Last week, 17 participants from across Victoria travelled to Western Australia as part of BCG’s study tour focused on soil management and innovation.
The diverse group included participants aged from 17 to over 50, representing a range of farming backgrounds and levels of experience. The mix of perspectives created valuable discussion and knowledge sharing throughout the tour
Western Australian growers face some of Australia’s most challenging soils, driving decades of innovation in soil amelioration and machinery development. The tour gave participants the opportunity to see firsthand how long-term investment, research and practical innovation have transformed these soils into productive cropping country.
Across the week, participants visited leading growers, researchers, grower groups and machinery manufacturers, including Andrew and Todd Kenny, Ben and Sean Plozza, Ben Cripps, Waringa Farming, the Yuna Farm Improvement Group, Brad Smith, the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD), Nufab Engineering, the CBH Geraldton Port, Daniel and Dylan Birch, and the Liebe Group.
The visits explored a range of topics including soil amelioration, controlled traffic farming, deep ripping, nitrogen management, time of sowing, machinery innovation and integrated weed management. Participants also saw how purpose-built machinery and practical innovation are helping growers overcome challenging soil constraints while improving productivity and profitability.
A highlight for many participants was seeing the long-term outcomes of investing in soils, with businesses demonstrating significant improvements in crop performance through strategic soil management.
Local participant Bill Lee said one of the biggest takeaways from the tour was the long term value of investing in soil. “One of the biggest takeaways was the importance of soil amelioration. While the process is both time consuming and costly, growers consistently demonstrated that the long-term return on investment can be substantial through improved soil productivity and resilience.” Mr Lee said.
The study tour reinforced the value of seeing innovation firsthand how long-term investment in soils, machinery and research can improve the productivity, profitability and sustainability of Australian farming businesses.
This study tour was funded by the GRDC.
