Chairman’s Message – Gordon Stone

Happy New Year to you all; here’s hoping for a wetter (not too wet), brighter and more successful 2022! On behalf of the incoming leadership group of GAIAC, here’s a quick update of our future plans.

COVID – problem and opportunity

In Australia, we’re currently experiencing a surge of COVID cases, as I notice elsewhere in the globe. Here, one important impact is demonstrating the importance of food to urban consumers. At least, that’s some good news. Again, COVID is diminishing the ability for face-to-face workshops, conferences and gatherings. This creates continued difficulties for conducting business and connecting with each other, both in-country and globally.

Professional development

On the other hand, as we discovered last year (in the series of online joint GAIAC and NAICC workshops) it’s quite achievable to conduct professional development online. We now see online professional development as being one of the benefits GAIAC can deliver to its members. It’s also a way of members engaging with R&D and input supplier corporations in each country and globally, plus other like-minded organisations (such as NAICC). Therefore, the GAIAC leadership group is focusing on online professional development as a top priority for 2022 and beyond. We realise a number of national and international corporations are looking to capitalise on this opportunity also. This is part of Rick’s role.

Common emerging industry issues

Fall Army Worm continues its global expansion. While just one of many problems confronting farmers, advisers and CRO’s, there’s a degree of urgency to understand its management and control. Jim has once again taken the initiative and developed a global Fall Armyworm Workshop which is being held in person at the NAICC’s Florida conference on 25 January 2022 (USA time). It’s also being live streamed. The workshop features 7 international speakers, a Q&A session and will be recorded. This means it will be available longer term to members and non-members. Developing similar workshops, webinars and briefing papers is another of our priorities.

Communication

The Whats App group is used by many members as a way of sharing real-time technical, pricing and management between each other. Also, it’s a source of enjoyable interaction and a bit of fun. One of our questions for 2022 is: Can we do more with the GAIAC Whats App group? We’d be interested in your thoughts and feedback.

Feedback

Brad Aderhold remains our Executive Director (contact here: brad@adversecreations.com ). The leadership group would value any feedback you can provide in terms of your needs, opportunities to engage with other advisers and CRO’s and how to enhance global connections between us all.

Please keep in touch with Brad with any thoughts or with me gordon.stone@abdi.com.au .

NAICC Conference

Those of us who can get to the NAICC Florida conference , being held January 25-28, 2022 at the Rosen Centre Hotel, Orlando, Florida are looking forward to meeting up face-to-face. Otherwise, the online connection represents the next best way of connecting. More from GAIAC on that option as described above.

Where to from here?

The leadership group will keep you up-to-date with thoughts and activities during 2022. Looking forward to your thoughts and feedback.

GAIAC Leadership Group

In October 2021, the following were elected as the GAIAC Office Bearers:

  • Chair: Gordon Stone (Australia)
  • Vice Chair: Jim Steffel (USA)
  • Secretary/Treasurer: Al Averitt (USA)
  • Past Chair: Patrick Stephenson (UK)
  • At Large Director: Gary Coukell (Canada)
  • Special Appointee (Sustaining Members) : Rick Kesler (USA)

CONTACT GAIAC WITH ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS YOU MAY HAVE FOR US.

Communicate With Colleagues:


GAIAC members share lots of great information with each other via a WhatsApp chat.  Want to get in?

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Email GAIAC member, Din Din Martins for information on being added to the chat.

Renew your membership with GAIAC!

Membership dues are paid annually and are currently being collected for 2022.  Using the form below will allow you to pay your membership dues with a credit card through our PayPal account.

$55 USD for all Membership Categories


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Fall Armyworm Global Consultants Workshop

The Global Alliance of Independent Ag Consultants (GAIAC) and NAICC will host their fourth joint consultant’s workshop on Tuesday afternoon, January 25, 2022, from 2:00 pm – 7:00 pm EST.

Photo by Drees/Texas A&M

Our aim

To share information on Fall Armyworm and management solutions for a historic pest of the Americas with practitioners in areas of recent Eastern Hemisphere introductions.

This pest

Fall Armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda, is an agricultural pest of historic significance in tropical, sub-tropical and temperate zones of the Americas.  Introduced into Africa approximately 10 years ago, FAW quickly spread east through Asia achieving a global range when confirmed in Australia during the 2020 growing season.

The workshop

In this workshop, academic researchers, GAIAC and NAICC crop advisers and industry technical representatives from the Americas and Australia will review data on FAW biology and behavior, preferred and secondary host crops and management in various crops and cropping systems.

Sampling techniques and implementation of management strategies for year around populations in temperate and subtropical regions and migratory populations in subtropical regions will be discussed.

Precision Ag virtual predictive platforms available in real time to consultants and growers will be presented.  Use of these virtual platforms to implement targeted field sampling and timely implementation of proactive management strategies against populations approaching threshold levels will be presented.

Live streaming

The entire Workshop will be livestreamed to allow for interactive discussion between the speakers and attendees to share information and actual field experiences working with fall armyworm in various crops and cropping systems throughout the global range of this pest.

The Workshop will also be recorded and available for viewing later.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR REGISTERING FOR THE WORKSHOP:
  • VISIT THIS LINK
  • Enter your email
  • At the bottom of the list of options, click “Workshops Only”
  • Scroll to the bottom and select: Tues. Jan. 25  Fall Armyworm Controls Workshop (2:00 – 7:00 pm EST)
  • Proceed to payment
You will receive a Zoom link to the workshop about 2 weeks prior to the event.