropChat #Extension #GroundCoverOnline

Can we turn the tide on fungicide resistance? At the Horsham Smart Farm in Victoria, researchers are creating a breeding ground for disease but for good reason. By encouraging crop diseases in controlled trials, scientists from the Australian Fungicide Resistance Extension Network (AFREN) (led by the Centre for Crop and Disease Management) are identifying which wheat and barley varieties are most susceptible and why. 🎧 Hear from Dr Joshua Fanning and Melissa Cook on how this research is building stronger disease resistance for the future: https://bit.ly/4hDJUZi #FungicideResistance #CropDiseases #AFREN #GrainResearch

Cultivating the next generation of grains innovation🌾 GRDC has announced 17 recipients of its 2025 Early and Mid-Career Research Fellowships, representing $11.3 million in investment over the next 3 years. These fellowships will empower outstanding researchers across Australia to deliver high-impact, grower-focused outcomes in crop and cultivar selection, biosecurity, soil and nutrition, and systems integration. GRDC Managing Director Nigel Hart says the program strengthens workforce renewal and supports world-class RD&E capability. 🔗 Read the full announcement: https://bit.ly/4oj0a4p #GrainsInnovation #CropResearch #GRDC #GRDCFellowships #AgScience

A $4.5 million GRDC investment is helping Australian researchers see crops like never before. Partnering with the Australian Plant Phenomics Network(APPN), GRDC is supporting the rollout of mobile phenotyping units equipped with high-resolution drones, LiDAR and hyperspectral sensors. This technology enables researchers to detect crop traits, water status, nutrient levels and even early signs of disease transforming the scale, speed and precision of field phenotyping across Australia. GRDC Senior Manager – Enabling Technologies Tom Giles says this collaboration ensures Australian crop research remains at the forefront of global digital agriculture and phenotyping science. 📍 Read the full story: https://bit.ly/3JDbwBj #AgInnovation #DigitalAgriculture #Phenotyping #CropImprovement #GRDC #ResearchImpact

Julianne Hill led GRDC's grower networks across WA’s grainbelt for 11 years, identifying the exact issues limiting grower returns. Her approach was built on kitchen-table conversations, header rides and cups of tea with growers. Key takeaways from this episode of the GRDC in Conversation podcast with Humans of Agriculture are: 👥 Mentors: The childhood guidance that still drives her decisions 💰 Off-farm income: How it funded their farm built from scratch near Ravensthorpe 🤝 Grower relationships: The only way targeted research actually lifts yields & margins 🌱 Tough seasons: Why getting off-farm is essential for mental reset 🚀 Next-gen growers: Fresh tech, bold ideas, and why she’s excited for the future ✈️ Life after farming: Retirement = Kokoda Trail, cross-country travel, tennis, reading. Listen here 👉 https://bit.ly/3JFkDBu #GRDCinConversation #GRDCPodcast #GrainsResearch #WomenInAg

🚜 72 fatalities. A two-decade high. Behind every statistic is a family, a community, and a reminder that safety on farms must go beyond compliance, it must be a core value. Farmsafe Australia’s new campaign, “Second Chances - Who Knows How Many You’ll Get?”, challenges the sector to talk openly about near misses and what they teach us. Farmsafe’s Stevi Howdle and advocate Helen Fitzroy shared their stories at the Innovation Generation conference, including how turning reflection into action can reshape farm safety culture. Full story via GRDC GroundCover ➡️ http://bit.ly/4hz69iZ #FarmSafety #SaferFarms #SecondChances #GRDC #AgLeadership #InnovationGeneration #GroundCoverOnline

