75 Years

The Research Station

RECOGNISE THE PAST… STRENGTHEN THE FUTURE The Mallee Research Station

Recognise the past, strengthen the future The Mallee Research Station, 2007

Published by the Victorian Government Department of Primary Industries Meridian Road, Walpeup Australia 3507 Date of publications

© The State of Victoria, Department of Primary Industries, 2007 This publication is copyright. No part may be reproduced by any process except in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright Act 1968. Authorised by the Victorian Government 1 Treasury Place, East , Victoria 3002 Australia

ISBN 978-1-74199-867-2 (print) ISBN 978-1-74199-868-9 (PDF)

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Contents

Introduction Roy Latta 4

Advances in technology over the past 25 years Ivan Mock 6

Acknowledging 75 years of research and development at MRS John Griffiths 11

Acknowledging the role of MRS in communication Geoff Stratford 20

Staff 1982 -2007 24

2 Introduction

“The Station

Roy Latta Science Leader 2003 – current DPI Walpeup

An excerpt from the Mallee Research Station 50 year celebration book “Mallee Sand to Gold” (1982) states, “Hard working pioneers had begun the process of transformation well before the Mallee Research Station was established in 1932, but we believe this establishment has made a significant contribution to the Mallee’s progress during the first 50 years of its history. This progress has only been possible through a remarkable partnership between practical farmers and dedicated scientists” .

The agricultural research and development industry in the Mallee has changed in the past 25 years. The Mallee RD&E industry is now composed of farming systems groups, private consultants, agribusiness and agency personnel and facilities. No longer is the Mallee Research Station the sole Victorian Mallee based agricultural research resource. At the 75 th annual field day on 5 October you will hear from people associated with both the Mallee Sustainable and Birchip Cropping groups. You will also be addressed by private consultants, agribusiness and CSIRO. Many of these groups, businesses and individuals are carrying out Mallee based research and development programs supported by successful extension programs.

The challenge for the Mallee Research Station is to continue to be relevant in this competitive landscape. We have attempted to adapt through supporting the development of the Mallee Agricultural Research Foundation (MARF). The foundation has provided improved access to today’s practical farmers. It has also opened up the opportunity for beneficial partnerships between DPI, farmers and agricultural business.

A further high priority is to maintain close operational relationships with the regional farming systems groups, our interstate agency colleagues and the CSIRO. It is about accepting that to optimise the progress of the industry the use of all the available regional resources will improve outputs - there are few opportunities and fewer industry benefits in going it alone.

The research station at Walpeup can deliver an important service within the Mallee region in science based dryland agronomy and related farm practices, pastures and livestock management. MRS also has an important extension function. In addition there are opportunities to further develop our natural resource management research program in collaboration with our major client, the Mallee Catchment Management Authority.

3 The Walpeup facility is well placed to provide agricultural and environmental education programs from a practical to a post-graduate level. To further diversify and develop our role and provide benefits to the wider community is the goal.

In 1932 the main issues for research were varieties better suited to the area and cultivation practices to prevent erosion. Subsequently the role of the station was expanded to include crop rotations, cereal diseases, weed control, pastures, fertiliser use and other agronomic practices, sheep management, and financial management. These are still issues today, albeit in somewhat different form. The further challenge is to deliver relevant research outputs in partnership with a much wider group of clients, stakeholders and RD&E providers than was the case historically.

4 Managers

“It is difficult to describe the Manager’s position: you have the responsibility for staff, housing, infrastructure, the farm, the experimental program, funding, a role in the community and as a representative of the Department when meeting industry and levels of government. It is a challenging position…” (John B. Griffiths 2007)

John B. Griffiths 1974 - 1989

Geoff Stratford 1989 – 1997

Ivan Mock 1997 – 2003

Roy Latta 2003 - current

5 “Advances in technology over the past 25 years – reflections from two perspectives.”

Ivan Mock Senior Scientist DPI Walpeup

(a) Twenty five years of technological improvements for research and development

Experimental plots have been a standard tool for researching crops and pasture since the Mallee Research Station commenced 75 years ago. Many improvements in plot research equipment were initiated at the MRS and by the mid 1980’s these included the change from Mitchell combines to cone seeders, bags to magazine seed systems, Poynter threshers to 4WD plot harvesters and pneumatic to hydraulic soil samplers. These remain core pieces of equipment for current RD&E, although over the past 25 years OH&S standards have been upgraded.

Anyone who witnessed the entire pneumatic soil sampling machine launch itself vertically into the air as it went off like an air gun when a soil tube suddenly released would appreciate the improved OH&S standards now mandatory on all equipment. New technology has also reduced the need for some core sampling as neutron moisture meters (NMM) and time domain reflectometry (TDR) are newer technologies used at sites requiring multiple sampling times. In the 1990’s, in-situ drainage lysimeters were installed at Walpeup and provided a unique facility to measure soil water escaping below the root zone of the crops or pastures sown above them.

Harvest technology was recently improved with the incorporation of a magazine system on plot harvesters to enable grain from a series of plots to be collected in separate compartments and then transferred to a support vehicle for processing while the harvester continues to fill the next magazine. The National Variety Testing team use this system at sites throughout the Mallee and assign bar codes to each grain sample directly from the harvester. Yield and quality results can then be collated efficiently, analysed within weeks of harvest and presented on a national web site available to growers and the industry.

