Nufarmer Autumn 2012

Autumn 2012NUFARM RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT & MARKETING MAGAZINE

Roundup Ready canola rewarding growers in NSW

Social media reshaping agriculture

Roundup Attack with iQ inside: the ultimate killing machine

Radish resistance and the fight with Flight EC

Reducing costly spray drift

QuikPour wins at national awards

Nufarmer Autumn 2012.indd 1 28/2/12 11:25:24 AM

03 The battle against ryegrass resistance

04 Nufarm’s latest weapon: Roundup Attack with iQ inside

06 World first 2,4-D formulation for Australian market

07 Fast burndown with Sharpen

08 Growth of social media reshaping agriculture

10 Roundup Ready canola paying off for NSW farmers

12 Fight with Flight: tackling radish resistance in WA

14 Nufarm reducing costly spray drift

15 QuikPour wins top honours at national awards

We’re interested to hear your feedback on this edition of nufarmer.

If there are any topics or products you would like to see featured in future editions or if you have any feedback, please contact us at [email protected]

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contents


TriflurX® and Avadex® Xtra are already proven performers in pre-emergent weed control, but Nufarm South Australia research and development

field officer, John Both, said further subtle changes would see them become even better.

John said because ryegrass develops resistance so rapidly to some herbicide groups, it is vital to rotate different chemicals to keep on top of the problem.

He said while ryegrass had developed resistance to Group A herbicides relatively quickly, within four or five uses, trifluralin has taken a lot longer to break down.

“In South Australia trifluralin resistance is widespread and is growing rapidly in Victoria. Fewer incidences have occurred in New South Wales and Western Australia,” John said.

“Those states are likely to see a step-up in resistance, so now is a good time for growers to put into practice the use of alternative chemicals to battle ryegrass.

“Fortunately we have a number of options such as tank mixing Avadex Xtra (Group J) with TriflurX (Group D).”

Strengthening TriflurX and Avadex XtraA new formulation of Avadex Xtra could see some important changes to the label, including a longer incorporation time of 24 hours compared to the previous time, which was as little as six hours.

“That will match the TriflurX label, so if you mix the two you will have the same incorporation time,” John said.

The new Avadex label will also see a lift in the maximum application rate.

He said using a mixture of TriflurX and Avadex Xtra was also a great option for growers because it allowed them

Nufarm is leading the fight against ryegrass resistance, with new registrations for pre-emergent herbicides due to come on-line next year.

to target wild oats as well as ryegrass and a number of broadleaf weeds.

“Mixing is very common in some areas. It has been popular for a number of years in South Australia and is becoming more popular in parts of Victoria. I think we will see widespread adoption in other parts of the country.”

Nufarm trial work in pre-emergent herbicides from 2009-2011 showed promising results when applying TriflurX and Avadex Xtra together.

“In the 2011 trials we had some dry periods after seeding in South Australia and the TriflurX and Avadex Xtra mix was superior to competitor products as it was able to perform better where the moisture was limited for that period of time,” John said.

“It’s quite robust and able to perform in a range of conditions.”

www.nufarm.com/avadextriflurx

Nufarm South Australia research and development officer, John Both, says mixing TriflurX and Avadex Xtra will provide a strong formula to control ryegrass.

The battle against ryegrass resistance

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pre-emergents


Nufarm’s latest weapon: Roundup Attack with iQ insideIt’s not easy replacing a market leader, but with nine years of hard work and a $10 million investment, Nufarm is confident that its new herbicide is the ultimate killing machine.

Launched in February this year, Roundup® Attack™ with iQ inside™ has superseded Nufarm’s previous flagship glyphosate product, Roundup PowerMAX®.

It is now the most extensive glyphosate label on the market.

Nufarm national business manager Damien Deckert admits that it has been difficult to replace Roundup PowerMAX because it has been such a reliable product and proven performer.

“Roundup Attack with iQ inside has taken nine years of development, 60 formulations, 100 replicated trials over nine seasons, 10,000 hours of research and development and a joint investment of $10 million between Nufarm and Monsanto,” Damien said.

“We’ve finally been able to develop a formulation and product that will offer growers additional benefits, flexibility and superior performance.”

Grower perspectiveDamien said when developing the new product they conducted extensive grower research to find out exactly what it was growers were after.

