Around 14 organisations will discuss progress on addressing the pest issues facing grain growers, particularly the current season’s challenge from diamond back moth in many canola crops.

“Getting crops off to a good start is essential for a good yield but, across southern Australia, grain growers face the challenge of voracious insects and their friends attacking tender, emerging seedlings,” says NIPI coordinator and deputy chief of CSIRO Entomology, Dr Gary Fitt.

“The Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) Crop Protection sub program managers and panel representatives will also be there,” Dr Fitt says.

“Participants will also consider some innovative techniques for considering how to accommodate different perceptions of risk in the way integrated pest management systems is viewed by farmers, advisors and researchers.”

The workshop will review the suite of communication tools NIPI uses to get information to growers and look at ways of refining them.

These tools include the highly successful PestFAX and PestFACTS newsletters and the roll-out of improved integrated pest management (IPM) training modules for advisors and grower groups.

Invertebrate pests cause annual losses in production to Australian agriculture of around A$500 million.

NIPI was established to provide the Australian grains industry with sustainable options for integrated pest management (IPM) and clear and consistent messages to help with IPM adoption.

This nationally coordinated, collaborative approach brings together scientists from state government departments, universities, farmer groups and CSIRO.

NIPI is supported by growers and the Australian Federal Government through the GRDC.