Rising input costs, tighter margins and greater seasonal and global volatility are forcing grain growers across north west Victoria to think harder about how they make decisions on farm and which of those decisions genuinely improve business performance.
That reality is shaping this year’s BCG Trials Review Day, with the long running members only event deliberately repositioned to focus less on trial results in isolation and more on how those results stack up when tested against risk, profitability and long-term business strength.
Held on Friday 20 February at the Birchip Leisure Centre, the event will invite growers to step back from the season just gone and view their farming systems through a broader lens, combining agronomy, economics and markets to support more confident decisions for 2026. Despite decile one rainfall in parts of the region, many areas still recorded above average yields, reinforcing the importance of sound decision making, timing and system design. In seasons like these, access to credible, locally generated research and the ability to interpret it critically can be the difference between stabilising performance and compounding losses.
BCG Trials Review Day coordinator Louisa Ferrier said the 2025 program reflects a deliberate shift. “Farming systems today are carrying more cost, more complexity and more risk than they did a decade ago,” Ms Ferrier said. “That means growers need to be confident not just in what they do, but why they are doing it.”
This year’s program will feature agricultural economist Professor Bill Malcolm, who will question common assumptions around cost control, scale and efficiency while examining whether the agronomic themes discussed across the day are genuinely delivering economic return. Professor Richard Eckard will cut through the carbon conversation, focusing on what emissions reporting and sustainability expectations could realistically mean for farm businesses and their balance books. Birchip born agricultural analyst Joe Boyle from Bendigo and Adelaide Bank will provide a market outlook, unpacking the key drivers shaping 2026 after a volatile 2025. Together, the three speakers will frame trial results in a way that reflects the complexity of modern farm decision making, helping growers assess not just what works agronomically, but what holds up when margins tighten and risk increases.
Ms Ferrier said this makes independent research and critical thinking more important than ever. “There is no shortage of advice available to growers, but not all of it is grounded in local evidence. Trials Review Day gives growers the chance to step away from sales pressure and focus on what the data is really telling them.”
The event is expected to resonate strongly with younger and mid career growers who are actively refining their systems while carrying greater financial exposure and responsibility. Trials Review Day will be held on Friday 20 February at the Birchip Leisure Centre. Full program details are available to BCG members via the BCG website. Growers can become a member at bcg.org.au.
Got a question for Bill, Richard or Joe? Submit your early Trials Review Day questions via the form below:
Questions for Trials Review Day
What decision are you grappling with on farm? Submit your question below to help shape the Trials Review Day discussion.
