October 2023
12536829-DL08-22
Women In Ag
Valkyrie fun and games
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Santa boss bowing out Chris Todd has resigned as general manager of the Santa Gertrudis Breeders (Australia) Association. Appointed in May 2019, Mr Todd cites membership growth, consistent stud and commercial sales and the breed’s unique classification system that provides a “stamp of approval” on bulls bought as his biggest achievements over the past four years. “(When I started) we were going backwards in membership so it was nice to turn that around and we’ve been in the black the past three years,” Mr Todd said. “Classifications are up and that’s one of the things that I love is that people can buy (Santa Gertrudis bulls) knowing the animal will perform.” STORY PAGE 3
Bigger bucket Researchers at the University of Southern Queensland are helping to ensure Australia’s agricultural sector stays strong in the face of drought. The research team, led by the Cooperative Research Centre for High Performance Soils (Soil CRC), is investigating how different soil treatments can increase the water-holding capacity of soil where crops are grown, to enhance their drought resilience. STORY PAGE 7
University of Southern Queensland Centre for Sustainable Agricultural Systems Associate Professor Keith Pembleton.
The heat’s on The Bureau of Meteorology last week declared El Niño and a positive Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) are underway. Under the influence of these two climate drivers, warmer and drier conditions are more likely over spring and summer for parts of Australia.
Bureau of Meteorology climate manager Dr Karl Braganza said both El Niño and a positive Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) may draw rain away from Australia. “Over spring, their combined impact can increase the chance of below average rainfall over much of the continent and higher temperatures across the southern two-thirds of
the country,“ Dr Braganza said. “The Bureau’s three-month forecast for Australian rainfall and temperature have been indicating warm and dry conditions for some time. “Based on history, it is now also more likely that warm and dry conditions will persist over eastern Australia until autumn.” COVERAGE PAGES 4-5
‘Acts of God’ as they are commonly known - including hailstorms, flooding, cyclones, earthquakes and lightning are considered by every grower in their seasonal planning. ‘Acts of men’ however should be equally considered as we enter a new season. As we head into another summer, it’s been worrying that several horticulture growers have recently experienced and reported suspicious arson activity, an activity that records show is responsible for up to 50 per cent of all bushfires across Australia. The message from Queensland Fire and Emergency Services is clear - don’t let arsonists win! COVERAGE PAGE 8
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12552078-HC26-22
By Fiona Gowers
Playing with fire