A new episode of the SA Drought Hub podcast is now live, featuring consultant Mick Faulkner from AgriLink and the Mid North High Rainfall Zone (MNHRZ) Farming Systems Group.
The podcast explores the outcomes of frost risk management trials at Farrell Flat, a high-risk “Red Zone” in South Australia’s Mid North.
Titled Understanding frost and minimising financial risk due to frost in the MNHRZ, the episode dives into how trial work, supported by the SA Drought Hub through funding from the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund, is helping growers improve decision-making around frost-prone paddocks.
The project, undertaken in a frost-prone cropping zone, aimed to:
- Investigate sowing time, crop density and variety selection
- Assess the impact of ice-nucleating bacteria
- Trial dual-purpose cereals for resilience, and
- Explore how zoning (Green, Amber, Red) can guide farm planning and financial risk management.
Mick explains the innovative trial design, including the role of canopy density, soil type, and crop nutrition in frost outcomes. He also outlines how growers can identify frost zones using topography, yield maps and historical knowledge.
This podcast is part of the Hub’s commitment to extending practical, research-backed knowledge to growers, and builds on extension efforts such as field walks and regional presentations.
🔊 Listen now on the SA Drought Hub website: Podcasts – SA Drought Hub
Further information:
Tony Randall- Knowledge Broker, SA Drought Hub
0402 245 747, tony@agex.org.au