Phalaris paradoxa, a stealthy weed, could cut your crop yields by 17%. New research reveals strategies to boost yields by 27% and reduce herbicide use. Australian research takes centre stage this week at the International Weed Science Congress in Nanjing, China, where Professor Bhagirath Singh Chauhan is presenting findings supported by our Weed Management Initiative. Professor Chauhan’s work is challenging traditional approaches to managing Phalaris paradoxa, demonstrating that integrating pre-emergent herbicides with competitive crops and optimised sowing systems can lift yields by up to 27% and reduce reliance on post-emergent chemistry. Our $47 million Weed Management Initiative delivered through four regional nodes nationwide, including the northern node co-led by the The University of Queensland brings together the industry’s leading researchers to develop sustainable, practical weed-management strategies tailored to regional farming systems. GRDC’s Manager Weeds, Sarah Morran, returns to the international stage this year not as presenter but as participant, gaining insights that will strengthen our on-farm extension and impact. 📖Read More here: http://bit.ly/3WriGeO #GRDC #WeedManagementInitiative #Weeds #Phalaris #Research #Agriculture #InternationalCollaboration

Roy Hamilton farms 4,400 ha at Rand, NSW, with his wife Leanne, son Michael, daughter Sarah Jane and employees Nigel Klinger and Josh Williams. He and his team grow wheat, canola, faba beans, barley and vetch. The 67-year-old was one of a group of growers invited to provide feedback on MyGRDC during its development. When Roy set up his MyGRDC account, he selected only the crops he was interested in: principally wheat, canola, faba beans, barley and vetch. “If I search blackleg, the app shows me every article, update paper and podcast on that topic,” Roy says. “I can sort the results in date order, which I like, enabling me to access the latest information first.” Read Roy's full story: http://bit.ly/3Jm3We2 📷: Nicole Baxter #MyGRDC #AustralianAgriculture #InnovationInAgriculture #AgTech #GroundCoverOnline #GrowerStory

💭 To spray or not to spray? That’s the question southern growers are asking this season. When disease pressure is low, reducing sprays can mean lowering costs and slowing fungicide resistance. But deciding not to spray takes confidence and data. In this GRDC podcast, Nick Poole from Field Applied Research (FAR) Australia Ltd and the Australian Fungicide Resistance Network (AFREN) shares how to balance risk and reward, covering: ✅ When disease pressure really warrants a spray 🧬 Managing fungicide resistance long-term 🌦️ The role of rainfall and yield potential 🔍 Why crop inspection is your best decision tool 🎧 Listen now: http://bit.ly/4oLDA4x #AFREN #GRDCpodcast #FungicideResistance #GrainsResearch #SustainableFarming #CropProtection

💪Things are looking up! Michael Altus farms in the Broomehill and Nyabing shires in south-west WA with wife Amanda, daughter Amelia and parents David and Chris Altus. Michael worked as a stock agent for more than a decade and returned to the family farm in 2014. The family grows wheat, barley, lupins, oats for hay and vetch. The family also runs 3,100 Merino ewes. Micheal says "From 1 January to 24 September, our Broomhill property had received 338 mm of rain. Our Nyabing property had 282 mm over the same period. While rainfall at both properties was lower than average, we experienced a kind late winter and spring. On 24 September, the soil water profile at Broomehill was 90%. There was slightly less water at Nyabing. Our crops suffered slight frost damage, estimated to be approximately 10% across the program. Daytime temperatures in the third week of September reached 27˚ C, which we consider mild. In September, we applied more fungicide to the barley. We also applied herbicides to control weeds adjacent to our fencelines. Manganese was added to our lupins to help the pods form and prevent them from splitting. We also applied insecticide to protect the lupins from insects. Pasture paddocks were sprayed to eliminate problem weeds and redlegged earth mite. We completed shearing and sold cross-bred lambs to the local butcher. Our harvest gear was maintained. We expected to be swathing canola by mid-to-late October, depending on rainfall. We expect an average to slightly above average harvest at Broomehill. At Nyabing, we expect an average harvest, as the dry start curbed crop potential". 📖Read more Aussie Grower Stories: bit.ly/4hlS34q 📷Evan Collis #GroundCoverOnline #GrowerSeries #WAFarming #Canola #Lupins #Wheatbelt