9. The Real Reason Australia’s Yields Are So High

02/12/2025 1h 6min Episodio 9
9. The Real Reason Australia’s Yields Are So High

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Episode Synopsis

Agronomist Wayne Smith has been behind some of the biggest shifts in Australian broadacre farming. In this episode, he joins Bill to unpack how no-till, better rotations, improved nutrition and smarter agronomy lifted WA cropping from two-tonne wheat to the high-yield systems farmers run today.
Wayne shares the breakthroughs that changed everything from zinc, copper and molybdenum diagnostics to the early disc-seeder revolution, stubble retention, deep roots and the move toward earlier sowing. He also reflects on the cultural resistance of the 80s and 90s, the “yeah-but” years, and the mindset shifts that helped WA growers become global leaders in no-till cropping.
A clear, honest and practical conversation for growers, agronomists and anyone wanting to understand why Australia’s grain yields have risen so dramatically.