It’s not often that Birchip Cropping Group technical officer James Jess gets to rub shoulders with a South Australian artisan cheese maker and a NSW grower of Asian greens. But the 2008 Woolworths Agricultural Business Scholarship Program has given James the opportunity to get together with others in the agricultural sector and see what makes […]
BCG hosted a record crowd at the Main Field Day on Thursday 11 September, 600 farmers and industry representatives came to be part of what has become one of the regions premier agricultural events. The theme for the field day was ‘Changing climate- changing practices’ with the morning tours and afternoon discussion sessions developed around […]
Ian McClelland was awarded a 2008 OAM ‘for service to agriculture, particularly through the development of sustainable crop production systems, and innovative farming and land management practices.’ Born on October 24, 1948, Ian is the fourth child and third son of Alan and Doris McClelland, of ‘Windarra’, Birchip. He attended the Birchip Primary School and, until […]
Farmer confidence to dry sow a proportion of their program into weed free paddocks is increasing, particularly as the Wimmera Mallee experiences more late break’s. However questions arose again this season as to “How long would a germinated cereal grain remain viable without follow up rain”?, and “How safe is it to sow into marginal moisture […]
BCG’s ‘Critical Breaking Point? Understanding the impact of drought on farming families in the Wimmera Mallee’ aims to gain a better understanding of the pressures upon, and experiences of, farming families in a time of drought. Based on in-depth interviews with farming families in the Wimmera Southern Mallee region of north-western Victoria, it uses an […]
The grey banded leaf weevil (Ethemaia sellata) has been detected attacking canola crops across the Wimmera Mallee. Growers are reporting extensive damage to emerging canola seedlings. In one particular canola paddock cotyledons and adult leaves were nibbled at or missing entirely, and damage was occurring despite a pre-emergent spray of Endosulfan. Weevils were caught using some pitfall traps and identified by […]
BCG highlight the importance each year of correctly calculating seeding rate, but this year with record high prices for all grains, it is more important than ever to know exactly how much seed to sow to achieve your target plant densities. Target Plant Density: the table below provides a guide to the target plant densities […]
A BCG machinery modification morning held in Culgoa on 28 February drew the interest of over 60 farmers from across the region. Held on the property of Des Witney, the day involved four local farmers showcasing their seeding set ups and providing some important information about their individual experiences of moving into a no-till sowing […]
180 farmers from across the region attended the BCG Trials Review Day on Monday 17 February, in Birchip, hearing the latest research outcomes from 2007 BCG trials. A line up of top speakers including Ron Storey, David Cornish, Brooke White, Kate McCormick, James Jess, Peter McIntosh, Ben Jones, Rob Wheeler and Nigel McGuckian, presented some […]
‘Critical Breaking Point? Understanding the impact of drought on farming families in the Wimmera Mallee’ aims to gain a better understanding of how Australian producers and their families are responding to drought and other pressures. Based on in-depth interviews with farming families in the Wimmera Southern Mallee region of north-western Victoria, this research uses an […]
Fiona Best, BCG Extension Coordinator, has been awarded the 2007 APEN (Australia Pacific Extension Network) Young Professional Award for Excellence in Extension. The award, sponsored by RIRDC, recognises demonstrated excellence in extension through a work program completed within the last five years. Ms Best has demonstrated a high level of extension leadership and innovation in […]