November 2018

CONVERTE NEWSLETTER

A Message from the Managing Director

October rains bring smiles back to many farmers doing it tough across the country. The high price of grain means that even lower yielding crops can bring in a good dollar return. The message is clear, build a farming system that has some tolerance to weather extremes, starting with a functional soil that is biological rich and capable of holding moisture.

During 9-11 November, Converte will be exhibiting at the National Biological Farming Conference and Expo in the Gold Coast (details below). This is a timely reminder of the opportunity presented by soil biology. The event will attract about 500 farmers and 40 exhibitors and is sure to be an excellent opportunity to find out more about biological farming.

Despite the lack of rain in the east, we have had a very busy few months and there are lots of new exciting initiatives underway. Please see below a snap shot of our latest news. If you get a chance, please write a review for us on Facebook and follow Converte on Twitter @Convertehealth. We look forward to an upbeat start to summer on farms across Australia.

Best Wishes,
John

Cotton Rural Development Corporation: Project Award**

Converte is part of a successful project team that will investigate Bio-based solutions for Fusarium and Verticillium Wilt on cotton farms, which has the potential to substantially increase farm productivity and thus create significant opportunities for commercialisation with an initial focus on the Australian market. The project has been awarded to the University of Western Sydney and will run for 3 years.

Converte appointed a seat at the European Microbiome Support Group 2018-2020

Converte has been appointed to the European Microbiome Support Group. The focus of this group is supporting microbiome research coordination and international business collaboration. The group is part of the European Horizon 2020
initiative, examining topics including food security, sustainable agriculture and forestry, marine, maritime and inland water research and the bioeconomy. The group comprises about 25 major European companies in Agriculture and food, including Bayer, Novozymes and Unilever and is funded by the European Commission. The first meeting will be held in Vienna, in March 2019.

Western Australia Update

Projects, Trials, Drone demos and lots of farm visits

2018 is really our first full year back on WA soils and I'm pleased to report that we are starting to see the results. Luke Peacock has hit the ground running, establishing major corporate trials across the state and introducing the Converte core product range to cereal croppers, vineyards, horticulture and pasture and livestock farmers.

Luke is pictured here on a farm in Ballingup WA that has seen excellent results using Converte Excelerate, Plantfood and Livestock feed products.

For more information on Converte activities in WA, contact Luke at:

luke.peacock@converte.com.au

Soil Biology the Missing Link in Pasture Production - National Science Competition Report

We were delighted to receive this report from Johannes Meier, a regenerative farmer at Inverell, NSW. The study compared a range of pasture treatments and measured overall production, soil and plant health. Extracts from the report are provided below and the full report will be posted on our website in November, www.converte.com.au or request a copy via email to info@converte.com.au

Know your C3 and C4 Plants

Did you know that the more recently evolved C4 plants have a competitive advantage under drought and hot conditions, such as the tropics? They are able to concentrate CO2 within specialised chambers in the leaves so that carbon can be fixed more efficiently. This same mechanism also helps prevent water loss from the apertures (or ‘stomata’) that leaves open up whenever they need to draw in CO2 from the atmosphere.

Present-day C4 plants include food crops such as maize, sugarcane, millet and sorghum, which have an average Radiation Use Efficiency up to 50 percent greater than C3 plants.

When grown in the same environment (at 30°C), C3 grasses lose about 833 molecules of water per CO2 molecule that is fixed, whereas C4 grasses lose only 277.

The C4 pathway was discovered in Australia in 1966 by Marshall Davidson Hatch and C. R. Slack.

There is a major push to make C3 cereals more C4-like in terms of their efficiency. Strategies include improving the performance of the key enzyme complex responsible for carbon fixation (RuBisCo), introduction of C4-like traits such as CO2-concentrating mechanisms, improvement of light interception, and improvement of photosynthesis at the spike and the whole canopy.

Wheat, beans and rice are C3 plants, which tend to thrive where sunlight intensity and temperature are moderate. From an evolutionary perspective they predate C4 plants and make up 95 percent of the Earth’s plant biomass.

NSW Building Partnerships Final Report

In November 2017 Converte was awarded a NSW grant project to investigate the efficiency of its biological seed primer and plant food products in NSW soils and cropping. The partnership project with the University of Western Sydney and CorkhillsAg in Boorowa NSW will be completed at the end of November when a full technical report is submitted. The project covered a kitty hark wheat crop in 2017 and a hybrid canola crop in 2018 grown in the 10 ha trial plot in Boorowa. Test areas were established with the seed primer and plant food, and compared with control plots over the life of the project. Plant, soil cores and drone data (thanks to RevolutionAg) have all been gathered as part of the project and we look forward to sharing the results with you before the end of the year.

Converte Grape Trials in the NSW Riverina Underway

Converte have commenced a major vineyard trial in the NSW Riverina with a focus on building improved soil biology and plant health. The trial is across Durif and Shiraz grape varieties and covers conventional and organically grown grapes. Converte will draw on its phd candidate at the University of Western Sydney and independent soil scientist to support the study.

Initial results from this trial will be published in 2019.

Visit Converte at the National Biological Farming Conference & Expo - Gold Coast 9-11 November (Booth 3, Level 5)

We're looking forward to our 2nd exhibition at the National Biological Farming Conference and Expo. This time the event is being held in the Gold Coast campus of Southern Cross University. Details of the event can be found here:

https://www.australianbiologicalfarmingconference.org/program.html

**** Converte is pleased to offer a 20% Expo Discount, open to all our customers for online purchases only. See details here:****

www.converte.com.au/expo

See More Upcoming Events

We're looking for WA, NSW and VIC Reps NOW

As Converte expands into new areas, new reps and distributors experienced with biological based products are coming on board. If you are interested in getting involved, drop us a line for more information or email us at info@converte.com.au

HAVE YOU SEEN OUR NEW WEBSITE?

Check it out!

Your Converte Support Network

Julie Vereker – Griffith, 1800 108 940, julie.vereker@converte.com.au
Mark Vereker - Griffith 0412 420 103 Product Enquiries and Orders NSW

Greg Thompson – Yenda 0429 623 824
Andrew Nelson – Wagga Wagga, 0427 551 160
Grahame Routley – Narrandera / Lockhart 0428 271 550
Luke Peacock – Perth WA 0427 080 052, luke.peacock@converte.com.au
Geoff Peacock – Lake Bolac, Victoria, 0408 364 526, geoff.peacock@converte.com.au

John Ridley – other areas and international, 0419 120 447, john.ridley@converte.com.au

For information on Converte distributorships in your local area, please contact John.