This represents a tremendous advance in data management and reporting in the 25 years since the first computer was installed at Walpeup. Previously research data was manually entered on data cards that were sent to Melbourne to be typed for computer input and processing by a central computer, sometime over the next 6 months. The next year’s trials were often in the ground before the previous year’s results were available. Statistically analysed results can now be obtained on-site within hours of data collection by using any PC connected to DPI’s network with dedicated software and on-line or visiting biometric support if required. Results are also compiled in electronic data-bases that are readily

6 accessible rather than confined to paper files.

Spatial data has emerged over the past decade as a powerful tool for understanding the extent of variation across a paddock as the factors studied are measured at numerous relocatable GPS points. This has included soil water (from EM38 survey), yield (mapped from the harvester), elevation (digital elevation model) and a range of other factors. At the turn of the century, staff at Walpeup had a substantial role in adapting electro-magnetic induction (EM38) technology to measure soil water in extensive dryland applications. In combination with GPS positioning, it was developed into a commercially viable technique to map soil water content and sub- soil constraints associated with poor water use.

Data collected at thousands of locations enabled correlations to be determined between applied agronomic management and paddock characteristics at each location. Areas of the paddock with a similar response can then be combined into zones and a predicted optimal management calculated for each zone. This had immediate commercial application for GPS equipped machinery with variable rate technology (VRT) that can be programmed to adjust outputs to that required for each zone.

The potential for GPS technology to assist both research and commercial agriculture was recognised over a decade ago when a high precision (RTK) GPS base station was established at Walpeup. This base was one of the early installations supporting the statewide GPSNet, as well as providing real time 2 cm accuracy for local applications. This technology was applied to auto-steer tractors to give the precise positioning needed for investigations into row spacing, inter-row sowing and inter-row weed control and associated water use and production benefits.

Capacity to manage data has been accompanied a huge increase in the magnitude of data collected in order to understand the biological processes that can be used to drive improvements in farming systems. Traditional replicated plot experiments remain a valuable tool but the resources required to duplicate plot experiments on each soil type have encouraged spatial data collection and data modelling as viable research techniques to address paddock variations.

Two future directions in R&D technology used at Walpeup are now apparent. Plants containing induced genetic modifications were evaluated for the first time at Walpeup in 2007, under strict GMO protocols. Field evaluation of cultivars generated by this technology could expand in the future, subject to the outcome of the current moratorium and reviews. The other new direction is simulating the future climate to evaluate and develop adaptation in cultivars and agronomy. A free air carbon exchange (FACE) site is being established at Walpeup to replicate the CO 2 concentration predicted for the atmosphere in 2050. Computerised monitoring and control equipment will add the required amount of CO2 from a liquefied storage tank to the field site so that plant growth will occur in 2050 conditions.

7 (b) Twenty five years of improved technology for Mallee farming

Hills and swales were often managed differently 25 years ago. Farmers are skilled at picking where soil types change as they move up the slope and may swap from wheat to barley at that ‘line’ or work the heavier flats and leave the erosion prone hills. Much of this paddock knowledge on land capability and associated lime patches or bog holes etc was gained from many years experience and never documented, let alone accurately mapped.

A revolution started approximately 25 years ago when Global Positioning Systems (GPS) became a civilian option. Although very useful for navigation on a global scale, the initial accuracy (+/- 100m) limited on-farm applications to crude divisions within paddocks. When NASA ceased selective availability on satellite signals in 2000, basic GPS accuracy improved to <10m and soil and yield mapping became more practical options to differentiate areas within paddocks according to land capability and production. The challenge was, and still is, how to use information on spatial variation within paddocks to improve production and profitability.

Cropping intensity has progressively increased over the past 25 years due to a combination of factors. These include better spray technology and increased tractor power and equipment width so more hectares could be farmed in a shorter time. Rapid adoption of GPS guidance systems in the last decade also extended the operating period for machinery as it could now be accurately positioned (to within cm’s) without the operator needing natural or supplementary lighting to guide them. Controlled traffic systems became more practical as machinery could be accurately confined to use designated wheel tracks and reduce the extent of soil compaction.

Cultivation intensity continues to decrease as minimum till and direct drill techniques are progressively adopted with better trash clearance seeding equipment. The conundrum created by cropping more land with wider equipment at higher speeds was that it encouraged uniform management of large areas at a time when yield maps defined big variations in crop yield within paddocks and therefore return to inputs.

Soil testing has intermittently increased in use as a tool to identify limitations to plant production. Technology has improved for soil nutrient analysis and interpretation of results with models such as yield profit to predict how much fertiliser is required for that soil to achieve a target yield in an average year. The development of soil disease bioassay tests in the late 1990’s provided a major breakthrough for strategic management of these diseases. The expansion in disease resistant varieties provided a great tool for combating identified disease risks, particularly when combined with crop rotation, cultivation and nutrition strategies promoted over the previous 2 decades.

8 The impact of plant available soil water on crop and pasture production was always obvious in the Mallee and was particularly so during the 1982 drought. The water use efficiency (WUE) equation provided a measure of how efficiently crops converted limited water into grain. The target for cereals was 20 kg/ha/mm of growing season rainfall. Anything less indicated problems with disease, weed competition or subsoil constraints to water uptake.

