Agriculture
2 September, 2024
GRDC networks hooks into local ideas
GRAINGROWERS and agronomists last week got an opportunity to deliver their message to the industry’s biggest investor in research development. The Grains Research and Development Corporation staged one of its grower network forums at Pyramid Hill...
GRAINGROWERS and agronomists last week got an opportunity to deliver their message to the industry’s biggest investor in research development.
The Grains Research and Development Corporation staged one of its grower network forums at Pyramid Hill to hear directly about local grain production challenges and opportunities for research, development and extension.
At the same time GRDC specialists detailed what it is investing grower levies in. Speakers included Dr Jason Brand, from Frontier Farming Systems, who presented a detailed update on pulses in low rainfall zones such as the Mallee.
Birchip Cropping Group senior research manager Dr Yolanda Plowman talked about disease management in the southern Mallee, backed up by Chris Davey, from Next Level Agronomy, who zeroed in on local weed control.
GRDC grower relations manager Courtney Ramsey says the national grower network is “the community of growers and grains industry stakeholders across Australia’s growing regions who GRDC directly engages with to developing locally relevant research development and extension investments”.
Speaking to the Loddon Herald, Courtney said the network helped capture ideas, issues, constraints and opportunities for research, development, and engineering to enhance grower profitability.
“To achieve this, we will engage with stakeholders through forums such as this one at Pyramid Hill, which are open to all growers, advisers, researchers and industry parties,” she said.
“We recognise the value of grower and grains industry stakeholder time and where possible, we will partner with industry stakeholders to leverage existing engagement opportunities.”
Courtney said networks also contributed to the national opportunities and constraints register, which captured all issues and constraints raised by people at forums nationally.
She said the register provided a list of priority issues raised in each sub-region including background to provide context.
This data is used to inform the GRDC investment portfolio and also provides a feedback summary of GRDC investments and resources related to each of the issues.
The Pyramid Hill forum was one of three in Victoria.