“For a glyphosate herbicide, the resounding feedback was that growers are looking for superior performance when it comes to how fast it kills the weeds, how good the final result is and how it controls some of the harder to kill weeds as well as providing increased flexibility,” he said.

“Particularly with the adoption of minimum and zero-tillage, there are lots of weed species coming through that wouldn’t have been a problem for farmers five or 10 years ago, but because they’ve changed their farming practices it’s influenced the type of weed species that have become prominent.

“They wanted increased flexibility with new use patterns as well as new tank mix compatibilities.

“After extensive testing we have been able to expand the Roundup Attack with iQ inside compatibilities with a particular focus on some of the new products entering the pre-emergent and fallow markets, making it the most compatible glyphosate formulation on the market.

“Essentially they wanted to know how it could make their job easier.”

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new @ nufarm


Damien Deckert, national business manager with Nufarm, says Roundup Attack with iQ inside delivers key flexibility and performance benefits to growers.

New era in weed control New use patterns with Roundup Attack with iQ inside will give growers the option of using the herbicide outside of the traditional knockdown format.

Damien said it had pre-harvest use patterns, so growers could go in before harvest and make an application to control any escapes that had come through the crop during the season.

“We also expect to see a new pasture, hay and silage pre-cut registration later this year, which will have three key benefits — it stops regrowth after cutting, controls any weeds that are present and also has the potential to improve the quality of the hay.”

Roundup Attack with iQ inside features a new patented penetrator resulting in faster penetration and uptake by the weed.

Damien said the new penetrator delivered a faster brown-out, better final efficacy and more robust weed control on hard-to-kill weeds, including annual ryegrass and medic.

“It’s not just about the amount of Roundup that you apply, but how efficiently you get the active ingredient to the site of action,” he said.

“It’s the unique penetrator in Roundup Attack with iQ inside that enables growers to get higher concentrations of glyphosate to the site of action, which delivers the faster speed of brown-out and superior final weed control.”

Flexibility in bad weatherThe patented penetrator is a unique three-way blend, which has been specifically designed for use in high load potassium salt formulations to deliver superior weed

control, without compromising on the flexibility and easy handling characteristics that growers expect from Roundup products.

Damien said it also had a superior rainfast offer of 20 minutes, which is a significant improvement on the current market leader, Roundup PowerMAX.

“It gives growers more flexibility when spraying in inclement weather and the ability to spray and sow in one hour,” he said.

“That has been a big driver for performance improvement.

“Directly comparing the two products we’ve seen a significant improvement in the level of final control and speed of brown-out.

“That gives growers confidence the product is working effectively and efficiently.”

new @ nufarm


World first 2,4-D formulation for Australian marketMore than six years of local laboratory and field research and development have gone into creating a brand new 2,4-D amine formulation for the Australian market.

Amicide AdvanceTM 700 is the newest product from Nufarm, delivering a non-volatile, stable and higher loaded product to control a wide range of

broadleaf weeds for both in-crop and fallow situations and replaces both Amicide® 625 and Nufarm Surpass® 475.

The formulation also has a new registration to control fleabane, which is a major problem weed in the cropping regions of southern Queensland and northern New South Wales and is a developing problem in southern and western states.

Sound development Andrew Wells, Nufarm national research and development manager, said the new, patented formulation has excellent product stability and compatibility in a wide range of conditions.

“Amicide Advance 700 has been designed, developed and manufactured in Australia for Australian conditions. This is important because our conditions are like no other in the world,” Andrew said.

“We started with more than 50 formulations, which were shortlisted based on our stringent internal testing in six key areas – efficacy, crop safety, compatibility with other products, storage stability and performance in water (1,000 ppm hardness) and cold temperatures.”

He said as well as laboratory testing, Amicide Advance 700 had undergone extensive glasshouse and field trial testing in local conditions. Over 80 replicated field trials were completed to help select the final candidate.

The development process was further enhanced by user reliability trials by growers at more than 180 locations across Australia in key growing regions.

Compatible mix gives good resultsLast year, Queensland grower Andrew Hirst trialled Amicide Advance 700 as part of Nufarm’s national user reliability trial (URT).