In the last decade electro-magnetic induction technology (EM38) has been developed as a practical option for mapping soil water across dryland paddocks. It is now promoted by the Mallee CMA to identify areas in paddocks where unused soil water may recharge to saline water tables. Recently EM maps have been used in conjunction with yield maps to identify where the crop has not utilised water to produce yield and therefore indicate sub-soil constraints to crop yield, such as salt or boron. Understanding constraints to yield across paddocks assisted with translating yield maps, which were of limited value by themselves, into management strategies that optimise the return from inputs applied, such as fertilisers, by increasing rates only where the crop can respond.

Precision agriculture is now a reality as precise inputs can be calculated for each part of the paddock and variable rate technology and GPS positioning used to deliver that input where it is required. However the benefits of this technology are still limited by the ability of weather forecasters to accurately predict seasonal rainfall in advance of sowing. Recent improvements in both the accuracy of short-term forecasts and their accessibility over the web have resulted in them being routinely used to plan operations such as spray applications. The plethora of climate studies currently occurring will hopefully provide more reliable seasonal forecasts to complement the other technological advances.

Information management has become a challenge for farming as continually increasing amounts and complexity of information are provided through conventional technologies such as the press and field days as well as the electronic media. Data available through improved or new technologies such as nutrient and disease testing and spatial mapping assists on-farm management decisions. The recent expansion in dryland consultants indicates integrating the information requires additional skills to complement the local knowledge gained over many years by the farmer. New technology will continue to provide additional data on which to base decisions that progress farming into a more precise, efficient and sustainable industry.

9 Acknowledging 75 Years of Research and Development at MRS

John B Griffiths Manager 1974 - 1989

The contribution that MRS has made to Mallee agriculture since its inception in 1932 far exceeds what has been invested by Governments and the industry over the years Some may consider this a brave call, but when one considers some of the issues, discoveries and developments emanating from MRS, or in which the staff and Station were cooperatively involved, it is not difficult to believe.

It is hard to comprehend the speed at which the decision to establish the Station at Walpeup occurred. Rumanian Government Wheat Bonds were the source of the finance. The search for a site to establish the station took at least seven years but on Feb 18 1932 a sum of £4100 was voted to establish a research station in the Mallee. On Feb 23, Walpeup was approved by the Department of Agriculture as the site. Messrs Les Hore and Bill Miller arrived here in the next week to locate the paddocks, determine what infrastructure was required and to make arrangements for the first trials to be sown! The first plots were sown in the weeks following April 22 1932. How is that for getting things done?

From 1932 to the time I became Manager in 1975, the Mallee Research Station had had six Managers.

Mr Les Hore was the first of the legends. It fell to him to organise the labour and setting out the first paddocks to begin experimental work. Walpeup was selected because of its central location in the Mallee, its soils, the availability of Crown land, large areas of open plains and some cleared land. Walpeup lost its first golf course in the process.

The competition to be the home of the Station was great from many locations in the Mallee. However, the selection of Walpeup was not popular in many areas. At Carwarp, for example, where the Hon P G Stewart had offered to lease his land as an ideal centre for a Mallee Demonstration Farm they burned an effigy of Mr Mullet, the Superintendent of Agriculture, in protest. It was all great stuff.

Mr Hore’s determination to get the Station working effectively and to manage and publicise the experimental program across the Mallee was a remarkable effort. There was obviously widespread antipathy from farmers in areas which had failed to have the Station established in their locality. The Station’s commitment to an extensive program of district experimental sites was, in part, a response to this antipathy.

Wheat and oats featured in the first work in 1932. Fertiliser, variety evaluation and time of sowing trials were important for both, but oat varieties for green feed and hay were particularly important. At one time MRS owned about 22 horses, half of which were used to produce the fodder to keep them all working.

10 In 1933 work began on evaluating fodder crops, lupins and saltbush. The Station was officially opened in that year and 700 people attended that event. In 1934 a pasture nursery was established just west of the area were the Staff hostel is located now. It was important because, in addition to the lupins and saltbush, sub- clover, rapeseed and ryegrass were also grown. An early type of Wimmera Rye was noted as having potential. I believe you will find examples of the blue lupins sown in the 1950’s still germinating in favourable years in Paddock 11. The more things change the more they stay the same!

Tobacco seeds from America was sown for a number of years to provide seedlings for the tobacco industry in north east Victoria. This helped break the blue mould cycle in the seedbeds of that area.

In 1936 both Veldt Grass and Arabian or Kelch Grass were seen as potential pasture species because they were superior to barley grass. In 1937 large scale drift control experiments began, along with the first large rotation experiment in Paddock No 1. 1000 people attended the November Field Day that year.

In 1938 one of the truest friends of MRS and the Mallee was appointed as Manager, Mr Harry Sims. Harry was noted for his prodigious capacity for work, both mental and physical, but also his knowledge of everything that went on at MRS, even for long after he had retired. I owe much of my knowledge and backgrounding to Mr Sims on his frequent visits to the Station after his retirement. Harry never enjoyed public speaking and yet during the war years he chaired the Mallee War Agricultural Committee and travelled widely in those very difficult times helping to ensure the fair distribution of fuel, fertiliser, machinery parts etc. to the farmers who were left in the Mallee to farm. He did this in the midst of a period of drought more serious than anything we are experiencing at present, and when public spirits were anything but optimistic. The first of many varieties, Regalia wheat was also released from the Station in 1938.

