History

Welcome to our history pages. Select a date from the timeline below to find out what happened at BCG during that year.

BCG Timeline

2001

2001 is an important year for BCG. We amalgamate with Wimmera Farming Systems (WFS), giving a greater capacity to focus on and service the Wimmera region, especially in the south.

Alexandra Gartmann is appointed as Manager and Liam Lenaghan as Research and Extension Manager. Other new staff include Lisa Day (Events Coordinator), Angela Liston (Administration Assistant), Bobby Liston and Luke Zagame (Field Officers), and Fiona Best (Farming Systems Economist).

Our new building is under construction and a vital restructure of our committee is underway.

Our main site is at Boyle’s property on the Birchip-Warracknabeal Road and has the theme ‘Just ask’.

The fungicide diagnostic field school is held for the first time this year. This training program and the herbicide diagnostic field school are important events in the BCG calendar and both are highly successful.

A long-term project begins, ‘Southern Mallee and northern Wimmera farming systems’, funded by Grain Growers Association and GRDC. The aim of this Farming Systems Trial is to demonstrate four contrasting farming systems in the southern Mallee and northern Wimmera; to analyse the short- and long-term profitability of the four major farming systems in the region; and to identify the key biophysical parameters of sustainability of the farming systems in the region. More information about the Flexible Farming Systems Trial

A three-year project ‘Economic analysis and communication of best practice in the Wimmera and Mallee agroecological zones’, supported by GRDC, is undertaken to build upon the Farming Systems Trial and undertake intensive economic analyses of farming systems in the region.

Also linked to the Farming Systems Trial is a two-year project ‘Control of groundwater recharge from dryland cropping paddocks in the southern Mallee’, funded by the Natural Heritage Trust. The project aims to identify water use efficient farming systems in the southern Mallee, to assist in the development of sustainable farming systems in the southern Mallee with a target to reduce recharge into groundwater.

‘Café Grains’ (funded by GRDC) enables us to provide a platform for innovative and interested grain growers, researchers and agronomists to discuss topical issues affecting the grains industry on our internet site Discussion Forum Bulletin Board. Issues such as long term weather forecasting, crop nutrition, and in-crop pest control are posted as discussion forum themes on the Bulletin Board.

Read about The Year That Was - 2001 written by BCG Chairman, Ian McClelland.