Andrew, who farms a 2,227 hectare property 15 km north of Moonie on the Darling Downs, used Amicide Advance 700 on a block where both fleabane and buckwheat were an issue.

Andrew was particularly keen to see how Amicide Advance 700 and Roundup mixed together in the tank.

“The main benefit for us when using Amicide Advance 700 would be that we can mix it with Roundup and hit the fleabane at the same time as the Roundup goes out,” Andrew said.

The above photo shows the importance of compatibility when mixing products. The tube on the left shows 1.2 L/ha of Amicide Advance 700 mixed with 1.5 L/ha of Roundup Attack with iQ inside at 50 L/ha water rate in 3 WHO water (1,000 ppm) at room temperature 15 minutes after mixing. The tube on the right shows ‘salting out’ 15 minutes after mixing a 2,4D amine with Roundup at the same rates.

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new @ nufarm


What’s Nu?Fast burndown with SharpenFrom April this year, there will be a new option for growers wanting faster, sharper and more complete burndown of hard-to-control broadleaf weeds.

Sharpen®, powered by Kixor® herbicide, is a brand new formulation that can be applied for knockdown and fallow use prior to the planting of both summer and winter crops.

Sharpen contains the active ingredient saflufenacil (branded as Kixor herbicide), which is highly active against a wide range of broadleaf weeds including some of the hard-to-control weeds such as fleabane and sowthistle.

Geoff Raymond, business manager with Nufarm, said one of the key benefits of Sharpen was its fast acting and complete burndown of broadleaf weeds

“Under good growing conditions, broadleaf weeds can be totally controlled in 1-4 days,” Geoff said.

“Sharpen is also highly effective at very low rates, with general use at 9 g/ha and if fleabane is present, 17 g/ha.”

Geoff said Sharpen could be used in conjunction with Roundup Attack with iQ inside to aid in the control of grass weeds, however Sharpen needs to be applied with adjuvant Bonza® at the rate of 1% to help deliver fast, effective control.

He said Sharpen also offered very short plantback periods for some key crops.

“Growers of cereal and grain legume crops can commence planting one hour after the application of Sharpen, whereas sorghum and soybean growers can commence planting one day after an application of Sharpen,” Geoff said.

Geoff said for optimal coverage and control, Sharpen should be applied as a coarse spray quality or greater in a minimum water volume of 80 L/ha.

“Extensive trial work has shown that a rate of 80-100 L/ha has delivered the best results in fallow and knockdown situations,” he said.

“Before applying any chemicals, growers and contractors should check spraying conditions through SprayWise Decisions® or if spraying near cotton, check the location of cotton fields through CottonMap®.”

For more information, speak to your local Nufarm distributor or visit www.nufarm.com.au/sharpen.

www.nufarm.com.au/phenoxy

One product, two usesGerard Bardell, business manager with Nufarm, said Amicide Advance 700 meant growers now only need to purchase and stock one product instead of two.

”Instead of buying Amicide 625 for in-crop use and Surpass 475 for spraying in fallow, Amicide Advance 700 can be used in both situations,” Gerard said.

“Amicide Advance 700 is also compatible with a range of fungicides and trace elements as well as all Roundup products for broad spectrum control of both grass and broadleaf weeds.

Amicide Advance 700 is now available through Nufarm distributors.

Andrew Wells, Nufarm national research and development manager at the company’s glasshouse in Victoria. Glasshouse testing is an important process in developing new products.

new @ nufarm


Growth of social media reshaping agricultureSocial media is rapidly becoming an invaluable tool for the agricultural industry, with an enterprising agronomist from Hillston in New South Wales leading by example.

social media

Department of Primary Industries (DPI) NSW district agronomist, Barry Haskins, is using the social networking site YouTube to broadcast

trial reports and general agronomic information with great success.

YouTube sensationBarry uploaded three videos to YouTube last year, including one summarising a trial report on fertiliser and lupins, another on managing mice in spring and his most popular to date about fleabane in fallow.

The fleabane video has received more than 1,740 views.

“I’m quite familiar with YouTube and I know a lot of my clients now use smart phones and people have limited time to access information,” Barry said.

“I just felt there was an opportunity there and a niche to put 2-5 minute grabs of information together and get it out there to a wide audience without it costing anything.”

