Riverine Plains Blog

Key messages

• The International Sustainability and Carbon Certification (ISCC) is a global certification system that verifies sustainability principles for biobased food, feed and renewables.
• ISCC certification is voluntary, however, growers can gain export advantages and access premium prices.
• Participating farmers can be audited, so it’s important to be able to produce documentation that supports your declaration if required.

Key messages

• monitor now for fungal diseases including stripe rust, septoria and sclerotinia
• despite predictions for a drier-than-average spring, disease outbreaks could still occur 
• rotate fungicide groups to reduce the risk of resistance developing and investigate the potential of new fungicide products

Key messages:

• always have a clear purpose for collecting on-farm data and understand how it can be used to make decisions, for example informing fertiliser strategies, livestock breeding programs and soil amelioration
• good quality data is critical to making informed decisions
• ensure that you will be able to access your data, even when changing consultants or machinery suppliers

Key messages:

• check the efficacy of your pre-emergent herbicide applications – poor results may mean you need to reconsider your post-emergent spray program or other control options
• overall herbicide efficacy can be affected by a range of factors including plant stress, moisture and inadequate coverage
• delays or failures in weed control can be costly, so monitor now to manage the risk

Many Riverine Plains growers are still busy finishing their sowing programs, while also managing time-sensitive issues like slugs. Despite time constraints, it’s important to prioritise weed monitoring, including the effectiveness of pre-emergent herbicide applications, especially in earlier sown crops.

Key messages:

• canola crops are especially vulnerable to sulfur deficiency
• leaching and high rates of plant removal over the past few years have likely reduced soil sulfur levels
• incremented soil testing to a depth of 60-80cm will identify the quantity and location of sulfur in the soil
• understanding what’s in the ‘bank’ can help farmers make timely and economical fertiliser decisions

Sulfur (S) is an important nutrient for grain crops as it is used in chlorophyll formation and plant development. Canola has a higher requirement than wheat or legume crops for sulfur thanks to its oil and protein production.