Productivity in Australian field crops is limited largely by water – both in amount and timing of its availability. This is exacerbated by the risks generated by the extreme season-to-season variability faced in production regions. Advances in management technologies, genetics, and crop modelling now enable us to explore possibilities and ideas for novel G*E*M combinations in silico using simulation. Conventional approaches are often conservative as decisions are made at time of planting. Here we analyse possibilities for in-season canopy adjustment in grain sorghum as a means to adapt to the prevailing moisture environment. Selective removal of plants might be possible via pulse spray technology or genetic herbicide resistance in a fraction of the seed planted. This might allow more aggressive management at planting and the potential to make better use of good rainfall seasons, while not overly enhancing risk in poor rainfall seasons. The APSIM sorghum module was used to simulate potential options associated with canopy reduction at various stages during crop development using historical weather data at key production locations in NE Australia. Results were analysed to examine productivity-risk trade-offs and consequences on the effective use of available water.