Just Add Water...

...was the theme of our 2004 Field Days. 

Our trial work and line-up of speakers at the Main Field Day provided over 620 attendants with the recipe for a successful crop - all they have to do is wait for the water to be added!

There was a full-day program with attendants choosing throughout the day to go on any of the four themed trial tours and sit in on any two of three discussion sessions.  Sessions were repeated during the day. 

All three large marquees were full in each discussion session, with none being more popular than any other.  In the direct drill and reduced till session, farmer and agricultural consultant, Danny Conlan detailed his experience in the Mallee.  Leader of Sustainable Farming Systems at SARDI, Nigel Wilhelm was a crowd favourite, and there was nothing but good feedback about the third speaker in that session, Peter Funcke, manager of Bullarto Downs, Hopetoun.

In the livestock session, Dr John Milton, Senior Research fellow at UWA and director of Independent Lab Services, spoke about nutritional management of ewes to wean more lambs.  John is renowned for his dynamic, passionate and energetic presentations, and that is definitely what participants in this discussion session saw, picking up lots of information on all aspects of sheep management.

The third discussion session was about precision agriculture.  Participants in this session commented on the practical information given by Wimmera farmer, Andrew Weidemann.  Peter Stone from CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems was another favourite and Jonathon Medway from Terrabyte Services detailed clearly mapping and its applications.

There were 20 speakers invited to present at our trials, with the four themes being liquid fertilisers, varieties & their agronomy, agronomy & climate and weeds & diseases. 

Feedback from farmers, agronomists and agribusiness representatives was that the tours allowed ample time to ask the expert speakers questions and allow discussion.  They did not feel like they were rushed around the tours being overloaded with information.

You can view the posters that were on display at some of our trials by clicking on any of these links:  
   Competitive crops
   Liquid fertiliser - what does it cost?
   Liquid N - the way to go?
   New oilseeds for the Mallee & Wimmera
   Yield Prophet - an essential management tool
   Leaf diseases in wheat

	Neil Vallance (DPI) talking cereal varieties
Catering and discussion session tents
	Agronomy & climate trial tour - soil pit and Yield Prophet signs