Mr Colin Webb joined Harry Sims in 1938 as a pasture research officer and in that time planted the first lucerne trials. Many medic types were also introduced into the pasture nursery and became the foundation of future work. Field peas were also sown in that year by Miss Yvonne Aitken of Melbourne University. By 1940 the Station had 9 ha of pasture trials underway and 66 ha of other trials and experiments. It was in 1939 and 1940 that sheep were introduced to the experimental program of the farm. Prime lamb trials had begun! Drought feeding, and fattening carryover lambs on cereals in drought conditions were some of the most important activities with stock during the war years.

In the meantime, weed free long fallows were exacerbating the problems of drift all over the Mallee. This, coupled with the daddy of all droughts in 1944, forced the Department to set up demonstrations of methods of soil stabilisation across the Mallee. The Soil Conservation Authority Victoria was in part born out of this need for better soil management.

11 Mr J (Mac) McCann was appointed Manager in 1946 and held that position until 1952. The Mallee was not Mac’s chosen spot for his heaven on earth, but he applied himself with great diligence and hard work to lifting the profile of the Station in the post war years and establishing good rapport with farmers across the Mallee. It was on his watch that Insignia wheat was released from the Station and became the most significant variety in Australia for most of the 1950s and 1960s. It remained the favoured wheat for the Mallee until 1972.

During this period Arthur Mann took charge of pasture experiments and saw the merit of medics as invaluable pasture species. Medicago littoralis ( Strand medic ) arrived at Walpeup in 1947. Medicago truncatula (Barrel medic) were already under test. Agriculture was on the ‘up’ at this time, although the Korean War was restricting the availability of inputs in the early 1950s, not the least of which was sulphur, so that superphosphate was in limited supply.

When Mr Arthur Mann was appointed Manager in 1952, the wool boom was delivering wealth to many farmers in Victoria. The 1950’s were also good to the Mallee and the Research Station too with new houses, new offices, the staff hostel and of course increasing staff numbers.

In 1953 on the 21 st Anniversary of the MRS 1000 people attended and experiments to control skeleton weed commenced.

Seed crop production of Harbinger medic was begun and Jemalong medic was released in 1956. In other respects though it was a bad year for crop and pasture production because it was too wet. It took another two years to get to a position where there was enough seed to release Harbinger medic for the northern areas and light soils.

Arthur Mann saw the introduction of the Wheat Mobile Unit to sow experimental plots across the Mallee. It freed up the reliance on rail transport and the goodwill of farmers to help sow and harvest the crops and to feed and water the staff.

By 1960 76% of the Mallee wheat crop was Insignia.

As late as 1963 Paddock No10 was cleared and burned. Long term fertiliser experiments were considered and established in that time and a part of the paddock was sown without phosphate or any fertiliser. I hope that area is still free of phosphate.

In 1963 a pasture field day where Harbinger medic was released, claimed that medic ley farming had benefited the wheat industry by one million bushels since its introduction, because of the improved soil fertility. Prime lamb and wool production were also greatly improved through these pastures. It was an exciting time. But there were dark clouds on the horizon as the decade progressed.

Grasses were becoming more difficult to manage; they were taking advantage of the higher fertility of course. The greatest threat though was from eelworm or Cereal Cyst Nematode (CCN), which was using the grasses as hosts in the pasture and fallow years and striking hard at the susceptible wheat crops.

12 Another often forgotten factor was that barley had become a preferred crop on lighter soils. In general barley has been a good host for CCN and so that it builds up cysts in the soil and causes damage to the next crop. To paraphrase the old adage - every silver lining has a cloud!!

In 1964 when Derrimut peas were released for the Mallee, little did the staff realise that this variety and Dundale released in 1970 would become the centre piece of control strategies for Take-all and CCN, along with lupins, canola and grass free medics.

During this period Greg Wells began his work on skeleton weed which finally got to the core of the problem and gave farmers some hope of managing this insidious weed. However, it was the release of the skeleton weed rust in the 1970’s from the Research Station in Paddock No 14 which saw the narrow leafed form become a manageable problem for wheat and barley growers on light soils. Removing that competition however gave the other form an opportunity to fill the niche, which in some situations it does very well.

The Greg Wells’s epic “Skeleton Weed Field Day” of 1966 illustrated the enormous impact the weed was having on the community, but at the same time presented growers with some hope of control.

While CSIRO Forest Products had been associated with the Station for many years, in 1964 it commenced a series of experiments to determine effective management and control of termites. This work went on for at least 30 years and led to the development of several successful systems and a much deeper understanding of termites and their management. It was always a good working relationship.

Mr Ken McSwain took over the management of the Station in 1967, a great way to start your management career - with a drought! The changing of the guard led to a change in some of the other staff of the Station, such as Frank McClelland. Ken’s knowledge of the Mallee and Mallee agriculture was unsurpassed and he taught all of his young staff a great deal more than we probably understood at the time. The challenges at the start of the 1970s were pretty immense and a test of any Manager’s ability.

There were those at Walpeup who did not like the remote form of management and the totally unnecessary constraints it placed on us to address issues we thought needed attention. Ken was placed in an invidious position, staff looking for more opportunities and his managers trying to keep a tight rein. This situation was partly responsible for several staff finding other opportunities in the Department or outside of it, including Greg Wells, Ralph Billing, Alan Cooke and my mentor in the early days – Dave Alger.

As farmers moved into alternative enterprises with the introduction of wheat delivery quotas, there was over production of wool, sheep meats, beef and barley. The period of plenty became a period of depressed prices and great concern for the future.

