The Word from the Chair

John Ferrier BCG Chairman
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As farmers we often concentrate on climate, rainfall, agronomy and farm business.

It was rewarding to read two books recently published that stimulated my thinking and I recommend both to you.

The first by Dr Kate Burke: Crops, People Money and You – The Art of Excellent Farming.

Kate describes herself as a practical and pragmatic advisor to dryland cropping with 30 years of experience as an agricultural scientist.

Kate’s book tells us how to take control of our farming business with practical examples and scientific findings that help the industry that we operate in, families and local communities.

It was a good read for me to reflect on where our farming business has come from to where it is today and to keeping the vision going.

The second book was written journalist Gabrielle Chan Why You Should Give a F*ck about Farming.  Gabrielle’s book will challenge your thinking about food, farming and how you eat. Gabrielle sees farming sitting at the intersection of the world’s biggest challenges around climate change, soil, water, energy, natural disasters and zoonotic diseases.

Having been a farmer for nearly fifty years, I’ve been adapting to new sustainable, environmentally profitable farming. These books stimulated my desire to continue to work further in producing healthy food, building the health of the soil, caring for our environment and building resilience in our farming business.

BCG, as a science-based innovative research organisation, continues to work to inspire and support farmers and our communities to be vibrant and productive places to live.

BCG members had the opportunity to attend a COVIDSafe field day recently at the BCG trial sites. Those who attended were rewarded with stimulating presentations from BCG staff. The BCG team are doing a fantastic job communicating research through the challenges presented by Covid restrictions. Their flexibility to use various communication platforms to ensure farmers can access the latest research in a safe manner is to be commended.

This past week has seen good rain through much of the region which will benefit the crops to finish their season. I am mindful however that not all areas received rain in the 30mm range.

Some great news for BCG, our CEO Fiona Best and partner Jarrod Tyler welcomed their fourth child, a daughter, Eleanor Elizabeth, born September 30th. Congratulations Fiona and Jarrod!

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