Hello everyone and welcome to the very first edition of our eNote. We have moved away from producing hard copies and this new electronic format is designed for easier reading on an iPhone or iPad. Our intention moving forward is to produce a greater volume, but shorter editions of our newsletters to keep you better updated on important, new and emerging issues.

 

February, March and April have been exceptionally dry and warm resulting in minimal germination of weeds and annual pasture species. The risk of loss of dry sown crops and pastures particularly in higher rainfall areas is low and usually occurs when there is just enough moisture to allow germination followed by extended dry and hot conditions. The benefits of dry sowing are that crops and pastures emerge on the first rains compared to sowing post rain and losing this moisture, this has been a winning strategy for us in the past. Some Pre- Em programs will need to be tweaked; chemical such as atrazine, diuron and dual do not work well in dry soil.

 

It is important that crops emerge as early as possible and the belief that you should wait for rain for weeds to germinate is a myth. Yield is maximised and weed seed set production is reduced by sowing into warm soil favouring rapid crop growth and combining this with a robust pre-emergent program.

 

With the majority of SE of Australia still remaining dry, the price of grain, hay and straw is staying high and the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) still forecasting a reasonably average rainfall for the next 3 months making, in our view, the glass half full for the 2019 season.

 

The very best of luck for the season from the Western AG team and we hope you enjoy our newsletter.