13 Then in 1971 Ken McSwain went on study leave to Melbourne and late in that year Mr Trevor Telford was appointed Manager. Trevor’s main interest up to this time had been the management of weeds in crops and pastures. In fact in the early 1970s more than 30% of the area of the main plot paddocks was taken up with herbicide evaluation trials. They were conducted pro bono by the Department of Agriculture for the major herbicide manufacturers. How things have changed in the Department’s relationship with industry! In truth the Department was being used, in the worst sense of the word. I cannot recall ever receiving assistance in purchasing equipment, salaries or any discount on the broad area herbicides used on the farm as compensation for the land and resources used in the work.

Trevor Telford introduced cattle for the first time to the Station. Cattle yards were built and a plan developed to feedlot steers was approved by the Beef and Agronomy Branches in Melbourne. The Stock Trading account was very healthy, and the fattening of beef animals with home grown cereals was regarded as a very sound program for extension purposes, and a possible answer to the problems raised by wheat delivery quotas.

Cattle were purchased from Tibooburra Station in North West NSW after a buying expedition to select them. It was with great excitement that one Friday evening the cattle arrived and were duly left to graze in the Horse Paddock (No 4). These cattle were hungry and thirsty and were range cattle which had barely seen a fence in their lives. During the night they decided that they lived in more northerly climes and so off they went, or at least some twenty odd. The next day those staff not involved in football and golf spent their time answering phone calls about livestock in barns, sheds, paddocks, and gardens on all farms between here and the north of . It was a nightmare, but a very funny introduction to cattle management. All the stock were caught except one steer, which was last seen by Duncan Wise, Cliff Ferguson and me as it headed north out of Corbett’s lease into the Sunset Country. It was shot by some local boys about 10 years later as it came in for water at the White Elephant Dam north of Galah.

In 1971 Halberd wheat from was released and recommended for sowing in the Mallee. Its surprisingly consistent performance was later shown to be in part because of its tolerance to elevated boron levels in our subsoils. A problem which at that time was not identified as a constraint on Mallee production.

1973 was the wettest year ever recorded in the Mallee; 697 mm for the year, followed by 525 mm in 1974 were recorded at the Station. They were trying times for the production of grain of any quality, and yields were affected by leaf diseases, take-all and cereal cyst nematode. Cows bloated from the pastures, fly strike was a nightmare for sheep and foot diseases needed constant attention in both sheep and cattle.

Mr Reg Andrew decided to retire in 1973 after commencing service in early 1940 but then being drafted for a number of years into the war and being involved in communications work in the Northern Territory. Reg was responsible for the day to day management of the plot paddocks and for variety testing as far as wheat and oats were concerned. With his departure some of the culture of MRS went too. Reg kept us regaled with his stories of the early days.

14 In 1973 one of the first Mexican semi-dwarf wheats, Condor, was recommended and released for the Mallee. The battlelines between Condor and Halberd about superiority were set, and the disputes continued through the decade. What was lost in all this was that both wheats were brilliant successors to Insignia and moved wheat quality and yield performance into areas unheard of for Mallee growers.

Weeah Barley had been released in 1968, but it was not until after 1973 that the eligibility for malting classification of the older varieties, Prior and Noyep, was withdrawn.

In 1974 Jack Parker, the Farm Supervisor, and Max Alcock the Livestock Officer with Trevor Telford were encouraged to look at the management of phosphorus deficiency widely reported in beef cattle in the Mallee. A herd of Hereford cows with bulls were purchased and the western end of the farm became the home of the MRS herd for a number of years.

Electric fencing became Jack Parker’s speciality and many innovative structures were developed for the successful application of this technology on the farm. Despite the sceptics, single line, return earth fencing was a great success and the cows quickly became responsive to it.

Trevor encouraged the development of alternative crops during his period as Manager. He saw the need to develop herbicides compatible with these crops if they were to succeed. However the wet years also encouraged the development of insect pests both in stored grains and of the crops and pastures we were developing.

Max Alcock took over the running of the Grain Insect Control program and spent many hours and days working with farmers demonstrating sound control methods. Cereal cyst nematode began to bite into crop performance throughout the area and required a renewed look at management of rotations as a control mechanism.

In late 1974 Trevor Telford took up the position of District Agronomist at Ballarat and after a long period of deliberation Mac MacCann made the his decision to appoint the alcoholic from England as Manager, the guy he had appointed back in 1968 as a Research Officer.

It is difficult to describe the Manager’s position: you have the responsibility for staff, housing, infrastructure, the farm, the experimental program, funding, a role in the community and as a representative of the Department when meeting industry and levels of government. It is a challenging position, but one where in my time I could take the initiative in developing ideas and responses to issues in the industry without much reference to the series of regional and location managers which seemed to flow through the Regional Centres or Head Office and later the Victorian Crops Research Institute.

15 The first year of my tenure was difficult because there had been staff changes and recruitments, and a very late start to the season. But by the end of the year, there was a good group working on a wide range of issues, including a reassessment of all the alternative crops we could muster. The Field Day in 1975 was in Paddock No 8 and because of the late start to the season just about everything was in full bloom. It looked fantastic. Lupins, field peas, faba beans, safflower, sunflower, linseed, mustard, rapeseed (canola) sub clover and medics, along with triticale, rye, wheat, barley and oats. When I presented the Annual Report to Mac McCann it showed that our average wheat yield for the year was 2.5 t/ha. He said it couldn’t be true and asked me to recalculate the result. The impact of Condor and Halberd plus about 250 mm of rain from July to November were enough to achieve that result.