Barry takes his video camera and tripod on the road and when he sees something of interest he takes a 20-30 second grab for later use.

After compiling enough footage he cuts the material together on his computer before it is reviewed and uploaded to YouTube.

Barry said the key to success with social media is not flooding your market and ensuring that videos are relevant and timely.

Farmers logging onBarry said the feedback from farmers has been positive, with most saying it’s a fantastic medium to quickly access facts.

“Farmers like it because they are able to gain information to benefit their business, but it’s not costing them any extra time and it’s entertaining as well,” he said.

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“Our district agronomist unit has done quite a few — some very successful — and others targeted at a very small audience.

“It compliments what we’re already doing. It doesn’t replace anything and it adds value to that work.”

Nufarm Riverina sales manager, Mark Norbiato, said Barry was breaking ground with his use of social media to broadcast trial results and information.

“It’s fair to say within the private sector we’re still getting our heads around the technology, but watching Barry he is demonstrating how powerful it can be,” Mark said.

“I can see that sort of approach working to compliment field days and trial work — it’s a no-brainer really.

“It won’t replace these events because growers still want to get out there and be touching, feeling and kicking the dirt, but for those who can’t get there it’s a great way to still get the information.”

Realising the benefits to industry Nufarm marketing manager Paul White said the company is trialling various social media platforms to deliver long-term benefits to Nufarm clients and the wider agricultural market.

He said the adoption of social media, particularly in rural Australia, has been rapid and indicates that people want information in these formats.

Paul said YouTube offered the most benefits because of its video capabilities.

“We’ve just launched new products, including Roundup Attack with iQ inside and Amicide Advance 700 and they are all utilising these platforms,” he said.

“YouTube in particular will become a key component for us to make a lot of the trial data and video footage of

Nufarm embraces social mediaWant to keep up with the latest news from Nufarm? Why not follow us through social media!

Nufarm is now engaging with growers, consultants and industry members through Twitter, YouTube and Facebook to keep them up to date with product updates, breaking news and seasonal information.

Follow Nufarm on Twitter (@NufarmAustralia), like us on Facebook or subscribe to our YouTube channel for the latest information from the Nufarm team.

results available to our distribution partners and any other advisors, consultants and ultimately to farmers.

“Particularly those farmers in our Top Croppers® program — we really want to take that program to the next level and allow those clients first-hand information via social media platforms.

“We have big plans over the next 12 months, but we are very specific about the type of information we put out there — it has to be relevant and valuable to the market.

“Quality of data is what people are after.”

Barry’s videos can be viewed on the Agriculture NSW YouTube channel.

social media

Social media as an online approach to communicate new technology and

management tools for growers will compliment field days and trial work.


Landmark Albury agronomist, Bob Ronald, had five clients grow 2,000 hectares of Roundup Ready® canola varieties last season for ryegrass weed

management and to take advantage of yield benefits.

Bob said his clients were pleased with the performance of the varieties they grew, with yield results ranging on average from 2.2-2.5 t/ha, although this final result was impacted by rainfall and frost.

Varieties grown included Roundup Ready hybrid varieties 45Y22 and Hyola 502 and Roundup Ready open-pollinated lines GT Mustang and GT Cougar.

“From an agronomic point of view, the Roundup Ready canola did the job it was supposed to do and performed consistently,” Bob said.

Bob’s growers used standard sowing rates, robust rates of TriflurX as a pre-emergent and Dual Gold® to control Toad Rush. He also recommended two sprays of the Roundup Ready Herbicide with PLANTSHIELD®.

Bob also praised the stewardship system, PRAMOG, and said it was a positive process for growers to go through.

Paddock Risk Assessment Management Option Guide (PRAMOG) recognises that each paddock has a unique glyphosate resistance risk profile and suggests management options to reduce the potential risk.

Farmers should use PRAMOG as a tool to assess their glyphosate resistance risk potential and select additional practices to reduce this risk.

Rewarding results in average yearWith Bob’s assistance, Albury famers Brendan and Tania I’Anson grew Roundup Ready canola for the second consecutive season last year.

Roundup Ready canola paying off for NSW farmersThe adoption of Roundup Ready canola as a weed management tool is paying off for growers in the Albury region of southern New South Wales.

