grdc growers' report - Grains Research & Development Corporation

eport from the chair and managing director
How the GRDC is funded
The quality and extent of Australian grains research, extension and education is envied
throughout the world. The unique method of public and industry research funding,
national coordination and structure—and ultimately extension—provides continuing
scientific and management breakthroughs for grain growers. This translates into
productivity gains essential in maintaining competitiveness in world markets.
Depending on seasonal conditions, the grains industry invests around $100 million
each year through the GRDC on research. This is funded by a combination of:
• growers paying a statutory levy of 0.99 percent of the net farm gate value of
grain produced (maize is levied at 0.693 percent)
• a sliding scale of matching contributions from the Australian Government. Depending
on the prevailing market value of the various grains, this sliding scale means the
government contributes around 30 to 40 percent of total GRDC revenue.
The Australian Government matches the levy income up to a maximum of 0.5 percent
of the gross value of grains production, provided the government contribution does
not exceed grower levies.
This system of joint statutory collections raised over $150 million in 2010–11 which was
in turn invested back into the industry via the funding of hundreds of research projects.
The 25 leviable grain crops are: wheat; coarse grains—barley, oats, sorghum, maize,
triticale, millets/panicums, cereal rye and canary seed; pulses—lupins, field peas,
chickpeas, faba beans, vetch, peanuts, mung beans, navy beans, pigeon peas,
cowpeas and lentils; and oilseeds—canola, sunflower, soybean, safflower and linseed.
IA Watson Grains Research Centre
The National Grains RD&E strategy is
founded on linking regional RD&E centres
with private sector breeding, national centres
of research and research programs that
have a regional delivery focus.
The GRDC believes that capacity and
capability building at the IA Watson Grains
Research Centre at Narrabri (New South
Wales) is critical to the future adoption of R&D
outcomes in the GRDC’s Northern Region.
International grains research links
International collaboration on grains R&D
is about achieving mutual benefits and
advancing global agriculture. The GRDC
has longstanding formal research alliance
agreements with the International Maize and
Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) in
Mexico and the International Center for
Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas
(ICARDA) in Syria. These very successful
alliances have not only benefited farmers in
the developing world but also provided
Australian plant breeders with germplasm
and landraces with unique genes for
disease resistance and climate adaptation.
In addition, the alliance agreements provide
a framework for information sharing under
the International Treaty on Plant Genetic
Resources for Food and Agriculture.
Australian Cereal Rust Control Program
The program delivers to growers new
commercial wheat and barley varieties with
improved rust resistance; raises grower
awareness, through the Rust Bust campaign,
of the importance of management strategies
to reduce the risk of disease outbreak; plays
an important role in addressing global
rust threats, and assists Australia to be
prepared for incursions of rust pathotypes,
through collaboration in the Borlaug Global
Rust Initiative.
Omega-3 oil from canola
The GRDC, CSIRO and Nuseed entered
into a $50 million research collaboration
which will use leading-edge gene
technology to develop and commercialise a
canola plant that will provide an alternative
and sustainable source of long-chain
omega-3 oils.
Ultra-low gluten barley
The GRDC, in collaboration with CSIRO, the
Walter and Eliza Hall Institute and Melbourne
Health, is supporting a project to develop an
ultra-low gluten barley variety, by identifying
and combining mutations in the genes
encoding the gluten family. In 2010–11 the
project generated a barley line in which no
gluten can be detected using current
detection methods.
Wheat Quality Australia
Wheat Quality Australia Limited (WQA) is a
not-for-profit company, limited by guarantee.
It is owned in partnership by the GRDC
and Grain Trade Australia.
WQA commenced operations in January
2011, assuming all the responsibilities
previously undertaken by the Wheat
Classification Council and the Variety
Classification Panel. The formation of WQA
ensures that the industry has a sustainable
wheat classification system, which will
improve the value of Australian wheat for
producers, marketers, processors and
consumers and enhance the competitiveness
of the Australian grains industry.
Managing spray drift
In response to the Australian Pesticides and
Veterinary Medicines Authority’s updated
label requirements for spray drift
management, the cross-industry National
Working Party on Pesticide Applications
was set up in March 2010. In 2010–11,
the GRDC played a leadership role in the
working party’s efforts to help grain growers
to understand and implement changes to
reduce spray drift, and has invested in new
work to provide the authority with realistic
and practical risk management models.
Improvements to National Variety Trials
The National Variety Trials (NVT) program
represents the largest independent variety
evaluation program in the world: in 2010–11,
632 trials were conducted across more than
260 locations covering the breadth of the
Australian winter grains cropping region.
NVT provides growers with an unparalleled
source of varietal performance information
for winter cereals, oilseeds and pulses.
Managed environment facilities
Three managed environment facilities
were established in 2010–11, at Merredin
(Western Australia), Yanco (southern New
South Wales) and Narrabri (northern New
South Wales). These centres aim to
accelerate the development of breeding
lines that have been identified as being able
to capture more of a limited water supply,
and use limited water more effectively,
for increased crop yield and quality.
Farm business management
The GRDC is coordinating a Farm Business
Management initiative which involves
workshops, intensive training courses for
advisers, specialist farm business
management updates, the development of
resource material, and work with farming
systems groups to build capacity in
managing profit and risk among
consultants and growers.
GRDC regional panels
In December 2010 the GRDC advertised the
regional panel positions, which were due to
become vacant on 30 June 2011. A total of
117 applications were received across the
three regions. In each region, a panel
selection committee was established to
4 GRDC GROWERS’ REPORT 2010–2011