Contact:
James.Holden@Pioneer.com
0408 669 026
09-Feb-07
Pioneer Technology Show draws good-sized crowd despite drought
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| Pioneer’s sorghum breeder, Ivan Calvert, talks about an experimental forage sorghum hybrid. |
Despite the continuation of the worse drought in a century, more than 400 farmers and industry people attended the Pioneer Technology Show from February 5 to 9, 2007.
Over the past three weeks heavy rain has fallen across parts of northern Australia causing flooding in some parts, although little or no rain was received in most of Australia’s cropping districts further south. Many of these areas have now had the driest summer on record.
The Pioneer Technology Show, which was held at Pioneer Hi-Bred Australia’s research complex near Toowoomba in south-east Queensland, aimed to lift growers’ optimism by showing them the latest in summer cropping technology for corn, grain sorghum and forage sorghum.
Craig Choice, Pioneer Hi-Bred Australia’s sorghum and northern corn product manager, said Pioneer staff spent a lot of time and effort making sure the show could assist growers to make good decisions about which summer crops and hybrids to plant.
Mr Choice said Pioneer also wanted to demonstrate how growers could get the best out their crops.
He said some of the attractions included silage inoculant and ethanol demonstrations, and row spacing, seed treatment and plantability trials.
“We also showed growers and agronomists Pioneer’s latest range of products, including the new and exciting corn hybrids 31G66 and 34N43.
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| Growers showed a lot of interest in Pioneer’s new grain sorghum hybrid, 85G08. |
“Growers showed a lot of interest and gave us good feedback about 85G08.”
Mr Choice said this grain sorghum hybrid was released commercially this year and was the first to come through Pioneer Hi-Bred Australia’s rejuvenated sorghum breeding program.
He said growers were also impressed with the plant breeding, seed production and historical hybrid demonstrations.
“We were pleased to see a large proportion of summer cropping personnel attend the show.
Everyone who attended said they got something worthwhile out of it.”
ENDS