FMD … It’s not what you think

Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) is a highly contagious disease affecting cloven-hoofed animals.FMD is a virus that’s transported by live animals, dairy and meat products, bones, soil, untreated hides and vehicles/machinery used in conjunction with livestock.FMD should not be confused with Hand, Foot and Mouth disease that is commonly found in children. FMD is not…

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The Benefits of Storing On-farm

Welcome back to the blog! Sowing is just around the corner, and before we know it, we will be ramping up for yet another harvest. Let’s hope it’s a record breaker. It goes without saying, that planning ahead is the ultimate key to success. As the phrase goes; “By failing to prepare, you are preparing…

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Grain Markets

Welcome back for yet another instalment of The Silologist™. Today I want to discuss the ever-changing grain markets and have a look into the variables affecting your return on investment. Wheat is still the dominant grain produced in Australia, with barley and canola our other two industry leaders. As you all know, the grain markets…

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2022 Predictions for Agriculture

Welcome back to the blog for 2022! Last year was an absolute rollercoaster for our agricultural community with floods, mice, labour shortages and a health pandemic, just to name a few. Today I’m having a look into what we can anticipate for 2022. The La Niῆa weather phenomenon is expected to continue until Autumn, resulting…

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A Year in Review: 2021

Many of us have mixed feelings about 2021 and regardless, it certainly won’t be a year forgotten any time soon. COVID-19 continued to wreak havoc across the globe, still putting a stopper in international and interstate travel. Many parts of the state suffered early at the hands of the mice plague, which continues to cause…

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2021 Harvest Projections

What a year 2021 has been so far. Coming off the back of the incredible 2020 season, most of the state was blessed with plenty of residual soil moisture and autumn rain which showed early promise for the season. The Australia Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences (ABARES) predict the NSW winter crop…

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2021 Fertiliser Price Hike

Welcome back everyone! Today on the blog I want to discuss the massive jump in fertiliser prices. Fertilisers provide three main nutrients: nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. Nitrogen improves growth, phosphorus stimulates roots and flowering, and potassium strengthens a crops natural resistance. We will explore why 2020-2021 has seen such a huge price increase, as well…

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Growing Phosphine Resistance

Phosphine is the most widely used fumigant across Australia, making up about 80% of all chemical insect control in stored grain. It is affordable and simple to utilise when you have access to technologies designed with fumigation in mind. It isn’t, however, a fool proof chemical. User error is leading to a concerning increase in…

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Current Labour shortage in Agriculture for Australia

The gross value of Australia’s agricultural production is forecast to reach a record $73.0 billion in 2021–22. If realised, this would be the first time that agricultural gross value has surpassed $70 billion Within the past couple of years our Australian Farmers have faced all kind of challenges, such as drought, flood, fires, rodent infestations…

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Safe Storage and Handling of Grain

Keeping grain in optimum condition is the first step in preventing entrapment in flowing grain. Many grain entrapments have occurred when a person went into a silo storage to break apart mouldy or crusted grains. Good storage management will help prevent mouldy grains and spoilage. Grain is also handled at a faster rate and in…

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