Brendan farms in an area with 533 mm rainfall and described last season as an average one, but a good one for growing canola.

He first looked to the Roundup Ready varieties to combat ryegrass resistance and control wild oats.

The I’Ansons sowed an 800 ha program last season, consisting of 120 ha of Roundup Ready canola, 600 ha wheat and the remainder to conventional canola.

“We grew an average yield of 2.9 t/ha with the hybrid variety and 2.5 t/ha with GT Mustang. We are normally

Landmark Albury agronomist, Bob Ronald (right) is assisting grower Brendan l'Anson to combat ryegrass and wild oats using Roundup Ready varieties.

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herbicides


happy with a yield of 2 t/ha with canola, so we were very pleased with the results on both counts,” Brendan said.

“It just jumps out of the ground, especially the hybrid. The early vigour is amazing, so you have to be on the ball with the in-crop sprays because there is only a small window of opportunity.

“You’ve got a bit more time with the GT Mustang, but they smother everything else anyway.”

Brendan said he planned to continue using Roundup Ready canola as a valuable tool in his cropping system and will add another 80 ha to this season’s program.

“We’ll only use it in dirty paddocks,” he said.

“I know some blokes say the cost of the seed is expensive, but when you compare it with chemical costs it’s really not that expensive.

“We’re looking at in-crop chemical costs of $20-25/ha compared to up to $50/ha with conventional canola.

“That pays for the cost of the seed.”

Versatility is crucial The cheaper price tag on the open-pollinated lines has made them a popular choice, but Wagga Wagga Nuseed sales manager, Chris Roberts, said he’d received feedback that GT Mustang and GT Cougar had also been performing well in a range of conditions.

Chris said the open-pollinated Roundup Ready lines were both mid-maturing and gave growers a reasonably priced option of adopting the technology.

“They are great for growers wanting to use the technology, but not wanting to pay the higher prices,” he said.

“We’ve got two new lines available this season — GT Cobra, which is an early-mid maturing variety and GT Viper, which is an early maturing variety.

“I think we’ve got a good range of maturity giving growers in a wide range of growing conditions the opportunity to try the technology.”

What’s Nu?

Change to Roundup Ready canola technology feesThe process of paying for Roundup Ready canola will now be even simpler, with a change to technology trait arrangements for the 2012 season.

In the past, growers paid an upfront technology fee,

followed by the End Point Royalty (EPR) at grain delivery.

However, the new system means growers only need to

make one upfront payment of $6 per kilogram of Roundup

Ready canola sowing seed. The $13.20/t EPR has also been

removed which simplifies the system significantly.

Damien Deckert, Nufarm national business manager for

Roundup and glyphosate, said the simpler pricing structure

could make growing Roundup Ready canola more

affordable.

“The feedback we have received from farmers and agronomists is that the current model was complicated and made it difficult to calculate the cost of weed control compared to the technology cost,” Damien said.

“Based on an average sowing rate of 2.5 kg/ha, canola growers in areas with yields above 700 kg/ha will be better off under the new system.”

The new agreement comes into effect for the 2012 growing season. For more information, speak to your local Roundup Ready Technology Service Provider (TSP), or your local Nuseed Sales Manager.

herbicides


Nufarm southern coastal territory sales manager, Brad Johnson, said if growers are proactive in treating radish with different chemical strategies

in their crop rotations, resistance can still be managed effectively.

Nufarm, with the assistance of Precision Agronomics Australia (PAA), has been conducting radish trials in Esperance to determine the current level of resistance within different chemistry groups.

“We’re seeing a lot of these resistance issues occur in the northern region of WA and we want to help stem the rapid avalanche of multiple/stacked resistance occurring down here,” Brad said.

“The last thing farmers want is the threat of having to budget up to $50/ha for radish control like they do in the north.

He said in recent years local growers and consultants had started to see some chemical groups not achieving the level of control desired, so last year Brad and the PAA decided to run a comprehensive trial.

“This was a really good eye-opener not only for ourselves, but also local agronomists and farmers we took through to realise that the resistance issue is already on our doorstep and perhaps more than we originally first thought.”

The trialThe radish resistance trial examined all chemical groups and modes of actions across a concerning radish population within a tillering wheat crop.

