Sykesy's Buraja Meeting 2025

SYKESY’S BURAJA MEETING UNPACKS 2024, PLANS FOR 2025

Riverine Plains is excited to host Sykesy’s Buraja Meeting on Wednesday 5 February, 2025. 

This long-standing community event continues the tradition started by the late John Sykes and is an opportunity for grain and mixed farmers to debrief the previous season and address key issues likely to impact farm businesses in 2025.  

Riverine Plains Senior Project Manager, Kate Coffey, said the day was renowned for its informal feel and wide-ranging discussions, with lots of practical information and experiences shared across the sessions to support farmers in making key decisions this year.

“Sykesy’s Buraja Day has a focus on taking the experiences and learnings from the previous season, both the good and bad, and then using these to identify priority planning areas for the upcoming growing season,” she said.

The day will kick off with a harvest debrief with Chris Minehan from Rural Management Strategies, which will look closely at the positive and negative seasonal and agronomic aspects of the season just gone, before turning to the issues that might impact farmers in 2025.

While many farmers had a better-than-expected finish to the season given the dry spring conditions, high input costs coupled with frost and harvest rains, have impacted returns across the Riverine Plains. With cashflow a concern for many businesses, Ben Percy, from AgInsights, will speak on strategies to boost and address cashflow and gross margin issues in 2025.

Variety choice can have a huge bearing on yield and overall farm profitability and is always a major topic for discussion at Buraja. This year, Ben Morris from FAR Australia will cover local wheat and barley research results, while Chris Minehan will run a discussion on canola varieties and agronomic performance during 2024.

There will also be a panel session featuring Elders agronomist Matt Coffey, Ben Morris from FAR Australia and local farmers. Summer and winter weed control, stubble management and targeting inputs for maximum results are some of the hot topics for discussion during this session.

Sykesy’s Buraja Meeting will be held on Wednesday 5 February, 2025 at the Buraja Recreational Ground Hall, from 8:30-1:00pm, followed by a complimentary BBQ lunch. 

For more information, and to RSVP, visit riverineplains.org.au/events