On Friday, February 21, BCG’s annual Trials Review Day, supported by the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund, delivered cutting-edge research and expert insights to help growers make informed decisions for the upcoming season in Birchip.
CEO Fiona Best, posed the question “What can farmers do in 2025 to make it the best year of their farming career?” She encouraged the audience to use the information presented as an opportunity to discuss the year ahead with fellow farmers and industry representatives to help develop strategies and action points for their own farms.
Key topics
The event covered key topics such as variety selection, weed management, crop water use efficiency and business operating efficiency, featuring BCG staff and external industry experts Dr Kenton Porker (CSIRO), Dr Grant Hollaway (Astute Ag), Peter Newman (Planfarm Advisory) and Mark Congreve (ICAN Rural).
The members-only event attracted 150 growers, advisors, and industry representatives eager to gain insights from the latest research conducted across North West Victoria.
“Trials Review Day is a unique opportunity for growers to access independent, regionally relevant research that directly informs on-farm decisions,” said BCG Senior Manager of Extension and Communications, Grace Hosking. “With so many variables influencing farm businesses, practical, science backed insights are invaluable.”
Soil moisture: more than just last year’s rain
Agriculture Victoria’s Dale Boyd highlighted that moisture reserves from previous seasons can significantly contribute to crop yields. “It’s not just last year’s moisture, but could be the year before, that is contributing to crop yield”, he explained, reinforcing the importance of understanding soil moisture availability at different depths within the soil profile.
Variety selection and disease management
Ultima grower Baden Grey found value in the variety sessions presented by BCG staff Ashlee Tierney, Anna Marcus and Matthew Lade: “We’ve made quite a few changes on farm this year, adopting Thunder lentils, some Shotgun wheat, and we’re growing canola for the first time in 11 years. All the BCG information is useful in decision making, especially around sowing time,” he said.
BCG unpacked the performance of wheat, barley, canola, and pulses under last season’s conditions. Research Agronomist Anna Marcus is “interested to assess the performance of Shotgun over the next couple of years to see whether it really is the next Scepter.”
Shotgun has been the highest yielding variety for the North Central region for the two years it has been in the National Variety trials however, growers should assess variety performance over multiple seasons,” she stated.
Dr Grant Hollaway from Astute Ag discussed cereal disease management, emphasising the importance of variety choice, inoculum levels and seasonal conditions.
“When these three factors align, disease pressure increases, making proactive management critical,” he said.
“Fungicide resistance is an industry-wide responsibility, and we are starting to see resistance issues across the region. Choosing varieties based on yield alone, without considering disease susceptibility, puts more pressure on fungicides and shortens their effectiveness.”
Maximising water use efficiency
“The most important period of the year is the 20-30 days prior to and after flowering,” said CSIRO’s Dr Kenton Porker. “We need to make sure our crop has everything it needs to grow like it should during the critical period.”
Dr Porker explored the benefits of sowing on time in marginal conditions and challenged growers to assess their confidence in sowing dry.
“The new winter wheat varieties can establish in May and still compete with spring wheats helping to spread risk with frost,” he said.
Farm business resilience
Peter Newman provided key insights into financial management and business resilience.
“Every season comes with its challenges, but there are always opportunities to improve business performance,” he stated. “The decisions growers make in the good years has significant impacts on their business’s long-term performance.”
Noting some advice he once received “I haven’t seen a bad farmer expand their way out of trouble” Newman urged growers to “look at operating efficiency and make sure that variable costs match farm income. Then look at below the line costs of finance, personal and machinery.”
Research driving profitability
BCG CEO Fiona Best highlighted the importance of Trials Review Day in bringing research outcomes to life for growers.
“Our goal is to ensure that farmers in the Wimmera and Mallee have access to the best available information to drive profitability and sustainability,” Best said. “This event allows us to reflect on the past season, unpack what worked, what didn’t, and what growers can take forward into their decision-making.”
For more details or to become a BCG member, call (03) 5492 2787 or visit www.bcg.org.au/memberships.
Funding
This event was supported by the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund through the Victoria Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub and the Extension and Adoption of Drought Resilience Practices Grant.
The Victoria Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub is a state-wide collaboration of 10 organisations.
Led by the University of Melbourne and with headquarters at UM’s Dookie Campus, the Vic Hub is a Partnership between five farming organisations (Birchip Cropping Group, Food & Fibre Gippsland, Mallee Regional Innovation Centre, Riverine Plains and Southern Farming Systems), four universities (UM, Deakin, Federation and La Trobe), and the State Governmen (through Agriculture Victoria).
One of eight hubs established nationally under the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund (FDF), the Vic Hub works to enhance the drought preparedness and resilience of Victoria’s agricultural industries, the environment and regional communities, encompassing broader agricultural innovation. Engaging with a range of industry and community stakeholders, the Vic Hub links research with community needs for sustainable outcomes.
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This article appeared in The Buloke Times, 4 March 2025.
