The Prosperous Farmer catches up with spray drift specialist Mary O’Brien following the Best Practice Spray Application Workshop in Naracoorte. Drawing on her experience as a former regulator and industry advisor, Mary shares practical, no-nonsense insights into responsible chemical use, spray drift prevention, and protecting agriculture’s social licence.

From understanding inversion conditions and wind movement to choosing the right nozzle, maintaining accurate records, and managing water quality, Mary outlines the critical decisions that sit firmly in the hands of spray operators. She explains why compliance with chemical labels is non-negotiable, how good record-keeping can protect farmers, and why a few simple tweaks can prevent costly mistakes and industry conflict.

TPF previously caught up with Mary O'Brien in Season 3, Episode 2 with 'Are You Bogged Mate?'.

Having a robust risk management strategy in place is part and parcel of a farming business, a fact Chris Matthews Principal of MGA Naracoorte knows well. Chris is a long time supporter of the MacKillop Group, a former chair and board member serving in its early years throughout the nineties. MGA Naracoorte is a long term sponsor and is currently a Gold Sponsor.

In this episode Chris shares the highlights of his thirty year journey in the insurance industry, underpinned by his strong sense of community and connection with farming businesses.

What does a robust risk management strategy look like? And when a crisis hits, where does a brokers role begin and end?

*content relates to a major Limestone Coast fire event and may be triggering for some listeners.

Armed with a PhD in ruminant nutrition and physiology from the University of Adelaide’s Roseworthy College, and with experience in senior research roles at the University and the Thomas Elder Institute, Michael launched his own livestock nutrition consultancy in Naracoorte three years ago.

In this episode Michael unpacks learnings from the Dry Feed to Dollars project as part of SA Drought Hub's Decision Making for Drought.

He dives into smart, cost-effective strategies for managing dry feed during tough seasons, showing how targeted protein, mineral, and nitrogen supplementation can unlock more value from poor-quality pasture. Listen in for practical rules of thumb to boost feed utilisation, protect animal performance, reduce feed costs, turn dry feed into dollars and build more resilient livestock systems.

Nitrogen application doesn’t have to be a guessing game. In this episode, Dr Melissa Fraser and agronomist Lee Menhenett reveal how moisture, measurement and timing can transform your nitrogen strategy—and your bottom line.

Mel and Lee break down the tools, data and on-farm decisions that drive profitable, resilient cropping. Packed with smart tools, practical insights and memorable one-liners (yes—rainfall is a tool, not just pub bragging rights!), this lively, insightful conversation is full of farmer-tested wisdom, good humour, and a reminder that you can’t manage what you don’t measure.

The Mastering Nitrogen Application Seminar was held in July in Naracoorte.

Shownotes:

CliMate website : https://climateapp.net.au/

Yield Prophet Lite: https://www.yieldprophet.com.au/yplite/

Soil Moisture Probe: https://app.outpostcentral.com/remote/MFMGLogin.html

CoTL Mesonet: https://cotl.com.au/mesonet

Tom Kapcejevs is a Durum Breeder with Australian Grain Technologies (AGT) MFMG sponsor, and Australia’s largest plant breeding company and market leader in wheat genetics.

At the recent Southern Australia Durum Growers Association Crop Walk at Bordertown Tom took some time out to catch up with The Prosperous Farmer. Tom dives into the two new releases of durum wheat varieties - Rimfire and Banker - discussing their performance, their limitations, their yield, and how they stack up against common diseases for durum wheat.

Durum wheat in the Limestone Coast is a positive story, with a strong domestic market with San Remo together with a growing export market.

And what's with the variety names? And what do they have to do with the Melbourne Cup?

Is there any money in farming? Cam Nicholson and Nathaniel Modra unpack the biggest challenges farmers face in today's landscape, areas for improvement for calculating costs, and how knowing your cost of production plays an important part in decision making.

Whilst its a retrospective measure, knowing your cost of production can give farmers an understanding of the efficiencies of their business. But what else needs to be considered when it comes to cost management? And what are the volatilities of being in ag? How have they changed over the years?

Why are alternative methods of weed control systems important? Which options will become commercially available for farmers?

Michael Walsh from the Gulbali Institute, Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga details the new technologies on weed control. With the development of electrical and chemical weeding systems, targeted tillage, and automated laser delivery system through robotics, Michael unpacks the opportunities, challenges and potential adoption of these technologies.

Michael Walsh presented at the GRDC Update at Keith in August 2025, on 'Novel weed control technologies with potential for use in Australian grain production systems'.

Did you know that the majority of fertiliser spreaders deliver highly variable spread patterns? This compromises production rates and farm profitability as some areas within the paddock receive too much fertiliser and others too little. Understanding your spreader pattern using different products can result in higher productivity and healthier waterways.

In this episode, we catch up with Australia’s leading Accu-Spread trainer Russell Nichol sharing his knowledge on the types of spreaders, how to test and calibrate spreading equipment, how frequently farmers should be check their calibration. What's the elusive spreader mark, why is it important and how can it be achieved? And if you're in the market for a spreader what should you be looking for?