Savannah Ag Consulting has a number of trial crop sites near Mareeba, north-west of Cairns in Far North Queensland. And on the morning of 28 July, growers, agronomists, industry and other interested parties are invited to join expert Savannah Ag and GRDC staff on a seasonal field site tour.
Participants will be able to inspect a broad range of crops and trial sites and learn about ongoing trials investigating rotational and cover crop options for sugarcane, cotton, broadacre and horticulture cropping systems, for soil health and nutrition, weed and disease control and cash-flow opportunities.
The spring field day will highlight the CRC for Northern Australia’s Developing an oilseed industry in Northern Australia project.
Crops of interest
Trial crops that can be inspected on the day include:
| Spring oilseeds | Sesame and sunflower |
| Winter pulse crops | Chickpea, lupin and faba bean |
| Cereals and coarse grains | Wheat, sorghum, millet and rice |
| Cover crops | Sunn hemp, velvet bean and mixed-species blends |
| Spring pulses and legumes | Cowpea, mungbean and guar bean |
| Specialty and fibre crops | Buckwheat, fenugreek, quinoa and cotton |
| Winter oilseeds | Canola, carinata, mustard, camelina, safflower, linseed and nigella |
Where and when?
Be at the site carpark by 8am for an 8.15am start.
The tour will start at 8.15am with a ‘shot-gun start’ to split the group up around a number of stations, where discussions will occur for various crops and will rotate on a regular basis.
The site tour will conclude with a BBQ lunch.
Savannah Ag estimates that the site tour event will wrap up by 12 noon.
The research site is located at 539 Mulligan Hwy, Biboohra, just over five kilometres north of Mareeba. Get Google map directions.
The organisers will be setting up a designated car-parking area to ensure everyone’s safety, as farm operations will be ongoing.
Registration and further information
Please RSVP by Friday 24 August at tony.matchett@bigpond.com
Note that participants must wear clean, enclosed sturdy shoes. Wearing a hat and bringing a light jacket are recommended.
For those who can’t make it on the day, copies of the field day handouts from the day will be available – to obtain one, contact Tony Matchett via email at tony.matchett@bigpond.com or on 0438 482 728.
For further information about the event or the project, contact project lead Tony Matchett or Savannah Ag Research Agronomist Tegan Brownie on 0457 032 992.