THE next variety of grain capable of producing high yields in a range of conditions could be growing in one of Grant Thompson's 10,000 plots at Moonyoonooka, near Geraldton.
With 20 years of farm agronomy experience Mr Thompson has turned his interest in research into a major business and these wheat and barley variety trials, just one of 30 projects the company is managing around the region, are his pride and joy.
Data from the 10,000 plots will evaluate plant-breeding lines for major cereal breeding company InterGrain.
The plantings include everything from cereals fresh out of the glasshouse to those in the final stages of breeding almost ready for market.
Earlier this year Mr Thompson decided to expand his business Crop Circle Consulting to serve major plant breeding companies like InterGrain.
"I needed a new challenge, I've always had a passion for research and development and decided it was time to get into it seriously," Mr Thompson said.
He has built a team of five experienced people and is now working with plant breeders, international chemical and fertiliser producers, as well as local grower groups.
The company is currently testing canola varieties in some of the more challenging conditions farmers experience in the Mid West.
Mr Thompson identified a gap in the work being completed in low rainfall parts of the region.
In response, he designed a fee for entry experiment that involves BASF, Advanta and Pioneer sharing the cost for 20 canola lines to be assessed for yield and oil content in plots near Mullewa.
"It's a way of getting the seed companies out there, sharing the cost of the work in a place they wouldn't go otherwise, and the local farmers appreciate that it is independent research that will be really useful for the environment they grow in," Mr Thompson said.
"So far this year the trial site has received less than 180 millimetres of rain, the majority in just four events between April and September, so it looks like the results will show how these varieties cope with a year that's on the dry side."
The team will monitor and collect data across the other 30 trial sites for the rest of the season and harvest when they will commence planning for season 2020.
