MSF Farm Talk Podcast

Hosted by Mallee Sustainable Farming

Business Science Education

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Episodes

100

Latest episode

Jun 2026

Language

EN-AU

About the show

MSF's Farm Talk Podcast proudly brings Farmers, Researchers and Ag Industry connections together to chat innovative farming practices to help build a sustainable farming future for our Mallee growers. Mallee Sustainable Farming is a farmer-driven organisation specialising in Research, Development and Extension for NSW, VIC & SA's low-rainfall Mallee region. For more information visit: www.msfp.org.au/podcast

Listen to episodes

60 recent

June 4, 202617 min

Navigating Carbon Farming and Emissions Accounting - with Ed Scott

In this episode of the MSF Farm Talk podcast 🎙️, recorded at the March MSF Mallee Research Updates, Ed Scott explores how carbon farming and emissions accounting are evolving in Australian agriculture — and what it means at the farm gate. Ed discusses the shift from carbon credits toward sustainability reporting and Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions, and why grain buyers and supply chains are increasingly focused on emissions intensity. He also explains how tools like the GAF Tool and AIA platform can help growers benchmark performance over 3–5 years. The conversation highlights practical opportunities to reduce emissions while maintaining profitability, including improving nitrogen efficiency, incorporating legumes, increasing yield potential, and strengthening on-farm data capture and documentation. Ed also links emissions intensity to precision agriculture, discussing variable rate inputs, layering data such as yield, protein, NDVI and soil tests, and the emerging market programs and incentives shaping the future of farming. Emissions Accounting Tools:Greenhouse Accounting Frameworks (GAF) for Australian Primary Industries: Tools | Primary Industries Climate Challenges CentreAIA Environmental Accounting Platform: Home | AIA EAP This podcast episode of the Regional Drought Resilience Planning program is supported by Mallee CMA and Mallee Sustainable Farming, through funding from the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund and the Victorian Government.Support the show: https://msfp.org.au/about/membership/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

May 21, 20269 min

Tackling Mallee Seeps: Insights from the MSF Research Update

Tackling Mallee Seeps: Insights from the MSF Research Update In this episode of the MSF Farm Talk podcast 🎙️, Chris McDonough shares insights from a Mallee Research Update in Victoria on identifying and managing Mallee seeps — areas where perched water tables bring water and salt close to the soil surface, causing ponding, crop loss and bare saline scalds. The discussion covers the importance of early detection, understanding water-table salinity, and practical management strategies to restore affected areas. These include re-establishing living groundcover with salt-tolerant species such as puccinellia and tall wheat grass, and lowering perched water tables by intercepting and utilising excess water with perennial plants like lucerne strips. Chris also highlights a range of tools and videos available on the MSF website, including a five-step decision tree to help growers assess seep type, landscape position, severity and salinity.   Explore the Mallee Seeps project pages to learn more about identifying mallee seeps, best-practice management approaches, and grower case studies. Project Page, Resources and Case Studies: Mallee Seeps - Mallee Sustainable Farming Mallee Seeps Decision Tree  - Mallee Sustainable Farming Case studies of seeps trial sites in the Victorian Mallee - Mallee Sustainable Farming Evaluation & monitoring methods for Mallee seeps - Mallee Sustainable Farming Mallee Seeps Satellite NDVI Imagery - Mallee Sustainable Farming Soils Connect (Practical Soil Management Resources):Soils Connect | Your Hub for Soil Knowledge & Innovation   This podcast episode of the Regional Drought Resilience Planning program is supported by Mallee CMA and Mallee Sustainable Farming, through funding from the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund and the Victorian Government.Support the show: https://msfp.org.au/about/membership/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

