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“Because the fossil fuel sector has started reducing its emissions, the transport sector started reducing its emissions and agriculture stayed the same. Suddenly, this year, we're not 14 percent like we were last year, we're 17%. It's a percentage game. So what's going to happen over time is if agriculture does nothing, we'll become the only sector of greenhouse gas emissions while all the other sectors go to zero.” Professor Richard Eckard.
In the fourth episode of our series Planning for Prosperity, sponsored by Action Steel, BCG’s Janine Batters chats with soil carbon royalty: The University of Melbourne’s Professor Richard Eckard. The conversation covers:
- What are greenhouse gas emissions
- What is meant by scope 1, scope two and scope three emissions
- What the difference is between NetZero and carbon neutral
- What is carbon sequestration
- What are carbon credits and how they are being used
- The difference between offsets and insets and why knowing the difference is crucial
- Whether planting trees or locking up vegetation is counted in reducing emissions and whether it’s a good option
- Commercial nitrogen plants using solar panels and how they can help farmers reduce emissions
- Why it’s important to know your greenhouse gas emission per tonne of grain/wool etc number, how to calculate it and how it is likely to be used
- The Carbon Farming Outreach Program
This podcast is sponsored by Action Steel. Visit https://www.actionsteel.com.au/ today.
For more information on chemical storage visit: https://www.actionsteel.com.au/downloads/standard-chemical-sheds-brochure-size-price-guide/
The information in this episode is general in nature. Before making any financial decisions, speak to your trusted financial adviser.
About Professor Richard Eckard
Richard is Professor of Carbon Farming at the University of Melbourne and National program leader in the Carbon Research Centre for Net Zero Agriculture. His research focuses on carbon farming and accounting towards carbon neutral agriculture, managing extreme climate events and options for agriculture to respond to a changing climate. He developed the first carbon accounting tools in Australia in 2001, these tools now form a national agreed standard in Australia for on farm carbon accounting; his research and expertise provided the science basis for the development of six carbon offset methods in Australia. Richard is a science advisor to the Victorian, Australian, New Zealand, Ireland, UK and EU governments, the International Livestock Research Institute and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization on climate change adaptation, mitigation and policy development in agriculture. In 2021, Richard was named on the Reuters list of the world’s 1,000 most influential climate scientists.
About Grace Hosking
Grace joined BCG in Jan 2023. Grace studied a Bachelor of Agriculture, majoring in Economics at The University of Melbourne. Grace grew up on a broadacre cropping and livestock farm at Quambatook, where her passion for agriculture began. Stemming from her own experience growing up in a rural community, Grace has a strong desire to see farmers and their communities thrive and she enjoys working at an organisation that plays a pivotal role in providing opportunities for industry to improve in both productivity and profitability. Outside of work, Grace enjoys staying involved in her family farm, cooking, walking her dog Mae and spending afternoons at the lake.
Helpful links:
Professor Richard Eckard
https://findanexpert.unimelb.edu.au/profile/2680-richard-eckard
Calculators
https://aginnovationaustralia.com.au/ea-platform/
https://piccc.org.au/resources/Tools.html
The Carbon Farming Outreach Program
Find Professor Eckard on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-eckard-23936042/?originalSubdomain=au
Find Grace on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/grace-hosking-32449b237/
Find Janine on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/janine-batters-a5083b166/
If you loved the podcast you can show your support by rating it five stars and sharing it with your friends.
To learn more about BCG visit www.bcg.org.au or linktr.ee/bcg_birchip
This project is delivered with funding support from the Commonwealth of Australia through the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, under the Carbon Farming Outreach Program in collaboration with the Grower Group Alliance.
In the spirit of reconciliation, BCG acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea, and community. We pay our respect to their Elders past and present.
Disclaimer:
The Birchip Cropping Group Inc. (“BCG”) makes no warranties regarding merchantability, fitness for purpose or otherwise with respect to this podcast. Any person relying on this report does so entirely at their own risk. BCG and all persons associated with it exclude all liability (including liability for negligence) in relation to any opinion, advice or information contained in this podcast and any consequences arising from the use of such opinion, advice or information to the full extent of the law, including but not limited to consequences arising as a result of action or inaction taken by that person or any third parties in reliance on the report. Where liability cannot be lawfully extinguished, liability is limited to the re-supply of the report or payment of the cost of resupplying the report. You should seek independent professional, technical or legal (as required) advice before acting on any opinion, advice or information contained in this podcast.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
“That price gap's a hurdle for a lot of farmers. I feel that I've probably got other farmers that would, but the majority of them would not be keen to spend that amount of money compared to what they could be doing with Trojan.