Triticale was introduced to the Mallee and crossbred and variety testing began in 1975. Spotted alfalfa aphid became endemic and along with Blue Green aphid, severely damaged the performance of both medic and lucerne in the following decade.

Now at the risk of doing a disservice to the staff not mentioned, for which I apologise, I would like to personalise this account to recognise the service of some of the staff who worked with me during the fifteen years I was Manager of MRS.

I would like to speak first of Geoff Castleman. If there was ever an officer who immersed himself in his job it was Geoff. He really was the special projects guru of the Station. Sadly I don’t believe Geoff has ever been given the credit due to his efforts, in fact the credit has often been given to others for work Geoff did in his career. Some of the issues I hand balled to Geoff to investigate and develop, included the Phosphate Supplementation work with cattle and the testing and evaluation of Triticale and the release of varieties in the Mallee. There was no support for this work from the Departmental geneticists even though we saw it has an alternative feed source for the livestock industry, and it remains so.

While rapeseed, now Canola, was being developed for Victoria, Geoff was responsible for the evaluation of the lines coming from the breeding programs in Australia, his inputs and observations were integral to the development of a Canola industry. However Geoff saw the shortcomings of Canola in the Mallee and felt that the mustard lines we had growing in our own observational plots offered more opportunities for our environment. One of the observations was that when mice were in plague proportions they preferentially attacked the canola and not the mustard. Mustard appeared to tolerate dry conditions much more readily than Canola, and could be a suitable substitute with the necessary breeding. Geoff established contacts with oilseed producers around the world and somehow managed to get over 1000 lines from overseas into the Oilseed Germplasm Storage Facility in Horsham. Geoff maintained his enthusiasm for the crop and finally it is now being prepared for release in drier environments and producing canola quality oils. We had considerable work undertaken with the University of Ballarat in the use of mustard oil as a source of fuel.

16 Geoff saw that Narbon Beans were a possible fodder legume in the Mallee. However once again no-one in Victoria was prepared to find resources to support that view, despite our showing that they could be manipulated to produce acceptable seed characteristics and that they grew well on alkaline soils and in limited rainfall. Louise Mock undertook a small breeding exercise and showed that even with limited germ plasm, improvements could be made.

I wish to express my deep appreciation for Geoff’s work and for which he was never appropriately recognised.

Ivan Mock – Ivan seems to have been around for most of my career, but his commitment to improving the experimental equipment used on the Station and ultimately in most agricultural research centres in Australia, is without peer. However, I really don’t want to think of how much we spent on developing the cone seeders, or even the first cone seeder, the hydraulic four wheel drive Hege harvesters or the mobile soil sampler. This doubled as a harvester when not used for sampling. Men travelled on the moon on machines less bizarre than some of ours.

Ivan’s other baby has been the pursuit of lupin varieties for this environment. Dogged persistence in the face of indifference from many in the Department, who should have known better, led us to release varieties suited to the Mallee and inclusion in the National testing programs. It illustrated quite clearly that unless MRS went in to get its piece of the action then there was no-one to do it for us. I suspect the situation is even worse today, because of the current incomprehensible management structure of the Department.

Now to Geoff Stratford – he who brought with him the first downpour of 1973 as he drove from Horsham to Walpeup. It didn’t stop for about 18 months. Geoff took over from me on the Wheat Mobile Unit, and then became embroiled in the great phosphate debate – to broadcast or to sow with the seed. We took a lot of criticism for questioning the increasing practice of topdressing super rather than sowing it with the seed. Our experiments showed that on Mallee soils top dressing sacrificed yield and the time saved in topdressing was not compensated for, nor was it a particularly significant amount of time. Geoff organised one of the signature Field Days at MRS in 1977: Bulk Handling Fertilisers. There was a great array of equipment lined up to illustrate the value of bulk deliveries of fertiliser compared to the manual methods of handling commonly in place. Cost and benefits were outlined and the messages were enthusiastically received. A significant member of the fertiliser industry later told me that we had done more for their industry at that Field Day than they had been able to achieve in the previous five years.

Geoff became a central figure in developing an extension strategy for MRS, and he kept me out of the hair of a few folks in other centres who would have seen MRS out of the extension equation if I had given ground.

Geoff took over the management of Field Days, the Speed Field Day and general extension output from MRS. Themed Years and Field days became the norm and were, in my view, highly successful initiatives. Geoff’s commitment to good communication has been outstanding throughout his career.

When Don Walsgott arrived at MRS in mid-1975, he came with a Wimmera farming background and soon immersed himself in the variety program of the Station. He needed little encouragement to put things in order and it was reassuring to delegate work to Don knowing it would be done well. His management of the variety work at MRS led to many innovations and improvements in our systems.

17 After a year of travelling and working on farms in Canada and Europe, Don returned to the Mallee in the middle of a Take-all and CCN crisis which was threatening the viability of cropping. Almost every year saw a huge loss from CCN and every year with any potential was invariably threatened with Take-all. Working with David Barber, Jim Kollmorgen and me, Don developed and managed a series of experiments which looked at control of these diseases by manipulating rotations and other agronomic methods.

It was significant work which showed that by eliminating grass from the rotation and growing non host crops in sequence both diseases could be reduced to non- significant levels in previously badly infested paddocks. The reasons for long fallow breaks compared to intensive cropping were also brought into question.

