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RiskWi$e Autumn 2025 Update

Recent updates and useful tools

It's been a busy start to 2025, with lots of RiskWi$e updates around the country and tools to support the project under development.

There's been a LOT, but a few to highlight are:

Nitrogen related

Decision support tools

  • Decision Support Tool Bingo
    Want to support your decision with a more analytical approach? Find the right tool for the job!
    A collation of the various farm management decision support tools available to Australian grain farmers including an evaluation of the tools’ capability and usefulness for risk management.

Papers and presentations

Keep an eye on the Publications and Presentations section of the RiskWi$e website for many more as they arise. 

If your ARGs and teams have any to share, please reach out to the NPL team to add them to our RiskWi$e collection.

Messium satellite-based technology for existing RiskWi$e N trial treatments

An opportunity for our RiskWi$e project members to gain new crop N recommendation data using Messium satellite-based technology for your existing N trial treatments

Overview 

  • Messium uses a new type of hyperspectral satellite which can detect nitrogen in crops for the first time ever
  • Previous generations of satellites could only detect biomass accurately
  • This 7-minute video briefly explains the technology, benefits and Aus trial results 
  • Perth Research Updates 30 min video - detailed overview of the nitrogen dilution curve and Crop Growth Model recommendations and Aus results.

2025 trials 

  • Messium can provide satellite insights for strip trials 
  • We can also provide Crop Growth Model insights into small plot trials via lab tests, showing which strip is most optimum 
  • All costs, sampling, lab, and imagery are covered by Messium 
  • This deck has important trial info and prerequisites.
  • This document contains information on the strip trial and sampling protocol, with a small plot document on the way

Next steps

  • Set up a call to explain Messium insights and benefits 
  • Gather initial expressions of interest and paddock locations for satellite orbit planning 
  • After selection, participants will fill out this paddock info sheet (eg soil type, fert regime)

George Marangos Gilks 
CEO, Messium
E: george@messium.co.uk
Ph. +44 7766831561
 www.messium.co.uk

HART's new RiskWi$e podcast

Episode 1 - Navigating on-farm risk and reward

As part of the RiskWi$e project HART have developed a new podcast series to help farmers get it more right, more often. The new 5-part podcast, 'Navigating on-farm risk & reward: getting it more right, more often', is packed with tips, tricks, and real-world advice from experts in farming, farm consulting, climate science, applied research and risk management. Barry Mudge, Dr Kate Burke, Danielle Lannin England, Peter Hayman, and Rebekah Allen are among the featured guests who share personal approaches to managing farm risk while inspiring growers to challenge their own perspectives and improve outcomes. Follow the show on Spotify and Apple so all episodes drop straight into your feed. Episode 1 is out now!

Southern spotlight - BCG 2024/25 update

MSF Bowhill Crop Walk 2024

In 2024, the BCG led, Victoria and South East SA ARG completed 12 nitrogen trials across the region, along with additional trials focused on agronomic factors such as time of sowing, sowing depth, soil amelioration (MSF), and disease management (FAR). These trials generated strong interest from growers and led to a range of extension activities, including crop walks, presentations at main field days, and GRDC updates.

FAR has been developing the Dirt, Diesel, and Dice decision-support tool to analyse grain farm businesses across three key components: land, machinery, and crop production. This was introduced to farmers at a field day and workshops in September.

FAR has also been working on a fungicide decision tree to assist growers in managing stripe rust and Septoria tritici blotch in wheat and net form of net blotch in barley.

BCG conducted 15 grower interviews to gain deeper insights into how farmers make decisions and the key factors that influenced them.

BCG planned three workshops as part of a RiskWi$e Roadshow, focusing on succession planning, farm performance, land expansion, and machinery investment, which will be held in 2025.

Our ARG looks forward to continuing nitrogen and agronomic trials into 2025, along with hosting workshops and events to help farmers enhance decision-making through better insights and research-based recommendations.

Ag Innovation & Research, Eyre Peninsula 2025 events kick off

AIR EP RiskWi$e event, Rudall young farmers - March 2025
AIR EP RiskWi$e event, Rudall young farmers - March 2025

Throughout March, members of the RiskWi$e Eyre Peninsula team held a series of farmer discussion group sessions. Facilitated by EPAG Research Agronomist Jacob Giles, over 80 farmers attended at Rudall, Cootra, Minnipa, Port Kenny, Lock and Wangary to share cropping strategies, learnings from the 2024 season, and an overview of the many decisions being made in preparation for the sowing season ahead.

Key topics of discussion included:

  • Strategies for dry sowing – risks associated with false start, preserving soil moisture, managing soil types and crop priorities (if sowing dry)
  • Herbicide residue management and risks, particularly in lentils
  • Phosphorous – residual in soils following dry summer, placement in proximity to seed, application rates, response trial results
  • Nitrogen – starting levels, legume fixation and availability
  • Soil amelioration results and strategies for 2025
  • Cost of production – increasing input costs, machinery investment

See the full AIR EP newsletter article at: Thinking caps firmly on throughout EP Discussion Groups

2025 RiskWi$e annual forum

RiskWi$e 2024 field trip

The 2025 Annual RiskWi$e forum is being held on the 24 - 25 June, 2025 at Toowoomba

When and where?
Location: Burke and Wills Hotel, 554 Ruthven Street, Toowoomba NSW 4350
Date: Tuesday 24 & Wednesday 25 June 2025
Time: Tuesday: 8:30 am – 5:30 pm, Wednesday 8:30 am – 3:00 pm

Each attendee will need to arrange and pay for their travel to/from Toowoomba and accommodation for the event and field trip (if attending).

If you wish to stay at the venue, please use the following to book accommodation onsite – RiskWi$e

When booking please double check the dates you require, as it will automatically populate arrival Monday & departure Friday.

What is included:

  • Morning/afternoon tea and lunch during the meeting
  • Team dinner on Tuesday night – at venue 

On the Monday night, we are planning an informal networking dinner where participants will need to pay their own way (Fitzys – 153 Margaret St, Toowoomba) 
If you have any dietary requirements, can you please email Erica McKay (ICAN) with the details.

Field trip

For those going on the field trip, please find below times so you can book your accommodation and flights.

Wednesday 25 June 2025
Depart ~3:30 pm Toowoomba (bus)
Overnight @ Chinchilla Downtown - Chinchilla Accommodation - Southern Cross Motel Group
Dinner: Chinchilla RSL

Thursday 26 June 2025
Depart ~7am Chinchilla
Return to Toowoomba ~ 5pm

Please contact Erica from ICAN for any queries relating to this event - Erica McKay.

Quarterly progress meeting

The next quarterly progress meeting is set for Tuesday 6 May, 2:15 pm ACST (Adelaide time).

If there are any topics that you'd like discussed, or you have an interesting story, progress or findings to share, please contact the NPL - RiskWise@csiro.au. If we are overwhelmed with ideas, it'll be great to have stories, photos and topics to share information for future meetings and newsletters.

Action Research Groups (ARG)

National Project Lead (NPL)

Project Leads: Rick Llewellyn and Lindsay Bell, CSIRO

Research Project Manager: Shelly Nicholls, CSIRO

For a list of all project partners, please see: Partners & Contacts - RiskWi$e (csiro.au)

RiskWi$e

Grains Research and Development Corporation
Grains Research and Development Corporation

RiskWi$e (the National Risk Management Initiative), is a 5-year national initiative with approximately $30 million funding from GRDC that will run from 2023 - 28. It seeks to understand and improve the risk-reward outcomes for grain growers by supporting on-farm decision-making.

For more information about the project visit the RiskWi$e site.