“Most farmers will want to see an economical return from that long term. And because we need that from every aspect of farming.
“Farming is a money-making venture. We're not doing it as a hobby.
“As Paul suggested, I think probably just picking a paddock at a time is a good strategy. I've run into more issues where people want to go all IPM instantly. That's presented issues, just getting around the farm, monitoring and making sure we don't get any chronic outbreaks.
“You'll see the value, I suppose, from using products like Vandecor.
“You should only have to do one of them [spray] where, in a long spring where, Heliothis or Etiola come in early, you may be doing two Trojans.
“It's worked well actually.” Wimmera agronomist Tim Pohlner.
“IPM isn't just doing nothing. IPM involves the three control options. And there is nothing else. All the control has to come out of one of those three tools.
“The advice that I give to people, if it doesn't work, then that's of no value to anyone. So, if there's pests there, you have to control them. It's just how you choose to use it. Which products you choose, whether it's cultural or whether it's a pesticide.
“There's no advantage to anyone in watching insects and other pests destroy their crop.
“All IPM is, is trying to use things in the best possible way so they work together.” Entomologist Dr Paul Horne
The third episode of our series Planning for Prosperity, sponsored by Action Steel, highlights that while planning is crucial in farming, so too is flexibility. That using Integrated Pest Management in broadacre farming isn't black and white, all or nothing.
Take a listen and decide for yourself whether you might begin to introduce IPM at your place.
The conversation covers what is IPM, how to apply it in a broadacre setting, beneficial versus pests, the cost of applying broad spectrum insecticides versus selective including price, impact on beneficials, resistance buildup, marketing options, and time spent spraying. Monitoring was also discussed and the amount of time required both at the start of implementation and throughout the season.
With slugs causing severe establishment damage, particularly in the Wimmera, monitoring and control were also discussed with BCG’s Casey Sim explaining BCG’s current Optimising Slug Management project with SARDI.
This podcast is sponsored by Action Steel. Visit https://www.actionsteel.com.au/ today
For more information on chemical storage visit: https://www.actionsteel.com.au/downloads/standard-chemical-sheds-brochure-size-price-guide/
About Dr Paul Horne
Dr Paul Horne is an entomologist and since 1996 has been owner and director of IPM Technologies Pty Ltd, based in Hurstbridge, Victoria, Australia.
His work on IPM in a range of crops has taken him to different places including Yemen, Thailand, Spain, Denmark, Indonesia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea. A strong focus of his work has been the implementation and adoption of IPM strategies. This has also involved a strong research component on the impact of pesticides on species of beneficial invertebrates.
For many years Paul delivered a lecture series on entomology and IPM at La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia and now runs online courses in entomology for IPM Technologies. He has also supervised undergraduate and post-graduate students from La Trobe and Melbourne Universities. Paul completed both his undergraduate degree and PhD at La Trobe University.
Paul has written several books on insects and IPM (the two most important co-authored with Jessica Page) and guidebooks to insects in potato crops and brassica crops in Australia. He has published over 70 scientific and conference papers on insects and IPM, as well as many other articles in industry literature. He has received awards from the Australian Vegetable industry and the World Potato Congress for his work.
About Tim Pohlner
Tim Pohlner is an agronomic consultant and owner of AgVantage Agronomy.
Tim has worked as an agronomist for 18 years and consults throughout the Wimmera and Southern Mallee.
AgVantage Agronomy helps progressive farmers to maximise productivity and profitability via new technology and farming systems together with proven, best practice basic principles.
Helpful links:
https://ipmtechnologies.com.au/
IPM videos with Paul: https://www.bcg.org.au/news/?content_type=videos
Find Tim Pohlner on
X @PohlnerTim
Find Tim Reethus on X @TRethus
Find BCG on
X
@BCG_Birchip
@bcg_birchip
https://www.linkedin.com/company/birchip-cropping-group-bcg-/?viewAsMember=true
Find Janine on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/janine-batters-a5083b166/
If you loved the podcast you can show your support by rating it five stars and sharing it with your friends.
To learn more about BCG visit www.bcg.org.au or linktr.ee/bcg_birchip
In the spirit of reconciliation, BCG acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea, and community. We pay our respect to their Elders past and present.