The 2011 trial consisted of 30 different chemical treatments replicated three times using an 80 L/ha water rate.

Fight with Flight: tackling radish resistance in WAA trial investigating the level of radish resistance in the Esperance region of Western Australia has discovered the problem is more prevalent than first thought.

“It’s important to note that the radish population varied in size anywhere from cotyledon, through to eight leaf stage with some plants over 30 cm in diameter and a few subsequent germinations after treatment,” Brad said.

“As a result some plants were simply too large in size to expect and achieve total control.”

Within Groups B, I, F and C chemicals, different rates were investigated to determine the degree of resistance.

Brad said trial results found that all modes of action, in particular Group B, F and I, showed rapidly developing resistance. Group C chemicals such as triazines and bromoxynil were still holding on.

“That’s very concerning as these have been our most common cost effective tools to manage radish,” he said.

Radish controlBrad recommended a range of control options for different crop stages in cereals and highlighted the importance of crop rotations to achieve this effectively.

He said in wheat and barley the key was to get in early and go in with products such as Minder® from the two leaf stage of the crop to control early germinations.

herbicides


Products with residual activity such as Flight® EC or Paragon® can then be used from the three leaf stage of the crop.

“Flight EC was developed following the success of Paragon and Bromicide tank mixes in managing hard-to-control radish populations throughout the northern and central wheatbelt of WA,” Brad said.

Flight EC provides a convenient one-drum product to achieve consistent and reliable control of existing tough radish population, as well as a tool to prevent resistance developing in easy-to-control populations.

“As is now standard practice, for subsequent germinations we recommend these be controlled using a second

‘sequential spray’ with Estercide® Xtra 680, or new Amicide Advance 700. In extremely problematic populations there is an opportunity for some newer Group H chemistry,” he said.

“Ultimately, there needs to be more awareness of radish populations in the paddock each year and if any survivors get through that’s when the alarm bells should be ringing.

“At that point a strategy needs to be put in place to manage the population before it gets any worse,” Brad said.

Radish meets its match in Flight

A grower in WA’s south-east is tackling radish with the new herbicide, Flight EC.

Wittenoom Hills farmer Chris Reichstein crops 4,000 ha on his home property, Mount Burdett, 55 km north of Esperance.

But it was a 310 ha property Chris bought a few years ago, 40 km north east of Esperance at Warekila, where he has been battling with radish.

Chris said there was a reasonable population of radish on the property and it seemed to thrive on the sand plain to gravelly sand soil types.

Building resistance

Last year Chris planted wheat, tried windrow burning and was ready to go in again with lupins using a diflufenican herbicide until he got the results back from the radish seed he had sent away for resistance testing.

“The results showed developing resistance to diflufenican, so I knew we had to try something different,” he said.

“I was surprised because I achieved a fairly good result when I went in with the lupins.

“I wanted a product that had a residual in it. Some of that country was non-wetting, we’d had a dry year and a very dry winter and I was worried that if I just used a product that killed what was there at the time, I was going to end up with a second germination of radish later on.”

Taking Flight

Chris windrow burned to diminish the seed bank and then went in with Flight, knowing it had three modes of action so there was less chance of resistance developing.

“Flight did a great job,” he said.

“We did get germination at the end of harvest, but it had kept the crop clean through until harvest.”

This year, Chris will windrow the wheat stubble before sowing the paddock to barley. He will also use a chaff cart to collect the weed seed and burn it before embarking on a two-year broadleaf rotation of canola and lupins.

Flight will also feature in this year’s cropping program.

“It might sound ridiculous because you’ve got to rotate chemicals, but I’m going to use it again because I know it’s going to give me good residual and it’s got those three modes of action,” Chris said.

“Without doing the testing, I wouldn’t have known I was developing resistance so I would absolutely recommend doing the resistance tests.

“If you can measure it, you can manage it.”

Chris Reichstein in his lupin crop. Chris has successfully controlled herbicide resistant radish by using Flight EC.

www.nufarm.com.au/FlightEC

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herbicides


Nufarm’s stewardship program aims to achieve better efficiency with chemical use, while at the same time reducing spray drift.

Croplands application specialist and Nufarm product manager, Jorg Kitt, oversees the Spraywise program.

