Southern Farming Systems Premier Technical Event

AgriFocus is the leading field day for high rainfall zone farming systems, offering farmers and agronomists direct access to cutting-edge research and expert insights.

📅 Date: 21st  October 2026
📍 Location: SFS Streatham Trial Site

Now in its sixteenth year, AgriFocus features:

🧑‍🌾Key Note Sessions

• Building Farms for the Future – Oli le Lievre, Humans of Agriculture
• The Autonomous Agronomist – Tim Neale, Data Farming 

🔗The “choose your own adventure” matrix of field proof-of-concept trials and expert-led discussions

• Understanding the impact of crop rotation on soil carbon and nitrogen dynamics from Victoria’s long-term rotation and tillage trials  – Roger Armstrong, formerly Agriculture Victoria &  Dr Katherine Dunsford, Agriculture Victoria
• Beyond the Balance Sheet: What drives farm profitability?  – Will Fritsch, Agripath 
• Turning Soil Data into Better Decisions – Ned Skehan, OpitSoil 
• Amazone Pantera Self Propelled Sprayer & all things spraying – Landpower Southern
• Drones : multispectral mapping & Spraying – Kyle Hester, CIRTA FARM Drones 
• Enhancing  wheat and canola performance with Active AgriScience products – Jessica Sampson, Active AgriScience 
• Grain and Graze: Grazing effects on cereal varieties – Max Wagner, Southern Farming Systems 
• Malt Barley Variety Evaluation – Marcus Williams, Malteurop 
• Herbicide matrix: actives, crop safety and efficacy  – Premier Ag Consultancy Group 
• Pre and Post emergent Annual Ryegrass Control – Dr Chris Preston, Adelaide University 
• Pulse varieties: benchmarking for nutrient value and quality – Audrey Delahunty, Agriculture Victoria 
• Canola Technology and Agronomy Research – Pacific Seeds 
• Black leg monitoring Program  – Marcroft Grains Pathology
• Faba Bean Varieties and Breeding  – Dan Fay, InterGrain &  Stuart Ockerby, Seednet 
• Faba bean disease management  – Greta Duff & Irene Digard, Southern Farming Systems 
• Farming Systems South: putting it together – crop selection, rotation, time of sowing and nitrogen learnings so far  – Matt Knowling, Adelaide University & James Palmer Southern Farming Systems
• Clovers in Faba beans and their responses to liming  – Lisa Miller, Southern Farming Systems
• Streatham soil pit profile and insights – Richard MacEwan & Nathan Robinson, CERDI Federation University and Soil CRC

👀Partner exhibits

📄 Event Program (Available in hard copy form at the event): 

• Online Event Guide
• Program Matrix & Map (A4, downloadable)

Catering: Lunch is provided, Snacks and Coffee at retail prices.

Closest towns with accommodation & Airport Information:

• Beaufort, Skipton & Lake Bolac are small towns within approx. 30min radius of Streatham with some boutique accommodation options
• Ararat is a city approx. 40mins North West of Streatham and has a few main stream options for accommodation
• Ballarat is approx. 1 hour East of Streatham and is a large city with many options
• Geelong is approx. 2 hours from Streatham.
• Melbourne Airport is approx 2.25 -2.5hours from Streatham.

📧 More Info: Contact Michelle McClure at mmclure@sfs.org.au

💬 “If you’re farming in the high rainfall zone, this is a field day not to be missed. Access to research trials in your own backyard is priceless.” – Michelle McClure, AgriFocus Coordinator

🎯 Help us continue pushing boundaries in HRZ farming—your support matters!