Disclaimer:
The Birchip Cropping Group Inc. (“BCG”) makes no warranties regarding merchantability, fitness for purpose or otherwise with respect to this podcast. Any person relying on this report does so entirely at their own risk. BCG and all persons associated with it exclude all liability (including liability for negligence) in relation to any opinion, advice or information contained in this podcast and any consequences arising from the use of such opinion, advice or information to the full extent of the law, including but not limited to consequences arising as a result of action or inaction taken by that person or any third parties in reliance on the report. Where liability cannot be lawfully extinguished, liability is limited to the re-supply of the report or payment of the cost of resupplying the report. You should seek independent professional, technical or legal (as required) advice before acting on any opinion, advice or information contained in this podcast.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
“This year, in terms of the IOD, it's just been sitting there in neutral. We've been just watching it, seeing if there's anything developing. At the moment, there's a slight hint that it's looking like it could go a little bit, negative IOD, which would actually increase our chances of some rainfall, but similar to the Pacific Ocean, in the Indian Ocean, that is purely just based on a temperature difference between the Horn of Africa and the waters off the coast of Sumatra.
“Again, like the El Nino for La Nina patterns to develop, it's not just the sea surface temperatures that we need there to be in a certain pattern. We also need the trade winds. pressure patterns, and the cloudiness also to come to the party. And that's also not really happening at this point of time either
In the second episode of our eight-part series Planning for Prosperity, Janine Batters talks with resident BCG climate expert Kate Finger about why sometimes, one climate outcome is predicted, yet what we actually experience, feels like the opposite.
Kate explains the importance of understanding that climate predictions are based on probabilities and how to decipher these, what is really being predicted for this spring and summer period and all the factors that need to align for us to receive the much talked about spring rains.
This podcast is sponsored by Action Steel. Visit https://www.actionsteel.com.au/ today
For more information on chemical storage visit: https://www.actionsteel.com.au/downloads/standard-chemical-sheds-brochure-size-price-guide/
About Kate Finger
Kate Finger is a Research Project Manager at BCG. Kate joined BCG in May 2019. Kate believes the work she is a part of is helping to improve the profitability and sustainability of Australian agriculture. Kate holds a Bachelor of Science – Majoring in Agricultural Science and a Masters of Agricultural Sciences specialising in Crop Production from the University of Melbourne. Kate loves horse riding, gardening and hiking.
Helpful links:
BCG Technical Bulletin
To sign up for the BCG Technical Bulletin visit www.bcg.org.au/product/bcg-membership/
The Break newsletter:
subscribe online or contact [email protected]
BoM Climate Outlooks:
http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/outlooks/#/overview/summary/
If you loved the podcast you can show your support by rating it five stars and sharing it with your friends.
To learn more about BCG visit www.bcg.org.au
In the spirit of reconciliation, BCG acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea, and community. We pay our respect to their Elders past and present.
Disclaimer:
The Birchip Cropping Group Inc. (“BCG”) makes no warranties regarding merchantability, fitness for purpose or otherwise with respect to this podcast. Any person relying on this report does so entirely at their own risk. BCG and all persons associated with it exclude all liability (including liability for negligence) in relation to any opinion, advice or information contained in this podcast and any consequences arising from the use of such opinion, advice or information to the full extent of the law, including but not limited to consequences arising as a result of action or inaction taken by that person or any third parties in reliance on the report. Where liability cannot be lawfully extinguished, liability is limited to the re-supply of the report or payment of the cost of resupplying the report. You should seek independent professional, technical or legal (as required) advice before acting on any opinion, advice or information contained in this podcast.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Poorly managed conflict is the biggest internal threat to your business’ bottom line.
There is no change without conflict and there is always conflict where there is change.
The right conflict; healthy arguments over differing ideas in an environment of mutual respect; stimulates both personal and business growth.
“The reason why it's [good conflict resolution] so critical is because everything that we do in every group has human interaction at its core. The quality of our lives is determined by the quality of our relationships. Overwhelmingly. It's a basic human need. Being part of a supportive, caring group has a bigger impact on our health, both physical and mental, than anything else.
“More than getting the right exercise, eating the right diet, going to the doctor, taking the right medicine. Being part of a supportive, healthy group is just a basic human need and that's why it's so important to be able to address conflict early and appropriately. It's just determines the quality of our lives.”
In the first episode of our eight-part series Planning for Prosperity Janine Batters talks with Brows Up conflict resolution specialist Neville Brady. The conversation covers the VIP approach, recognising our own part in the problem and waving the white truce flag, the difference between criticism and critique and the importance of improving your business structures, resources, competencies and commitment.
The conversation is a great example of how humour can be used to tackle tricky conversations and the importance of leadership, self awareness and keeping your eyebrows up!