He is also a member of the National Working Party on Pesticide Applications (NWPPA), formed after the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) released new guidelines for pesticide application.

The NWPPA’s role is to assist the APVMA with spray risk assessments as well as helping the industry deal with any changes that may result from the new guidelines.

At riskJorg’s warning is simple — if the industry does not tackle spray drift the APVMA could introduce tough no-spray zones.

“By far the biggest problem for the whole industry is the APVMA will put measurements in place to reduce drift,” Jorg said.

“So, if the industry doesn’t address the drift issue it’s going to lose operational flexibility and in the long run may even lose chemical options.”

According to Jorg, there are a number of tools in the Spraywise toolbox for growers to help reduce drift

Nufarm reducing costly spray drift The agricultural industry risks losing operational flexibility, or even the option to use important chemicals in the market, if spray drift is not managed appropriately. But Nufarm’s Spraywise® program is taking important steps in spray drift reduction.

and achieve a better result with the chemicals they’re using.

“This includes informative spreadsheets to work out nozzle sizes, as well as programs to build confidence around using bigger droplets to greatly reduce the risk of drift,” Jorg said.

“Then there is Nufarm’s online weather forecast program, Spraywise Decisions, to help people plan and match the timing of chemical applications to weather conditions.

“We’re also running application workshops and testing water for farmers.

“It’s all about educating the industry in general how to better apply chemicals.”

He said another reason the Spraywise program is so effective is because Nufarm works directly with its machinery manufacturer arm, Croplands, to develop high quality spray equipment.

He said there was huge potential to create synergies and reduce drift even further when machinery manufacturers were involved.

www.nufarm.com.au/spraywise

spraywise


QuikPour™, the innovative packaging design, received a gold medal in the Innovation category, a silver medal in the Packaging for Industry

category and was the overall best of show winner at the awards presentation dinner held in Melbourne in October.

Lachie McKinnon, General Manager for Nufarm Australasia, said the award recognised more than four years of research and development by Nufarm Australia with key technology partner Scholle Packaging, along with Visy and other project partners.

“Not since the development of the Envirodrum have we implemented such a change in the way chemicals are packaged and delivered to the Australian agricultural market,” Lachie said.

“QuikPour is a tangible example of how Nufarm is investing in innovations and the awards recognise the hard work and dedication that went into designing the new pack.”

QuikPour is a 15 litre container consisting of a collar, flexible liner and outer carton, which delivers faster

and more accurate pouring when compared to a 20 L plastic drum, as well as a 25% reduction in weight and an 80% reduction in plastic packaging per litre.

The pack has undergone extensive testing in the field with Nufarm distributors and growers, with more than 100,000 L of product used in a commercial trial to ensure QuikPour delivered safer pouring without glugging and splashing.

QuikPour wins top honours at national awards

Nufarm’s latest packaging innovation has won two medals at the Packaging Council of Australia‘s (PCA) Australian Packaging Design Awards.

Products currently available in the 15 L Quikpour packs are Agritone® 750, Roundup®, Roundup Biactive®, Roundup DST, Glyphoate CT, Kamba M, Kamba 500, Amitrole T, Arsenal® Xpress and Weedmaster® Duo.

New products, Roundup Attack with iQ inside and Amicide Advance 700, are also available in the packs.

Professor Kate Auty, Victorian Commissioner of Environmental Sustainability, with Lachie McKinnon, Nufarm Australasia General Manager testing the QuikPour box against the traditional 20L agro-chemical container (water only) at the pack’s official launch in October last year.

www.nufarm.com.au/quikpour

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innovation


For more information on nufarm’s product range, please call your local nufarm Sales manager.

Coastal

Regional Manager Owen Williams 0409 507 263

Sales ManagersNSW Tablelands & Nth Coast Matt Moyle 0400 811 796Wide Bay/Burnett & Callide Dawson Jamie Cox 0427 100 065Far North Queensland Mark Rantucci 0409 200 993Central Queensland/Burdekin Alistair Ferrier 0458 456 041Metro & Northern Territory TBA

R&D Officer Nick Matthews 0428 736 660

Central (Nthn NSW/ Sthn Qld)

