More information about BCG

The continued success of the BCG is guaranteed due to the high level of grower ownership. The Group's success has also resulted in attracting a large number of collaborators who assist with the research. These include five universities, various state and federal government agencies such as DPI, CSIRO and an extensive list of chemical companies and other agribusinesses.

The contribution that BCG has already made to the Wimmera and Mallee communities of southern Australia is substantial. This is expected to continue indefinitely. The Group is considering a large range of new initiatives. These include establishment of a farmer orientated information transfer system incorporating Virtual Agronomy where farmers can follow a trial on the internet from their own home, Yield Prophet, as a on-line decision support tool for crop, rotation, climate and risk management, and a ‘Making Conservation Pay’ concept where production and conservation are balanced for positive benefits for society, the economy and the environment.

Where did BCG come from...

The BCG formed from a sense of frustration with existing levels of research being conducted in the immediate region surrounding Birchip but has grown to encompass the Wimmera/Mallee region as a whole.

Research is focused on agronomy, covering all major crops grown in the region including cereals, pulses and oilseeds.

The purpose of the group has now been redefined into a more specific role of identifying critical success factors within the cropping program and integrating these into complete farming systems. Nevertheless, the focus stated in the Group's mission statement continues to be central. That is "improving prosperity for farming and rural communities."

Staff and operating budget

The BCG currently employ nineteen staff including a CEO, events coordinator, research coordinator, four technical officers, extension coordinator, finance manager, three Yield Prophet staff, electronic communications officer, administrative officer, membership officer and an ecologist.  Meet the staff

The Group has an operating budget in excess of $2.2 million sourced from membership (0.5%), corporate sponsorship (1.5%) and commissioned or contracted research projects (85%) with new revenue streams being developed.

Research activities

The BCG has conducted in excess of $8.2million of agronomic research in the Wimmera and Mallee since 1993.

There are currently more than 100 different research trials located across eight sites radiating up to 120 kilometres from Birchip. Core topics include pesticides, in particular new chemistry, and fertilisers and plant nutrition with the emphasis on independence of the research.

More recent work has focused on the development of agronomic packages to address particular issues such as grain quality. All work considers specific management issues and how each of these can be integrated into a complete farming system.

Extension innovation

The BCG attracts in excess of 3500 visitors per year to its demonstration and extension events.

Annual events include a Grains Research EXPO held in July, an annual main public field day in September, field days targeting women, an event addressing the needs of younger farmers (2020 Vision), industry sponsor training days, annual trials review day and satellite site field days.

Communication mediums include the trials results manual, fortnightly technical fax bulletins throughout the growing season, bi-monthly newsletters to all members, website activities, regular presentations to industry through a range of public appearances and the Virtual Agronomy program allowing members to track the progress of trials on a week by week basis from their own home.

All events focus on attracting leading researchers and communicators from across the country to the region and giving local producers access to their expertise in a comfortable learning environment. All events use the Group's own research activities as a backdrop.

Competitive advantage

The BCG has several competitive advantages:

• It was the first group of its kind
• It is farmer-owned
• We are perceived as the market leaders in agricultural community innovation as we trial what the farmers want.

Market locations

The BCG markets its services to all primary producers across Australia. Although our research is specific to the Wimmera Mallee region, best practices can be adapted to many regions.

Partnership with supplier/customer

The Group operates on the premise that if rural communities are to survive, they need to attract industry, government and educational institutions to their region. The success of this philosophy is far exceeding initial expectations.

The benefits are greater than revenue alone, although revenue ensures we keep operating.

Benefits to the community

• Our aim is to increase grain production, therefore increase revenue with the flow on benefits to the wider community
• We also aim to increase employment in small rural towns
• We promote rural and regional Australia and attract many visitors to the region
• Promote agriculture as an innovative and exciting industry

Additional information

• Our research has scientific rigour based on fully randomised replicated trial designs.
• We have completed the construction of a $750,000 research facility in Birchip, allowing us to increase our operations and scope.
• We are recognised as a registered research agency (RRA) by the federal AusIndustry program, which entitles clients to 125% tax deductibility for research work contracted to the BCG.

Contact: Alexandra Gartmann, CEO, BCG, (03) 5492 2787, email: info@bcg.org.au