24 August 2026, AU: Grain growers, agronomists, farming system groups and others grains industry stakeholders in south-west Victoria, will meet with the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) Southern Panel to have their say about local production opportunities, emerging challenges and future research priorities when members visit the region from 31 August to 2 September.
The GRDC Southern Panel tour will visit growers’ farms, research trials and facilities across the high rainfall zone of south-western Victoria, including the Field Applied Research (FAR) Australia research facility and the Hamilton Smart Farm run by Agriculture Victoria.
The group, which includes the GRDC Southern Panel and a small number of GRDC staff, will meet with growers, grower groups, researchers and advisers from Bannockburn through to Inverleigh, Lake Bolac, Hamilton, Willaura, Ararat and Skipton.
The GRDC Southern Panel plays an important advisory role in ensuring grower perspectives help shape GRDC’s investments in research, development and extension (RD&E) to support the long-term profitability productivity and sustainability of Australian grain-growing businesses.
Andrew Russell, Chair of the GRDC Southern Panel, says the annual spring tour is a key event for panel members.
“The spring tour is an invaluable opportunity to hear directly from growers, advisers and researchers about the opportunities and challenges shaping grain production across our southern region,” Mr Russell said.
“From Victoria and Tasmania to South Australia, growers in the southern region operate in a wide range of environments and production systems, and those local differences matter when it comes to setting RD&E priorities.
“By spending time in paddocks, trial sites and farming communities, we gain a deeper understanding of the issues that matter most on the ground and can help ensure GRDC investments are practical, relevant and deliver value for growers.”
The GRDC Southern Panel includes growers, researchers and extension specialists from across the southern region, with this year’s tour hosted by panel member and Southern Farming Systems Research and Extension Coordinator Greta Duff.
“The tour in our high-rainfall region will showcase the resilience and innovation of growers, who manage diverse cereal, canola and pulse systems on heavy clay and volcanic soils despite challenges including waterlogging, frost risk, soil constraints, rising input costs, labour shortages and market volatility,” Ms Duff said.
“Panel members can expect to see some of the region’s leading examples of applied research, grower-led innovation and farming systems in action, with tour highlights including soil amelioration and waterlogging research, digital agriculture, grower group engagement, and insights into the grain supply chain from paddock to port.
“This is the first time since 2018 that the GRDC Southern Panel has toured the region, giving Panel members the opportunity to revisit and ground-truth the opportunities and challenges facing local grain growers, advisers and researchers.”
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