Program Leader:
Mr John Kent

Postgraduate student graduations
Richard Ojera MAppSc(Agric) A survey of resistance in Annual Ryegraa to selected herbicides in the Wagga Wagga District, New South Wales, Supervisors Prof. J. Pratley and J. Kent
Andrew Hodge BAppSc(Agric) Hons. Factors affecting the germination of Wild Radish. Supervisors J. Kent and Dr. D. Lemerle.

CRC Weed Management Systems
The Farrer Centre has a close association with the CRC Weed Management Systems. Prof. Jim Pratley has been apponited as Leader of the Education Program, Dr. Deirdre Lemerle is Leader of the Cropping Systems Program, John Kent is Leader of the Professional Development Subprogram while Toni Nugent, one of the three Technical Coordinators is located at the Farrer Centre. Many Farrer Centre members are also members of the CRC WMS.

John Kent and Toni Nugent, in conjunction with Michael Moerkerk of the Victorian Institute of Dryland Agriculture, Horsham, have developed a short course in Identification and Management of Agricultural Weeds. This has been accredited through Murrumbidgee College of Agriculture, NSW Agriculture, as two modules: "Identification of Agricultural Weeds Short Course" and "Weed Management Short Course". By the end of 1998 80 instructors had been trained to present the course. Certificates are issued by the Farrer Centre to successful participants.
Toni Nugent was also heavily involved in the national Weedbuster Week in October with a number of activities across the Riverina. Weedbuster week is an excellent education and extension activity highlighting the problem of weeds and the importance of integrated management.

NSW Weed Science Society (Riverina Branch)
A number of Farrer Centre mambers are active in this organisation which brings together educators, researchers, students, farmers and industry people involved with weed management. Activities include regular seminars.

Conferences
The 9th Australian Agronomy Conference, jointly organised with NSW Agriculture was held at CSU in July 1998. It was highly successful with in excess of 300 participants. The conference theme was "Agriculture and the environmental imperative". Prof. Pratley was Chairman of the organising committee with many other Farrer Centre members taking leading roles.

A very successful FarmTech 98 Farm Technology Expo was held at CSU in conjunction with NSW Farmers Association. The conference/workshop focussed on the latest electronic technologies impacting on agriculture especially computing and the internet. The day was attended by over 100 Farmers.

Study tours
Jon Medway was awarded a Churchill Fellowship which enabled him to travel to Europe and the USA to study developments in precision farming technologies and its application. Jon was away for 9 weeks and during that time attended three field days (FLD Fielddays near Bonn, the western canada farm progress Show , Regina Canada and the the 4th International Prec idion Farming Conference in Minneapolis).

In July 1998 John Kent undertook a three week study tour to Europe to study the latest developments in pesticide application technology and to attend the Hardi International Application Technology Short Course in Denmark. Highlights of the tour included a visit to a field day in Germany, visits to spray application equipment manufacturers, consultancy companies specialising in pest management advice, agricultural chemical manufacturers and agricultural training organisations.The tour was funded by travel grants from the CRC Weed Management Systems, CRC Viticulture, Farmcare NSW, and through sponsorship from Hardi P/L.

Nigel Crump, a PhD student investigating the potential biological control of saffron thistle, was awarded a Farrer Memorial Travelling Scholarship to attend the International Plant Pathology Congress in Edinburgh, an the IVth International Bioherbicide Workshop at Strathclyde University. Nigel's work is pioneering, and he has published the only papers in the world on the use of bioherbicides to control saffron thistle.

Professional development programs
A major focus of the Education and Technology Transfer Program is the development and implementation of professional development activities for a range of industry organisations. These aim to pass on the knowledge and skills aquired by Farrer Centre members and to raise the professional competencies of industry personnel. Examples of such activities for 1998 include:

• A workshop on Integrated Pest Management in Rice Storage for Ricegrowers Cooperative Ltd.
• A workshop on Safe Use of Pesticides for Ricegrowers Cooperative Ltd.

• An Instructor Training Workshop for IAMA to train agronomists to deliver weed identification workshops to Farmers.

• An Agronomy Workshop for AgrEvo staff.

• An Insect Identification workshop for agronomists and IAMA staff.

• Farmcare Australia (NSW) Instructor Training Courses to train presenters to deliver the farmcare Australia (NSW) Farm Chemical User Course.

• An Agsafe Farm Chemical Industry Accreditation Course required by personnel in the farm chemical industry.

• Advanced Spray Application in Vineyards Instructor Training courses at Wagga, Adelaide and Perth.

• Instructor training courses for presenters of the Agricultural Weed Identification workshops.

• Agricultural Weed Identification workshops for farmers and other weed managers.

Conferences attended
• John Kent attended the Avcare Farm Chemical Industry Summit in Cairns. This conference brought together some 200 people from the farm chemical industry (manufacturers, resellers, advisors and regulatory officers) from throughout Australia.

• Many Farrer Centre members attended and presented papers at the 9th Australian Agronomy Conference held at CSU.

Grants
• Meyer, Kent and Taylor $22,500 LWRRDC "Audit and strategy of training for the Australian irrigation industry".

• Kent CRCWMS $4500 to construct a weed nursery.

Agriculture weed seedling identification instructor led training