May 7, 202611 min

Managing Dry Saline Land: Insights from the MSF Research Updates

Managing Dry Saline Land: Insights from the MSF Research Updates In this episode of the MSF Farm Talk podcast, Chris McDonough shares practical insights from a recent MSF Mallee Research Update in Victoria, exploring how growers can better manage dry saline land and improve crop establishment in challenging conditions. Chris explains how transient subsoil salinity can move to the soil surface during dry periods through capillary rise and evaporation, often making the top 5 cm significantly more saline than the layers below. The episode also unpacks how salinity impacts crops through osmotic stress and toxicity, reducing germination, emergence and plant survival. The discussion focuses on practical management strategies aimed at improving establishment and maintaining ground cover, including: Retaining surface cover such as straw or mulch Using opportunistic rainfall events to aid establishment Avoiding practices that bring saline clay to the surface Considering more salt-tolerant crop varieties This episode provides growers and advisers with practical considerations for protecting soil surfaces, improving resilience and managing productivity on saline-prone soils. Explore the Dry Saline Land project pages to learn more about identifying dry saline land, best-practice management approaches, and grower case studies. Project Pages: Dry Saline Land - Mallee Sustainable Farming Fixing Saline Soils - Mallee Sustainable Farming Case Studies: Case Study 5: Rick Plant | Resilient Soils Saline Soils Case Study How to spread straw Spreading sand vs straw Soils Connect (Practical Soil Management Resources): Soils Connect | Your Hub for Soil Knowledge & Innovation This podcast episode of the Regional Drought Resilience Planning program is supported by Mallee CMA and Mallee Sustainable Farming, through funding from the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund and the Victorian Government.Support the show: https://msfp.org.au/about/membership/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

April 27, 202610 min

Veris Mapping Explained: Seeing Soil pH Differently - with Jordan Ball

Veris Mapping Explained: Seeing Soil pH Differently - with Jordan Ball. In this episode of the MSF Farm Talk Podcast 🎙️Kylie Matthewson catches up with Jordan Ball from AgMap Soil Testing at the recent MSF Pre-Seeding Workshop & VRT Forum at Lameroo in March. Jordan presented on the day on Veris mapping, acidity and other applications. The discussion explores how Veris mapping can help farmers better understand and manage soil acidity variability across their paddocks. Take-home messages: Soil pH variability is common and often underestimated Veris mapping provides precision insights to target lime where it’s needed most Soil acidity is an ongoing challenge—monitoring and management are key Using the right tools supports better input decisions and long-term productivity If you want to hear more, like 👍 and subscribe 🔔 to the MSF Farm Talk Podcast 🚜🎙️ This podcast episode was recorded at the MSF Pre-seeding Workshop & VRT Forum at Lameroo in March and is supported by the Murraylands and Riverland Landscape Board.Support the show: https://msfp.org.au/about/membership/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

March 26, 20268 min

Keeping Sandy Soils in Place: Exploring dust control solutions with Shane Phillips – BioCentral Labs

🎙️In this MSF Farm Talk podcast episode, host Sarah Day chats with Shane Phillips, lead chemist at BioCentral Labs, about dust control solutions for sandy soils in broadacre cropping. Shane discusses two products being trialled in the Mallee this year – DustChek, a polymer binding agent, and AquaBoost, a fermented seagrass bacterial product – and how they could help reduce soil drift and erosion risk. For more information on BioCentral Labs products, visit: https://www.biocentral-labs.com/To learn more about the project, check out the media release: https://msfp.org.au/new-project-funding-secured-as-drought-and-dust-take-hold-in-the-mallee/ Keep an eye out for updates from this project during the growing season. If you want to hear more, like 👍 and subscribe 🔔 to the MSF Farm Talk Podcast. This project is supported by the Murraylands and Riverland Landscape Board with funding from the South Australian Government’s Landscape Priorities Fund, with co-investment from GRDC.Support the show: https://msfp.org.au/about/membership/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

December 11, 202514 min

Test Strips, Tough Seasons: What VRT Is Really Delivering

In this episode of the MSF Farm Talk Podcast 🎙️, host Sarah Day catches up with growers David Daniel, Adrian Bormann and Nathan Paech 🚜 to reflect on the season 🌱 and unpack their experiences with variable rate technology (VRT). Together, they explore the motivations behind running test strips and the key insights gained along the way. The growers share honest reflections on using data to guide decisions 📊, optimise inputs 💧🌾, and refine their approach for future seasons 🌤️. Listeners will come away with practical, paddock-ready advice 💡 on integrating VRT and test strips into their own farming systems. 🌾 If you want to hear more, like 👍 and subscribe 🔔 to the MSF Farm Talk Podcast 🚜🎙️ This podcast episode is supported by the Murraylands and Riverland Landscape Board and the Australian Government through funding from the National Heritage Trust under the Climate-Smart Agriculture Program. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.Support the show: https://msfp.org.au/about/membership/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