Don became interested in the promotion of markets for the legume and oilseed crops we were developing along with the industry. He established a wide range of industry contacts both here in Australia and overseas. Our profile in the industry was high because of him. However those of us who knew him were appalled to see his health become a major issue in his career and saddened to see it cut short by his condition.

Garry Deale came into the Mallee and the Research Station in my early years and it looks as if he is destined to stay until the Century celebrations take place, at least. He is probably the best administrator I have had the privilege of working with. That includes administrators in Colleges, Universities, NGOs and Australian and Overseas Government Departments. Garry always presented a half full glass when discussing issues and his favourite phrase ‘leave it to me’ was music to my ears on many occasions. The only time he let me down I think, was when I wanted Departmental money to build a water storage facility between the hostel and the office. I let my guard down and allowed him to add the cost of a filtration system in our submission. Bernie Harford saw through it at that point and Walpeup never got its swimming pool. He told me it was the filtration system that caused it to fall over. Still you can’t be shot for trying. Today such a proposal would probably go through the system, because of the drought and maintaining morale in the bush.

I want to mention three other member of the team who have given me great pride in watching their progress. Roy Latta, who is without a doubt the foremost expert in dryland pastures in Australia. His rise from Technical Assistant back in the late 1960’s to his management position today is testament to his hard work and thorough approach.

Malcolm Ferguson has been a mentor and friend since my arrival at Walpeup. It was a great experience working with him on the Wheat Mobile Unit, because of his knowledge and understanding of the Mallee and the system we were working with. When I had to make the decision for him to change from mobile unit to Farm Supervisor, I had no doubt he would handle the challenge with his usual commitment. It was a hard call, because it required both whole farm skills, infrastructure skills and the management of staff. It was well done and I can only express my admiration and thanks to Malcolm.

18 My other honourable mention is to Neil Vallance. Neil came to us on leaving school, a raw recruit but with a deal of Mallee experience having been brought up in Walpeup. We couldn’t find him a permanent position so we just kept him going as a casual in a multitude of jobs and experiences. Watching Neil respond positively was a joy. He was enthusiastic and worked hard. Finally, we managed to find a technical position for him and so his progression to his current position began. It gives me an especially warm feeling to hear or see the words, “A spokesperson for DPI or MRS, Mr Neil Vallance said… “

It would be remiss of me to fail to recognise the significant partnership we had for many years with Grant Singleton and his team from CSIRO in Canberra. The rodent research carried out with this group and centred at MRS in Victoria, led to an understanding of mouse plague development and gave us many practical methods of managing mouse plagues and hope that their impact could be reduced. It was a delight to work with such a dedicated and enthusiastic team.

Walpeup has been a training ground for dozens of scientists and technical staff and that will always be one of its major roles. As a former manager it gives me considerable pleasure to hear that staff who worked with me have achieved significant positions in agriculture and industry in Australia or elsewhere in the world.

A Thought on the Future

If we assume that all the prognostications about climate change are somewhere near correct, then the role of the Station can probably be more important than ever it was.

While the impact of climate change is not going to affect as many people and farms in the Mallee as the great droughts of the 1940s, it will nevertheless have a profound effect on agriculture generally and the urban populations which depend on it.

The challenge for the Station is to establish strategic relationships with whomever and whatever organisations are working in this field, especially where the lives of people and enterprises associated with dryland agriculture are concerned.

We are going to need a new paradigm for living and making a living in the Mallee if the climatologists are correct. This will involve this group establishing working relationships with tertiary education, transport groups, health, welfare and financial organisations, as well as agricultural science and scientific research organisations generally. It is a massive challenge for the staff of the Station, but it is no more so than the first challenges of 75 years ago. Moreover it provides a great opportunity for the Station to be pre-eminent in the work in this field and becoming a centre of excellence for living in the arid zone in the future.

Thank you once again for inviting me to give this address. It has been a delight to return for the 75 th Anniversary and participate in the program today.

19 Acknowledging the Role of the MRS in Communication

Geoff Stratford Manager 1989 - 1997

Communication from MRS; we are in fact here at this time as recognition of the iconic activity of the MRS and that is the Annual Field Day, the 75 th and 2007 version of course occurring tomorrow. Clearly this is one of the defining features of the history of the MRS and I trust it continues for many years to come. From the anecdotal evidence of the 30’s and 40’s and even up till the early 70’s, the annual MRS Field Day drew crowds up to 1000 people and was the key access point to new technology for farmers north of the 36 th parallel and perhaps even beyond.

From photographic evidence of the first Field Day in 1932, the standard of plot work and the charts of prepared tabulated data were excellent, and we can assume the likes of Les Hoare, Harry Sims and their teams not only undertook high quality science but they showcased it to the absolute best with the communication tools of the time. High quality research or information is of course a prerequisite for good communication.

My investigations reveal that along with the Field Day the other major communication tool of the first 30 – 40 years was the local papers and perhaps the publication that went with the field day. Technical contributions were welcomed by all the local papers in the Mallee and it could be assumed that a very high proportion of the community (farmers) read every word printed in their local paper - a captive audience.

It seems to me the 60s’ and 70’s perhaps began the era of rapidly changing communication tools. Magazines, radio, TV and mobility of the motor car stretched people’s time to devote to traditional communication mediums. Newspapers dropped lengthy articles with detailed discussion and backed up with tables and graphs, they sought short single message articles which limited the ability to explain complex concepts. Many people watched the local evening TV news half hour and the Department recognised the significant audience listening to the early morning ABC rural segment and farmers wanted to visit not only MRS but our far spread research sites throughout the growing season. The ladies session at the Field day was a casualty of the 70’s as women met their information needs at many other forums.

