Media Release
Thursday, 10 October 2013
Live webcast to play the weed seed numbers
game!
Managing resistant weeds and prolonging the life of herbicides will be hot topics at a national
web broadcast being coordinated by WeedSmart on Wednesday 16 October.
The internet broadcast titled “Weed Management – It’s a numbers game”, will feature a video
discussion with leading weed researchers, farmers and agronomists and will allow growers to
ask questions of the panel from wherever they are sitting at a computer.
Peter Newman, panel facilitator and Leader of Communications at the Australian Herbicide
Resistance Initiative (AHRI), says the spread of herbicide resistance in weeds and the threat
this poses to farming systems across Australia is the most widely significant issue confronting
grain growers.
“When herbicides were working well most growers were not overly worried about the size of
the weed seed bank because they could spray the weeds and grow a profitable crop. As
herbicide resistance takes hold the only option to continue cropping is to take a long term view
and strive for a very low seed bank using a diverse range of tools. Herbicide resistance is not
a problem if you have no weeds!” Mr Newman said.
“The discussion will address the range of options available to help manage the weed seed
bank, as well as general strategies to help promote the long term sustainability of herbicides
“We’re keen to hear from growers about their concerns and the panel will be there to answer
their questions in real time,” he said.
The discussion will be held at Wagga Wagga’s Agricultural Institute Conference Facility on
Wednesday 16 October at 12noon (Australian Eastern Daylight Time) and will be broadcast
live via the internet around Australia.
You can register for the internet broadcast at the following site:
http://webcast.viostream.com/?viocast=7088&auth=a8146972-df3a-45d7-979f-bf32d3a2d732
Panel speakers include:
 Peter Newman, Leader of Communications at the AHRI
 Ray Harrington, Darkan grower (WA) and developer of the Harrington Seed Destructor
 Lachlan Caldwell, Agronomist with Delta Agribusiness, at Lachlan Fertilizers Rural,
Grenfell
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Prof. Deirdre Lemerle, weed scientist and Director of the Graham Centre for
Agricultural Innovation (an alliance between Charles Sturt University and NSW DPI),
Wagga Wagga
Murray Scholz, Culcairn grower (NSW) and Nuffield Scholar
Michael Widderick, Principal Research Scientist (Weeds), Agri-Science Queensland,
Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Queensland
ENDS
For media enquiries contact:
Kate Leahy
Cox Inall Communications
Ph: 02 6020 3247
Mobile: 0437 231 150
[email protected]
Lucy Broad
Cox Inall Communications
Ph: 02 8204 3869
Mobile: 0408 028 809
[email protected]
WeedSmart
WeedSmart is an industry-led initiative aimed at enhancing on-farm practices and promoting the long term sustainability of herbicide use
in Australian agriculture. Australian research partners, commercial entities, Government, advisers and growers have joined forces to
ensure weed management remain at the forefront of global farming practise. Viable herbicide use will help secure the weed control
productivity gains made by the current generation of Australian farmers.
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