Geraldton, WA
CATEGORY: SUSTAINABILITY (ADVISER)
Many farmers may never have met Peter Newman but would know all about his work on how to manage weeds.
His work with Planfarm, a West Australian-based farm consultancy business, has a particular focus on Integrated Weed Management Strategies which aim to deal with the issues arising with resistance.
He is the western extension agronomist for a national extension program funded by the Australian Herbicide Resistance Initiative (AHRI) which is specifically aimed at limiting the impact of resistance weeds on farm profitability.
In a separate role, Peter has developed an app where farmers can subscribe and are given advice through a subscription service (MyResearchAgro app).
“All of these aspects of my work are aimed at improving the profitability and efficiency of farming, largely through communication and extension activities,” he says.
“There is so much knowledge in agriculture that is never shared and communicated and I take it upon myself to ensure that it reaches the end user – the farmer.”
Peter has also been involved in the development of the WeedSmart initiative and website which gives information on the best way to minimise the impact of resistant weeds.
“We have known for a long time that using herbicides alone is unsustainable and I have dedicated my career to develop farming systems, with grain growers, that utilise a combination of herbicide and non-herbicide weed control,” he says.