November 13, 202511 min

Part 2 Curiosity to Commitment - Farmers Navigating Ag Tech Adoption

 🎧 Join host Chris McDonough live from the Grain Automate Expo in Loxton 🌾 as he takes you out into the paddock for a deep dive into autonomous machinery 🚜 — featuring SwarmFarm and insights from a local grower 👨&zwj;🌾 In this episode, Chris chats with: Bailey Kilpatrick from SwarmFarm Robotics, who shares insights into how on-farm robotics can transform time, data and spraying management. Harry Brown, a Lameroo grower, who reflects on how autonomy could fit into their farming system 🙌 The Grain Automate event was supported by the GRDC and SPAA, giving growers the chance to see new tech up close, ask questions, and think critically about what fits their farming business. 🌾 If you want to hear more, like 👍 and subscribe 🔔 to the MSF Farm Talk Podcast 🚜🎙️ If you missed Part 1 of this podcast, head to https://msfp.org.au/podcast/  For more information on SwarmFarm Robotics head to https://www.swarmfarm.com/Support the show: https://msfp.org.au/about/membership/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

August 14, 202519 min

Part 1 Curiosity to Commitment - Farmers navigating ag tech adoption

Join host Chris McDonough straight from the Grain Automate Expo in Loxton as he catches up with 3 growers and a machinery reps about how farmers are tackling the big leap into ag tech. 🎧 Stick with us—there’s about 30 seconds of background noise at the start as we resolve some mic issues, but the audio improves quickly! In this episode, Chris chats indoors with: Mick Caughey, WA grower managing 5,000ha with VRT & trial strips Bryson Rudiger, Mallee farmer about his gradual shift into adopting new technologies. David Daniel, a Pinnaroo grower who shares his thoughts on the learning curve of tech  Damien Fielke, machinery expert and rep, providing insights into the gear that’s getting attention. Together, they explore what it takes for farmers to move from curiosity to full commitment when adopting agricultural technology. 📌 Part 2 will take you out into the paddock for a deep dive into autonomous machinery, featuring SwarmFarm and thoughts from a local grower. 🙌 The Grain Automate event was supported by the GRDC and SPAA, giving growers the chance to see new tech up close, ask questions, and think critically about what fits their farming business.Support the show: https://msfp.org.au/about/membership/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

July 30, 202515 min

Salinity and Drought - What every farmer should know

This MSF FarmTalk episode is part of the 101 Soils Questions Series. We explore the basics of dry saline land—how it forms, why it gets worse in drought years, and what steps you can take to support recovery. Dr Chris McDonough, Insight Extension for Agriculture, joins host Tanja Morgan to discuss: What causes dry saline patches to emerge or expand How rainfall and evaporation affect salt movement Realistic strategies for recovery and long-term management This conversation is a must-listen if you’re managing low rainfall mixed farming systems and need practical support navigating drought-affected salt patches. Useful Links & Resources: Dry Saline Land ResourcesA practical decision tool to assess your site and select appropriate management actions:🔗 Dry Saline Land Decisions Tree 101 Soils Questions Book (Chapter on Salinity)Explore common questions and answers about managing dry saline land and other soil constraints:🔗 101 Soils Questions Book Learn about identifying and managing Mallee Seeps (a different form of salinity):🔗 Mallee Seeps Decision Tree This podcast episode is supported by the South Australian Grain Industry Trust (SAGIT).Support the show: https://msfp.org.au/about/membership/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

July 24, 202515 min

Tackling Compaction with Strategic Ripping

In this episode of MSF FarmTalk’s 101 Soils Questions series, we explore what’s really going on beneath the surface when it comes to compacted sandy soils. Nick Paltridge chats with Nigel Wilhelm about the causes of compaction, how to identify it, and how strategic deep ripping can improve root access to water and nutrients. They also discuss why timing, tine design, and ripping depth make a big difference to results. Whether you’re questioning if you’ve got compaction or weighing up the cost of amelioration, this episode offers practical knowledge you can use to assess your paddocks and improve decisions. 📚 Want more soil know-how?This episode is based on questions from the 101 Soils Questions book, developed with support from SAGIT. You can download your free copy from Soils Connect. This episode is part of the MSF FarmTalk – 101 Soils Questions podcast series and is proudly supported by the South Australian Grain Industry Trust (SAGIT). Special thanks to SARDI's Nigel Wilhelm for sharing his expertise.Support the show: https://msfp.org.au/about/membership/See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.