IT'S well known modern growers have questioned the relevance of the Department of Agriculture and Food (DAFWA) for a number of years now.
Largely replaced by the work of local grower groups, agronomists and consultants, the department's role was again raised last week when Agriculture and Food Minister Terry Redman met with growers throughout the Wheatbelt.
Mr Redman was quick to admit the role of DAFWA had dramatically changed in recent decades and was now tasked with "filling the gaps" that grower groups and local businesses couldn't.
"The department has $155 million to spend on agricultural pursuits in WA and we need to spend it in areas that are going to make a difference," he said.
"Fundamentally we want to support the success of WA's agri-food sector.
"We often cite the words 'economic development' so in simple terms our spending is all about doing things which make a difference to the farmers' back pocket."
While speaking to growers in Lake Grace, Mr Redman pointed to a raft of projects that he believed helped to reach that end.
He said DAFWA had developed a range of online tools including the Drought Pilot Program which aimed to develop business capacity.
He also pointed to the importance of the Australian Export Grain Innovation Centre (AEGIC) in driving and complementing WA's grains sector despite the centre's construction being pushed back by two years due to budget cuts.
But it was DAFWA's investment in its 60 new weather stations and the possible closure of DAFWA's Lake Grace office which had local farmers talking.
Despite serious questioning by a number of Lake Grace growers, Mr Redman denied the office would close and said "he hadn't sent the signal which might suggest Lake Grace's office was in jeopardy".
"It's not on the lazy asset list," he said.
"I'm about putting the dollar where it has the most effect.
"In the future DAFWA will continue to support the success of farmers and their profitability by developing an environment for them to succeed."
Dalwallinu grower Harry Hyde was quick to address the issue of profitability with Mr Redman and spoke for all Wheatbelt growers when he made the Minister explicitly aware of the challenges faced while enduring very narrow profit margins on his northern Wheatbelt farm.
He also suggested the notion of DAFWA spending to help the State's top farmers become even more profitable by increasing production capacity and tangible value in the State's export supply chain.
"Mr Hyde made the point it was important to extend the performance of the State's top performing farmers as distinct from DAFWA putting too much focus on trying to assist the average farmer to perform at the top end of the scale," Mr Redman said.
"I'm not sure I entirely agree with that.
"If the department can help raise the performance of everyday and average growers up to where the State's top performing growers are then we can help lift the gross value agricultural production of WA by a billion dollars.
"DAFWA has to support all farmers but there will be a greater focus on keeping the top performers moving forward while at the same time providing tools to average farmers to help them be better at what they do."
Mr Redman also workshopped with growers the notion of establishing sophisticated and long-term connections with the State's export markets as a way of securing stable farmgate prices for grain.
"When nations are prepared to put money on the table to secure food resources then we need to move into a different way of thinking about trade relationships," Mr Redman said.
"Neither Mr Hyde or I had the solution to how that might work but we were agreeable on the philosophy.
"Those growers farming in low rainfall parts of the State are really efficient at turning rainfall into grain.
"So DAFWA's role in those areas is about building resilience strategies for the future."
