Understanding the issues that are keeping grain growers and farm advisers awake at night will be a key part of GRDC's annual western regional panel tour through the great southern region in September.
GRDC's regional panels play a critical advisory and strategic role in informing GRDC investments in research, development and extension (RD&E) to create enduring profitability for grain growers.
Western region panel members and staff will tour the region from September 10 - 13, meeting with local growers, grower group representatives, researchers and advisers in a range of locations including farms and trial sites.
Newly appointed western panel chair Gary Lang of Wickepin said the tour was an opportunity for the panel to visit great southern growers' home patch and engage with those who may not regularly attend GRDC events or forums.
"The panel tour is an important opportunity to get to know the western panel and build personal connections, empowering growers to keep the conversation going about constraints and issues on their farm," Mr Lang said.
"In addition to the insights we gather on tour, panel tours are about building panel member-grower relationships to enable robust, two-way dialogue.
"The tour also provides an opportunity to take panel members out of their comfort zone - which is the area that they farm or work - and provide a deeper understanding of what it's like for growers in other areas, in those circumstances, in that year.
"This all contributes to GRDC's role in building relevant, timely and impactful investments in RD&E to maintain grower's enduring profitability."
Mr Lang said that after a relatively dry start to the season in most part of the grain belt, decent falls through July and August had turned the season around for many WA growers.
The western panel spring tour will begin at Highbury on Tuesday 10 September before moving through Kukerin, Lake Grace, Nyabing, Broomehill, Gnowangerup and Ongerup, finishing in South Stirlings on Friday September 13.
It will include visits with grower groups, field walks and visits to several GRDC-investment trial sites including:
- Oats
- Soil re-engineering
- Pest and weed control
- Farming systems
- Canola establishment
- Faba beans, pasture legumes and other legumes
- Canola on canola
- Snail management.
GRDC board members, staff and panel members from other grain growing regions across Australia will also join the tour, taking advantage of the opportunity to gain a first-hand understanding of local and regional challenges in WA.
