A HERBICIDE-resistance scientist has been awarded the Grains Research and Development Corporation's western region Seed of Light award.
Stephen Powles, director of the WA Herbicide Resistance Initiative, was presented with the award last week, for his years of studies into herbicide-resistant weeds and crops and strategies to counter the problem.
Prof Powles and WAHRI are credited with playing a key role in turning the battle against herbicide-resistant weeds around in favour of farmers.
The southern and northern region Seed of Light awards have yet to be announced.
Women talk biotechnology
A FORUM will be held in Shepparton for women to discuss biotechnology.
Funded by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, the forum is billed as an opportunity to discuss "the future of Australia's farming".
The free event will be at Quest Shepparton, Welsford St, from 11am to 12.30pm on March 10, lunch included.
It is supported by Partners in Grain, the Victorian Farmers Federation, Birchip Cropping Group and the Molecular Plant Breeding Co-operative Research Centre.
To register, phone Melanie Carew on (03) 9479 1698.
Going into Meltdown
PARTNERS in Grain is running its popular Office Meltdown workshops across the state next month.
The workshops help farmers learn how to make their office management more efficient. The workshops cost $330, but are fully refundable under FarmReady.
They will be held at: Werrimul on March 16; Cross Roads, near Beaufort, on March 17; Kaniva, March 18; Ararat, March 19; and Lake Bolac on March 20.
For further details and bookings, contact Nickie Berrisford at nickie.berrisford@dpi.vic.gov.au or phone (03) 5226 4075.
Small farmers in focus
THE International Fund for Agricultural Development recently hosted a forum in Rome for representatives of small farmers around the world.
The IFAD is a United Nations agency which delivers grants to developing countries, to help them become more self-sufficient in food production.
The IFAD's statistics are interesting.
About 85 per cent of the world's farms are less than 2ha in size. And 500 million small farms produce 80 per cent of the food eaten in the developing world.
Wheat stocks
BULK handlers held 17.02 million tonnes of wheat by the end of last month, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.
That comprised about 13.84 million tonnes of milling wheat and 3.19 million tonnes of feed grade wheat, stored in the bulk handlers' storages.
Victorian deliveries accounted for 1.71 million tonnes of wheat.
GrainCorp chairman Don Taylor said last week an estimated 25-30 per cent of the Victorian grain harvest remained stored on growers' properties.
- Send your grain news to Peter Hemphill, The Weekly Times, PO Box 14999, Melbourne, 8001, email to hemphillp@theweeklytimes.com.au or fax it to (03) 9292 2697.
