Welcome to “The Paddock Post” for October
Spring is well and truly underway, and there’s plenty happening across the region. This month we’re wrapping up another brilliant Spring Field Day, sharing the latest seasonal insights and RiskWi$e updates, plus a stack of useful opportunities and resources — from on-farm connectivity funding and spray drone testing to upcoming training at Mount Barker TAFE.
As always, have a scroll and catch up on what’s happening across SCF and further afield.
At the top of the page, you’ll find a series of clickable headings that allow you to jump straight to the sections that interest you, without having to scroll through the entire newsletter.
Upcoming Events
Information
- Meet the Member – We Want to Hear Your Story
- Spray Drone Swaths Put to the Test
- On Farm Connectivity Program – Round 3
- Preparing for Bushfire Season – BlazeAid
- GIWA Barley Variety Receival Recommendations
- Urgent Working Holiday Maker Visa Applications
- The Decision Zone – RiskWi$e Insights
- Annual Ryegrass Toxicity Survey
- Podcast Paddock – October Picks
A pretty exciting milestone for SCF!
We’ve officially hit 100 members –
100 farming businesses, families and people helping make our local agricultural community what it is.
Thanks for showing up, getting involved, sharing ideas and supporting what we do.
Here’s to the next 100!
Silage Bus Tour – Wednesday 14 October
Jump on the bus for an afternoon visiting three Silage Challenge participants across the Denmark region, taking a look at silage production and what’s happening on-farm.
The bus will leave the SCF Albany office at 1pm, with a 2pm pick-up at the Denmark Visitor Centre, before finishing the afternoon with a BBQ and a few beers.
Wednesday 14 October | 2–5pm
To RSVP, contact Victoria Surridge at victoria.surridge@scfarmers.org.au.
Upcoming Training at Mount Barker TAFE
South Regional TAFE has two upcoming training opportunities at its Mount Barker Campus, with options to build practical digital skills or gain nationally accredited first aid training.
Digital Literacy Skill Set
Running every Thursday for six weeks from 22 October to 26 November 2026, this course covers foundational digital and business application skills for the workplace. Total cost: $33.65.
First Aid Skill Set
Held on 10 & 11 December 2026, this course covers practical first aid and emergency response skills, leading to the nationally accredited HLTAID011 Provide First Aid unit. Total cost: $26.80.
See the flyers for course details and enrolment information.
Spray Drone Swaths Put to the Test
How consistent is spray coverage from agricultural drones?
In this recent video from Oztech Drones, they take spray drone swaths into the paddock for two days of testing, using swath cards spaced at 50cm intervals to look at spray width, coverage and consistency across different setups.
It’s an interesting look at how swath testing can be used to better understand what’s happening on the ground and the factors that may influence spray performance.
Watch the video to see the testing process and results.
On Farm Connectivity Program – Round 3 Now Open
Primary producers can now apply for Round 3 of the On Farm Connectivity Program, with $10 million available to support the uptake of eligible connectivity and ag-tech equipment.
Eligible producers can access rebates from $1,000 to $20,000 (GST exclusive), with priority given to those who have not received funding through previous rounds.
Applications close 15 October 2026. Producers will need to work with an approved supplier to obtain a quote and submit their application, and equipment must not be purchased before approval to be eligible for the rebate.
Find out more, check your eligibility and view approved suppliers and equipment.
Helping farmers prepare for bushfire season
BlazeAid’s 2026 All Fired Up Grant Program helps eligible farmers improve the safety, reliability and effectiveness of their existing private firefighting equipment.
The co-payment grant covers 50% of approved costs for repairs, servicing and upgrades such as pumps, baffled water tanks, hoses, nozzles, UHF equipment, protective clothing and first aid kits. The program supports farmers who are investing in their own fire preparedness and are ready to assist their neighbours and wider community when needed.
In addition to PFFU upgrades, BlazeAid is seeking to expand the All Fired Up Initiative to provide Air/Water fire extinguishers for community members, helping users of country roads, households and small landholders be better prepared this fire season
Applications open at 9am on 1st of September 2026 and close at 5pm on 30th September 2026.
GIWA Broadcast: WA Malt Barley Variety Receival Recommendations for 2027/28 harvest
The GIWA Barley Council has released the WA Malt Barley Variety Receival Recommendations for the 2027/28 harvest.
Each year, the Council works with the WA barley value chain to provide guidance to growers and their advisers on which malting varieties are both sought by the market and agronomically suited to WA, and which therefore will likely be segregated by CBH.
It also flags varieties for which opportunities may exist for niche segregations or direct grower-to-buyer contracting. The recommendations can be downloaded below.
