Mark Congreve

@dyerjonathan @EchelonMirror @Oscarthefarmer @agrarianliberty @grok Depends on the situation Jonathan. Some swarmbot owners are amazed how much country can be covered working independently on a well set up farm. I have heard of some growers who have cancelled future orders, as the first one is covering way more ha's than they expected.

@EchelonMirror @Oscarthefarmer @agrarianliberty @grok This is what the SwarmBot guys have bet a lot of money on. But I think the jury is out. The bots are complementary, not replacement so far. The problem is a 500Hp tractor is so efficient. Multiple drive trains, engines, guidance etc. to replicate smaller. Cheaper overall?

This works if the system cost is lower for the lifecycle of the investment I.e. total capital, depreciation, r&m & consumables If I still need a generator for the 2022 equivalent of sowing where draft was high & sun hours were low then does the business case still stack up.

@mattrohde8 @ronInBendigo Are you sure cities are being prioritised? Saw a post from a CEO of an independent fuel supplier where he said his industrial customer orders (including farms, mines etc) were up 600% last week, and he said he obviously had no hope of delivering that much.

@ronInBendigo It seems consumers are currently being prioritized over industry requiring and ordering in bulk. Hence why some farmers have been left with no choice but to travel back and forth refilling from town servos putting even more pressure on their supply.

We should have introduced simple fuel rationing by now. A simple system of odd/even number plates, and a maximum amount per fill, would take a lot of demand out of the network. But, once again, that word "demand" is something of which our government has no concept.

@DMAg_consultant @CropDoctor54 @SeanM_DMAg_SA @brettbarker92 Weeds are often small and fresh and soil moisture is good. And probably most importantly, usually the gly is applied solo.

Summer spraying 2026 - got to do what you have to do … ✈️ 🌱- amazing how well glyphosate can work from a plane 👍 @CropDoctor54 @SeanM_DMAg_SA @brettbarker92

@AlSattler18888 The standard only changed on Dec 15. I assume you were happy to use this dirty (higher sulfur) fuel last year.

So this dirty fuel that let are talking about just has more sulphur in it Not sure what impact that will have on engines But so much for the Climate crisis 😂

@Tedthekelpie @KondininGroup Paraquat use has been withdrawn in the UK (and EU) for a long time. This Syngenta plant has only been manufacturing for export markets for over 15 years

@KondininGroup I thought it was UK production not global production

@CropDoctor54 @PBoutsalis @DMAg_consultant @agrobaz @grassrootsag @Mike_AHRI Agree CD But before just assuming every poor result is resistance, make sure there is a comparison with just a solid rate of glyphosate alone + AMS, that is double knocked with paraquat. Wrong choice of surfactants or tank mix partners can often contribute to reduced results.

Positive - we are about to get a Knockdown for the first time in a few years! 👏👏 Negative - we are about to find out just how bad our Glypho resistance is. 🤔 Get the Paraquat ready, for what could be the last time. 👎👎

@Oscarthefarmer @grok @SoybeansRus @SecRollins Hey Oscar Many of these MNCs are trading in multiple segments so difficult to know where the profit comes from. However the Ag Chem R&D segment is bleeding big time (due to generics primarily). Short term win for growers, but will mean not much new in the pipeline for the future

@grok @SoybeansRus @SecRollins Ok. Run in on 7 year assesments. As farm gate margins decline other supply chain participants have generally expanded proportionately yes @grok ? Are there any regions/nations/commodities where this isnt the case?

Ol Nutrien had a wonderful year. Finally got the 4th quarter results and let me tell ya they had a hell of a year. Hey @SecRollins don’t you see a problem here?

SA growers! NEXT WEEK: GRDC herbicide behaviour workshops are coming to #Loxton 24-25 Feb #Kadina 26-27 Feb. Join @congreve_mark to learn the science underpinning how herbicides work & the application to field practice. Limited places. More info: bit.ly/4pncKQ0

Spots are going at @theGRDC herbicide behaviour workshops. Kadina and Toowoomba are full with a waiting list. Limited spots at Loxton and others. Grab your spot now. icanrural.com.au/herbicideworks… for a great couple of days with @congreve_mark

Southern region agronomists 2026 Herbicide Behaviour workshops are rapidly approaching Launceston 10-11 Feb (next week) Loxton 24-25 Feb Kadina 26-27 Feb (almost full) Final workshops to be delivered under the current @GRDCSouth project Registrations icanrural.com.au/herbicideworks…

@hirschirsch @theGRDC @Bayer4Crops @BASF @NufarmAustralia @Imtrade @SyngentaANZ @RabobankAU Tough one! I sit on both sides of the fence. Growers/agros expect products or research to address their needs, so the only way you can get this right is to ask the user. More knowledgeable you are, more likely you be called. (& response rates for online surveys is terrible)

Dear @theGRDC @Bayer4Crops @BASF @NufarmAustralia @Imtrade @SyngentaANZ @RabobankAU We get 5 phone calls a day about your market research. Most of your phone surveys take 15 minutes and could be a 45 sec web page exercise. It doesn’t work anymore. Sincerely, Farmers

@lance123wise Is that running at a really low duty cycle?

But going on there. PWM

@WeedSmartAU @cottoninfo Time to move on and drop the MOA letters from extension communications. It's been almost 5 years since we moved to the number system.

Need easy access to the Cotton HRMS guide plus sample strategies for fallow and in-crop weed control? Grab it off our website ⤵️ Shared on behalf of our industry partner, #CRDC @cottoninfo buff.ly/uHkLz3K

Happy crops growing in the brand new @NSWDPI Wollongbar growth cabinets. Great to have the opportunity to be involved with some trials with state of the art, full climate control facilities.

In 2026 UWA will test for herbicide resistance in ryegrass seeds. Gr. 1 Axial, Clethodim Gr. 2 Intervix Gr. 3 Propyzamide, Trifluralin Gr. 9 Glyphosate Gr. 10 Liberty Gr. 13 Overwatch Gr. 15 Boxer Gold, Sakura Gr. 22 Gramoxone Gr. 23 Ultro Gr. 30 Luximax ($250 per sample)

MAKING PRE-EMERGENT HERBICIDE SELECTION EASIER! Selecting a pre-em herbicide can be challenging, particularly when seasonal rainfall is uncertain. Use our simple, colour-coded & free chart for both wheat and barley crops - find it here: tinyurl.com/HartPreEmDecis… @SADroughtHub

Great field day at the Collie site: Integrated mgt of black/wild oats in wheat using PRE herbicides & crop competition. Need more research. Thanks to growers, agros, ⁦@GRDCNorth⁩, ⁦@GrainOrana⁩, ⁦@QAAFI⁩ ⁦@UQ_News⁩ ⁦@UQWeedScience⁩

Worth a read ( in the link) for those thinking about broadacre spraying via drones

Proud Dad moment

@S_M_Bowman @robbert115 Once inside the leaf, ammonium (in UAN or AMS) helps glufosinate move across the cell membrane to get inside cells. Not related to leaf uptake (so conditions at application still really important). Happens with many other weak acid herbicides also e.g. glyphosate, clethodim

@robbert115 That’s handy. UAN acting as an oil?

Glufosinate 750 g ai (dissolved in 100% water) ——-———— vs ——————— Glufosinate 750 g ai (dissolved in 20% water / 80% UAN). Clear boost in efficacy against ARG. -15DAT-