This podcast is sponsored by Action Steel. Visit https://www.actionsteel.com.au/ today
For more information on chemical storage visit: https://www.actionsteel.com.au/downloads/standard-chemical-sheds-brochure-size-price-guide/
About Neville Brady
Neville is a, father, husband and business consultant. He conducts laugh out loud funny mens’ health presentations and has a particularly unique stress management technique that makes people laugh.
He grew up on a farm near Swan Hill with three brothers. His mother had an electric cow prod and no cows. As a teenager he learnt a valuable lesson from his mum when he said “Mum, everyone is giving me the shits!” His Mum said, with a gentle tone, “Oh sweat heart… everyone can’t be wrong.”
He and his team from Browsup consulting who work with SME’s and family businesses – where’s there an extra layer of complexity – improve outcomes by improving business inputs: structures, resources, competencies and commitment.
Helpful links:
If you loved the podcast you can show your support by rating it five stars and sharing it with your friends.
To learn more about BCG visit www.bcg.org.au
In the spirit of reconciliation, BCG acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea, and community. We pay our respect to their Elders past and present.
Disclaimer:
The Birchip Cropping Group Inc. (“BCG”) makes no warranties regarding merchantability, fitness for purpose or otherwise with respect to this podcast. Any person relying on this report does so entirely at their own risk. BCG and all persons associated with it exclude all liability (including liability for negligence) in relation to any opinion, advice or information contained in this podcast and any consequences arising from the use of such opinion, advice or information to the full extent of the law, including but not limited to consequences arising as a result of action or inaction taken by that person or any third parties in reliance on the report. Where liability cannot be lawfully extinguished, liability is limited to the re-supply of the report or payment of the cost of resupplying the report. You should seek independent professional, technical or legal (as required) advice before acting on any opinion, advice or information contained in this podcast.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
“So it's essentially a drone in a box. And it is automated, but it's only just been released, so it will open up at a predetermined time, do its map, and come back, park up and close up for the night. And people are sending them out every day to collect data,
“It's in a weatherproof station that sits outside a shed or something like that. As long as it's got internet and power, you can then plan flights at any time of the day.
“So it will open up. It's got its own little weather station inbuilt. So if it is too windy, it won't take off. So there are some safety measures in place as well.
In our eighth and final episode of our series On the Horizon: Farm Tech Janine chats to Droneland Australia’s Adam Mitchell about how drones are being used in agriculture to support farmers. The conversation covers types of drones, costs, capabilities including spraying, spreading, seedings, mapping, analysing, topography collection, firefighting, livestock management and agricultural research. The conversation also covers safety, licensing, support and contracting.
This podcast is sponsored by GE Silos. Visit https://www.gesilos.com.au/ today
About Adam Mitchell
Adam has always been interested in business and envisaged becoming an entrepreneur. He has always admired people who believe in a vision and back themselves to make their vision a reality. After high school, Adam became a qualified electrician and from there moved into facilities management. At the same time, he attended university (night school) whilst raising a young family. Adam completed a Bachelor Degree in Business. It was then that Adam first came across the use of drones in agriculture. His family has had cattle farms for some time and it was at their farm in Gympie that a neighbour was using a drone to access an area he could not reach by foot or vehicle. Adam and his two brother in laws and now business partners began researching how drones were being used in agriculture, and saw a real opportunity in the space.
Helpful links:
Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRjbxlxCBlyXCPqJeEMHTAA
Instagram: @dronelandau
Facebook: Droneland Australa
LinkedIn: Droneland Australia
We would like to thank our sponsors GE Silos for making this episode possible. Visit https://www.gesilos.com.au/ today
If you loved the podcast you can show your support by rating it five stars and sharing it with your friends.
To learn more about BCG visit www.bcg.org.au
In the spirit of reconciliation, BCG acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea, and community. We pay our respect to their Elders past and present.
Disclaimer:
The Birchip Cropping Group Inc. (“BCG”) makes no warranties regarding merchantability, fitness for purpose or otherwise with respect to this podcast. Any person relying on this report does so entirely at their own risk. BCG and all persons associated with it exclude all liability (including liability for negligence) in relation to any opinion, advice or information contained in this podcast and any consequences arising from the use of such opinion, advice or information to the full extent of the law, including but not limited to consequences arising as a result of action or inaction taken by that person or any third parties in reliance on the report. Where liability cannot be lawfully extinguished, liability is limited to the re-supply of the report or payment of the cost of resupplying the report. You should seek independent professional, technical or legal (as required) advice before acting on any opinion, advice or information contained in this podcast.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.