Urgent Working Holiday Maker Visa Applications
WAFarmers is working with the National Farmers’ Federation (NFF) to help address delays in Working Holiday Maker (WHM) visa processing, which may currently extend to around three months.
A process has been established to identify genuine, urgent agricultural workforce cases that may be considered for priority processing. This applies where a worker has already applied for a WHM visa, has been identified for work on a specific farm, and their timely arrival is critical to farm operations.
If you have an urgent workforce need, find out more about the criteria and information required by emailing: reception@wafarmers.org.au .
The Decision Zone ~ RiskWi$e Insights
Welcome to the “Decision Zone” – a collection of insights from the RiskWi$e project
CliMate Update
The long weekend delivered some wet and wild weather across the South Coast (so rough that the Middleton Beach pontoon broke free from its moorings and washed ashore!) Across our membership, rainfall totals from Saturday to Monday averaged 24.6mm in the west, 31.6mm through central areas, and 54.7mm for eastern growers. While the rain was certainly welcomed in many paddocks, it may have temporarily slowed hay and silage operations as the season gears up. Some growers may also be managing the downside risks of waterlogging, lodging, and increased disease pressure.
This month, we used the CliMate “How Often?” tool to assess the likelihood of receiving at least 10 mm of rain in a single day during the second half of October at Frankland. Based on the last 36 years of records, there is a 43% chance of receiving an event of this size between 15 and 31 October, making it a near one-in-two-year event.
As growers look towards the finish of the season, the probabilities serve as a reminder that late-season rainfall remains a genuine possibility. The potential reward is a softer finish that helps crops realise more of their yield potential, while the downside risk is making decisions on the expectation of rain that never arrives.
Good risk management isn’t about being right every year, it’s about making decisions that stack the odds in your favour over the long term. Understanding the likelihood of both outcomes can help put seasonal decisions into perspective.
To explore rainfall probabilities, temperatures and seasonal risk scenarios for your own location, visit CliMate or download the app:
Featured Resource: Prof. James Hunt comments on National RiskWi$e trial data
How much nitrogen is enough, and when does more become too much? Drawing on long-term RiskWi$e trial data from across Australia, Prof. James Hunt explores how growers can use data-driven approaches to improve nitrogen decisions, balance risk and reward, and target the most profitable application rates. A worthwhile follow-up to the nitrogen discussions at this year’s Crop Updates.
RiskWi$e around the Nation
This month, we head to our own backyard in Wickepin, WA, where the Facey Group shares key insights from the RiskWi$e nitrogen trials and annual conference. Learn how concepts such as shadow costs and long-term nitrogen performance can help inform more profitable and resilient nitrogen decisions on-farm.
SCF RiskWi$e Trial Update
It’s been relatively quiet at the foot of the Stirling Ranges, with all fertiliser applications now complete at the SCF RiskWi$e trial site. As we monitor crops ahead of harvest cuts, the SCF team has been entertaining themselves with Anne’s favourite game: “Guess the N treatment!” during site visits. Have a go yourself with the barley pictured below.
If you missed our Winter Warm Up in July,
tune in to in-paddock interview with host farmer Michael Webster and SCF’s Anne Wilson.
Welcome to the Podcast Paddock
Recommended podcasts for you
Ground Truth: Great Southern Paddock Perspectives
Practical, local and straight from the paddock. Because sometimes the best insights really do come from the ground up.
Humans of Agriculture
From starting with 10 cattle and working cray boats to fund his growth, to succession, leasing land and questioning whether owning more country always makes commercial sense, Stafford shares how he’s thinking about building a family business that’s valuable enough to be taken on, not simply sold.
Agsolutely Fabulous
Not all nematodes are bad news for crops. Many play important roles in soil biology, while plant parasitic nematodes can damage roots and reduce crop performance. In this episode of Grains Convo, Senior Research Scientist Sarah Collins explains the difference, what growers and advisers can look for when nematode damage is suspected and why symptoms can be mistaken for other crop problems.
Sarah discusses the importance of digging up roots and accurate diagnosis, as well as crop rotation and long term management options for managing damaging nematode populations and protecting yield.
Listen on Spotify or Apple Podcasts
In Town? Drop In and Say Hello
If you’re in town waiting on machinery repairs, collecting parts, or simply have some time to spare between appointments, you’re always welcome to stop by the SCF office (75 Albany Hwy, Albany – opposite Dome).
Members are welcome to make use of our facilities, including internet access, printing services, meeting space, and the coffee machine. It’s also a great opportunity to catch up with the team, ask questions, discuss ideas, or tap into the collective knowledge and experience of the staff.
Whether you need a productive place to work for an hour or just want a good coffee and a chat, we’d love to see you.
As always we would like to thank our sponsors for their contribution to the SCF community.
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