News & Opinion

The secret agents protecting our crops and gardens

Beneficial insects

The secret agents protecting our crops and gardens

16th May 2018 | By The Conversation

Currently, our main defence against crop pests is synthetic pesticides - but using them comes at a cost. By contrast, biological controls use pests' natural enemies, predators and parasitoids, to defeat them without collateral damage to beneficial insects or the environment.
Double your harvests and cut water use with new rice variety

Sustainable production

Double your harvests and cut water use with new rice variety

15th Mar 2018 | By Merran White, AgInnovators

Australian scientists have bred a high-yielding, fast-maturing medium-grain rice variety that ups water efficiency by 10 percent and enables farmers to harvest two rice crops a year.
100,000+ sterile Qflies dropped on Adelaide in biotech attack

Pest control

100,000+ sterile Qflies dropped on Adelaide in biotech attack

2nd Mar 2018 | By Merran White, AgInnovators

Hundreds of thousands of sterile Queensland fruit flies were dropped from planes over the Adelaide region on 2 March 2018, launching an ambitious national plan to reduce the numbers of this costly, endemic crop pest.
Cows go to the beach, too

Cattle

Cows go to the beach, too

1st Mar 2018 | By Merran White, AgInnovators

It’s bulls vs bull sharks: South Africa’s Nguni cattle have been hanging out on the world’s most dangerous beach for more than 500 years – and Melbourne-based photographer Chris Rimmer has created 20 striking portraits of the phenomenon....
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Projects

Reducing Energy Costs in Dairy

Reducing Energy Costs in Dairy

The Reducing Energy Cost in Dairy project was funded by Australian Dairy Farmers to assist farmers in increasing their dollar return on energy investment.  The project built on previous work by NSW Farmers and Dairy Australia. Activities...
Water & Energy Nexus Initiative

Water & Energy Nexus Initiative

In 2014, the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage funded NSW Farmers to conduct a study into the connection between energy costs and usage, and water-efficient irrigation practices.

The project involved desk top research coupled...
Farm Energy Innovation Program (EEIG)

Farm Energy Innovation Program (EEIG)

The NSW Farmers' "Farm Energy Innovation Program" was delivered with the help of the Australian Federal Government between 2012 and 2015 under the Energy Efficiency Information Grants program (EEIG).
Next Gen Compost

Next Gen Compost

Next Gen Compost is a two-year project commenced in 2016 aimed at increasing the use of compost made from recycled organic waste in commercial vegetable production. The project is funded by the NSW Environment Protection Authority under its Waste Less Recycle More Organics Market Development Grant Program.
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Case Studies

Farm trials show next-gen compost benefits for vegie growers

Recycled organics

Farm trials show next-gen compost benefits for vegie growers

Trials at the Greater Sydney Demonstration Farm show that adding high-grade recycled-organics composts to soils prior to planting has a number of potential benefits for vegetable growers.
Bathurst farmer grows sweet corn using 'next gen' compost

Recycled organics

Bathurst farmer grows sweet corn using 'next gen' compost

Bathurst mixed-farming operator Jeff McSpedden, who grows corn commercially for Simplot, turned to next-gen compost to replace biosolids, deemed a health risk.
Sydney vegie growers improve soil and yields using 'next gen' compost

Recycled organics

Sydney vegie growers improve soil and yields using 'next gen' compost

Second-generation vegetable farmers Sam and Val Micallef switched to recycled organics compost augmented with slow-release nitrogen to produce more and better vegies for Sydney Markets.
Rejigged tariffs and equipment fixes to boost Riverina dairy farm's bottom line

Energy

Rejigged tariffs and equipment fixes to boost Riverina dairy farm's bottom line

An energy audit of Carramar dairy farm in Womboota found significant savings could be made by renegotiating the electricity tariff for the property’s water pump, optimising the performance of its power-hungry plate cooler, recovering waste heat from the chiller and installing LEDs. Simple.
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