Regional Manager Stuart Blair 0418 504 114

Sales ManagersToowoomba Gerard Doherty 0419 882 904SW Queensland/NW NSW Nick Rinaudo 0428 710 298Namoi Valley TBAGwydir & MacIntyre Valleys Jack Williamson 0438 907 820Key Accounts/Cotton Marg Castleden 0409 065 994

R&D Officer Frank Taylor 0438 092 972

Southern NSW

Regional Manager Daniel Gestier 0407 450 174

Sales ManagersMacquarie Valley Daniel Maroulis 0417 747 454Riverina/MIA Mark Norbiato 0429 398 854Greater Central West Wesley Greig 0428 285 865Central & Sth Tablelands/Hunter Valley Melissa Trengove 0438 985 785Wagga Wagga Eleanor Nolan 0439 354 440

R&D Officer Mitch Allen 0458 742 221

Victoria/Tasmania

Regional Manager Rohan Wardle 0438 343 079

Sales ManagersWimmera/South West Mathew Taylor 0419 561 016Mallee Simon Schlitz 0427 806 635North East Victoria TBACentral (Metro & Geelong) Alex Ford 0400 856 559Key Accounts & Business Development Alex Ford 0400 856 559Tasmania & Gippsland Peter Wilkinson 0418 132 087

R&D Officer Mark Slatter 0438 064 845

South Australia/Sunraysia

Regional Manager Tony Button 0418 637 310

Sales ManagersMid North/Yorke Peninsula Lucas Bagshaw 0400 286 470 Riverland/Sunraysia & South East George Piccirillo 0437 329 275Mallee & South East Russell Meade 0418 818 570Eyre Peninsula Ken Webber 0428 828 410Key Accounts & Business Development Simon Gregory 0400 835 040

R&D Officers Gereon Schnippenkoetter 0438 862 896 John Both 0418 803 055

Western Australia

Regional Manager Steve Lacy 0407 542 448

Sales ManagersCentral West Bill Campbell 0427 545 553South East Coastal Brad Johnson 0428 340 825Great Southern/South Coastal James Bee 0438 390 868Mid West Wheatbelt TBAKey Accounts & Business Development Manager Matt Smith 0427 194 956

R&D Officers Mike Jackson 0427 527 975 Scott Paton 0427 692 319

Croplands

South Australia Luke Wormald 0419 991 534Southern Qld & Northern NSW Jeremy Rennick 0407 485 569Queensland Rob Graham 0409 597 462Northern NSW, Tasmania & NT Dave Farmer 0427 651 971Southern NSW & Sunraysia David Hamilton 0427 975 072Victoria Matthew Plunkett 0417 832 784Western Australia John Griffiths 0407 132 746Western Australia Gavin Merritt 0448 022 172Application Specialist Jorg Kitt 0429 939 403

This information is a guide only and no substitutes for professional or expert advice. The product label should be consulted before use of any of the products referred to in this publication. Nufarm Australia Limited shall not be held liable for any results, loss or damage whatsoever, whether consequential or otherwise through the use or application of products and/or materials referred to herein.

Avadex, Amicide, Agritone, Bonza, Dual Salt Technology (DST), Kamba, Minder, Spraywise, Spraywise Decisions, Nufarm Surpass, TriflurX, Weedmaster, Top Croppers and Estercide are registered trademarks of Nufarm Australia Limited. Avadex Xtra is a registered trademark of Nufarm Technologies USA Pty Ltd. Sharpen, KIXOR, Flight and Arsenal are registered trademarks of BASF used under licence by Nufarm Australia Limited. Roundup, Roundup Ready, Roundup PowerMAX, Roundup Biactive and Roundup Ready herbicide with PLANTSHIELD are registered trademarks of Monsanto Technology LLC used under licence by Nufarm Australia Limited. LI 700 is a trademark of Loveland Products Inc used under licence by Nufarm Australia Limited. Ally is a registered trademark of Du Pont Australia Limited. Dual Gold, Spray Seed and Logran are registered trademarks of a Syngenta Group Company. Eclipse Herbicide is a registered trademark of. Dow AgroSciences Ltd. Hyola is a registered trademark of Pacific Seeds. Brodal is a registered trademark of Bayer. Amicide Advance, Attack, iQ inside and QuikPour are trademarks of Nufarm Australia Limited.

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Documents

Nufarmer Autumn 2012