These things stretched communication resources, but MRS was a leader in the Department of Agriculture, adopting new channels or means of communication. Through the relationship with colleagues in , MRS was part of the strongest Departmental commitment to TV in the state and Trevor Telford and John Griffiths supported this commitment which spread across many other staff. Of course this opportunity has waned with the costs involved and changes in communication habits but we did well while it was a viable option.

Even though audiences dwindled, the Annual Field Day retained a high profile into the 70’s and 80’s and one lesson I look back on is the credibility in which the staff and the event were held. MRS tended to put the operator in front of the audience, the person that conducts the research promotes it. This has in my view been a great plus for this location and shouldn’t be forgotten.

20 The Mallee Farmer Newsletter was a joint initiative of the MRS and our colleagues at , in particular Ian Ada. From the early 80’s it has distinguished itself as a flagship communication tool. It filled the gap for providing detail previously presented in newspapers and put the department into every farm household at no direct cost to the department. It has also been the model for numerous subsequent publications into other regions and industries. At one point we established that something like 70% plus of Mallee farmers read at least one article in each issue and a measurable number, about 15%, read nearly every article. An exceptional level of penetration which would be the envy of many free publications. While this remains a relevant communication channel it is worthy of MRS resources contributing editorial and I continue to enjoy reading it quarterly.

Publications of all manner were in fact the thing of the day in the 80’s. Agnotes, brochures, handouts and the agtex system of cataloguing and retrieval - much of it came and went, although the brochure or handout supporting an activity or event does seem enduring, even in the era of the www.

MRS has also taken a lead role in targeting the other gender in the rural industries, women. While the ladies session of the early years generally focused on home skills and issues, the MRS of the late 80’s and 90’s was more visionary. At the Women’s Field Day and the North West Women’s Day women were treated as farm partners and information was delivered in that vein. Departmental staff also learnt from the experience. Female Keynote speakers delivered less prescriptive messages and taught us much about working towards the future. Glennis Nunn made a fool of me when she talked about setting goals and how she achieved a world record triple jump by believing she could do it. Christina Hindhaugh, another Keynote speaker of note, demonstrated simplicity and clarity of communication to us all. In telling the story of her early years of being a farm partner she outlined her first experience of marking for an aerial contractor while hubby flew with the contractor and barked instructions over the radio. On completion of the job over a cuppa, hubby enquired about the significance of the signal of both arms held high above the head. “Simple” she said, “It is a great big one of the two fingered salute”.

Planning and preparation for a Field Day were in fact a team building and bonding session before such activities were thought of, all staff, and often families were involved, and all ideas and contributions were appreciated and considered. Today we pay facilitators to conduct sessions to achieve the outcomes of a team working together to deliver a high quality event.

Communication moves on ever faster. Web, Ipod, texting, telephones that do all manner of tricks. I’m not going to round off by speculating where to next but I do want to remind you of those things which have been enduring in the success of communication for more than 75 years, and will, in my opinion, underpin good communication into the future. They are;

• Base communications on good quality data and information, • Present it with credible, where possible local, operatives, and then • Recognise the place you might occupy in the total communication bombardment of individuals, and deliver your communications in a niche or medium of the time that is appropriate and accessible to the audience.

21 Staff

1982 – 2007

Beasley, William McKechnie, Graham Wakefield, Jim Bell, Craig McLeod. M Walsgott, Don Best, Peter Mahony, Shane Walsh, Michael Blandthorn, Shannon Manley, Anthony Walters, Leigh Blott, Kerryn Manley, Roy Wandel, Neville Bos, Jackie Mock, Ivan Weston, Cassey Boseley, Dean Mock, Louise Wills, Alan Boyd, Lara Montgomery, Andrea Wisneske, Pennie Brown, Marcus Montgomery, Brad Wisneske, Steve Byrne. Ken Naji, Riad Woodall, Kevin Castleman, Geoff O’Connell, Mark Cooke, Gwen O’Halloran, Marisa Corbett, Ashley O’Halloran, Nick Cotter, Mark O’Callaghan, Steve Crook, Hugh O’Leary, Garry Dakis, Paul Phillips, Peter Deale, Garry Parker, Jack Deale, Joylene Parker, Judy Elliott, Pam Pengelly. Gordon Evans, Margaret Pengelly, Marion Farhoodi, Ali Pryse, Garry Fay, Tony Quigley, Paul Ferguson, Cliff Raeck, Darren Ferguson, Malcolm Rainbow, Rohan Ferguson, Matthew Renkin, Ken Ferguson, Pam Rigby, Sarah Grayling, Dave Robertson, Susan Grayling, Kevin Ryan, Evan Griffiths, John Sly, Maxine Grinter, Vincent Sly, Ron Harker, Jordan Sly, Sue Hahnel, Linton Smith, Anna Hill, Dan Smith, Michelle Hill, Narelle Sporn, Ernie Hulme, Jane Sporn, Diane Humphris, James Stacey, Ian Incerti, Maurice Stone, Danny Jones, Ben Stratford, Geoff Jones, Dean Tann, Colin Kelcey, Adrian Towk, David Latta, Jo Unkovich, Murray Latta, Roy Vallance. Neil Lawes, Roger Waite, Ashley Lenaghan, Liam Wakefield, Jean

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