Focus on grains industry sustainability

The panel in Geraldton was part of a national series highlighting the industry and delving into the future challenges of grain growing.

Event host Liam Bartlett kicked off proceedings for "Farming, the key to Australia's future", highlighting the sustainability and longevity of the grains industry in an environment where the mining downturn had affected WA.

"Grain farming and grain production is vital to the Australian economy," he said.

"WA farmers account for the lion's share of the $6 billion that we produce nationally, which is an enormous injection to the economy.

"It's a crucial part of our economy and a strong grains industry is, almost needless to say, good for all of us, not just for those who are growing but for the general public."

Key panellists Kim Halbert, an Eneabba grower and GRDC deputy chairman, WAFarmers Grains Council president Duncan Young and GRDC Regional Cropping Solutions Networks Geraldton member and Northampton grower Karl Suckling, spoke during the evening.

The trio touched on topics including herbicide resistance, variety development, an ageing workforce and the future of grain growing markets.

A key theme was the ever-changing face of farming and the need to adapt and change as climate, market and customer needs changed.

Mr Suckling said profitability and sustainability remained at the forefront of his mind as a grower, particularly in the northern part of WA's Wheatbelt.

"Farming is ever-evolving and at the end of the day, in the past five years where we live, farming has changed significantly weather wise," he said.

"It's going to keep doing that because we're right on the pointy end of the Wheatbelt where we're getting squeezed by temperature and rainfall.

"We'll never not grow crops and we'll evolve with what's thrown at us weather wise."

He said the GRDC played a vital role in planning research and development (R&D) efforts to keep him farming.

"We'll always farm where we are, it'll never not be a viable area," Mr Suckling said.

"But with the help of the GRDC we're going to be able to make sure we can keep evolving with this changing climate in the way of genetics and understanding the limitations of our soils."

Mr Young highlighted variety development as a long-term R&D item he believed would be of most benefit to growers.

"We're all in business to make money and farms have to become more profitable," he said.

Varieties that are developed to suit changing conditions, whether that be with frost or heat tolerance, were high on Mr Young's list for GRDC focus and grower support.

"In my area (the priority is) probably looking at frost resistance, because that's our biggest one, and actually getting varieties that can grow well in a very cold environment during that growing season," he said

Mr Halbert highlighted the involvement of the GRDC in the G20's International Wheat Yield Partnership.

The aim of the partnership is to increase wheat yields by 50 per cent in the next 20 years and while Mr Halbert admitted this was a lofty aspiration, it was necessary to aim high.

He said the lead the GRDC was taking in the international space on breeding for drought and heat tolerance and in the national space for frost tolerance were examples of R&D working on current problems for a more profitable future.

The GRDC Geraldton event was the third of four events to be held across the country.

The series began in Goondiwindi, in Queensland, earlier in March, before going to Swan Hill, Victoria, and then Geraldton.

It will conclude this week in Orange, New South Wales.