New black and white non-shattering sesame varieties and a dual-purpose peanut agronomy masterclass will be highlights of this year’s new and high-value crop field day to be held in Emerald on April 18.

The field day will also feature an educational program for high school students from across the region, delivered by CQUniversity, where students will learn about these new crops, as well as having a chance to investigate farm machinery technologies through demonstrations by experienced operators at RDO Equipment Australia.

To be held at ‘Deneliza Downs’, just 5km east of Emerald, the event will also feature a showcase of the latest research into grain and graze farming systems, with Andrew McDonald from AgriVentis Technologies available to discuss the latest in forage adzuki and mungbean lines.

The annual field day, which focuses on new crop options to maximise returns in broadacre rotations, is hosted by the Northern Australia Crop Research Centre of Excellence, a partnership that brings together researchers from CQUniversity with farm machinery leaders RDO Equipment Australia, farmers from the Central Highlands Cotton Growers & Irrigators Association, Grain Producers Australia / AgForce, and agribusiness expertise from the Central Highlands Development Corporation.

The Centre was formed in 2020 with its participants now playing key roles in several large-scale research projects including Grain and Graze North, a dual-purpose peanut project funded by the CRC for Developing Northern Australia (CRCNA) and Bega Peanuts, and the Sesame Central national program of research funded by AgriFutures Australia and the CRCNA to develop the enabling agronomy required to support the expansion of sesame production.

The day will commence at 9am with a special dual-purpose peanut masterclass for agronomists delving into the technical aspects of planting and harvesting times, biomass cutting techniques and timing, and crop nutrition.

A field walk will commence at 9am and will be followed by a classroom session at CQUniversity’s Emerald campus – agronomists must register their interest by contacting Drew Portman at a.portman@cqu.edu.au.

This will be followed by an educational program for high-school agriculture students from 10am to 12 noon.

The afternoon session, which is free and open to producers, advisers and the public, will feature a series of presentations starting at 3pm, followed by a field walk to inspect new sesame and mungbean varietal lines, as well as peanuts that have been cut for forage for improved livestock nutrition.

• Research presentations will include:
o Non-shattering and the future of short-season sesame from AgriVentis Technologies
o Optimising sesame production from CQUniversity.
o Grain and graze peanut production from Bega Peanuts.
o AgriFutures research into optimising planting and harvest machinery set ups for sesame production with producer Peter Foxwell
o The latest soil moisture and weather monitoring technologies from RDO Equipment.

• Field walk:
o Trial plot inspections of dual-purpose peanuts
o New black and white sesame varieties
o A display of the latest planting machinery from RDO to suit the needs of each crop type.

The field day will be followed by a barbecue and drinks.
• ‘Deneliza Downs’ is located 5km east of Emerald on the Capricorn Highway.
• For agronomists wishing to register for the dual-purpose peanut agronomy masterclass, contact Drew Portman at a.portman@cqu.edu.au or 0422 202 734
• RSVP for the schools workshop is essential – contact Tieneke Trotter at t.trotter@cqu.edu.au or 0402 406 385.