Riverine Plains Inc has partnered with FAR Australia to establish the Riverine Research Centre. This exciting collaboration provides an independent focal point for regional and national research projects in the Victorian/NSW border region.

Located at Burramine, south west of Yarrawonga, the Riverine Research Centre is a dedicated crop research site that is host to a number of small plot research trials annually.  This season, the Riverine Research Centre is undertaking research on early-sown long season wheats, the influence of frost on cereals, barley agronomy (fungicide & N interaction), and nitrogen research in wheat, among other trials.

Spring Field Day

Cereal Agronomy was the focus of the Riverine Plains Inc and FAR Australia Riverine Research Centre Open Day, held on 27 September and attended by around 70 people. A panel including Michael Straight, Nick Poole (FAR Australia) and James Hunt  (La Trobe University) addressed the impact of the late August frost.

The early sowing of wheat was discussed by Rachel Coombes (Agriculture Victoria) and Ian Trevethan (Riverine Plains Inc). James Hunt, also spoke on winter wheats versus spring wheats while Michael Straight and Nick Poole spoke on the place of winter barleys in the Riverine Plains and  Dr Maarten van Helden (SARDI) spoke about Russian Wheat Aphid.

Drought information for NSW and a finance update was also provided.

Guest speaker, Eric Watson (Canterbury, New Zealand) also shared his farming practices and how he achieved his 16.79t/ha world record wheat crop

The Riverine Research Centre also provides a key research site for projects with national coverage and objectives, allowing for more targeted and efficient investment into local grains research, development and extension. In establishing the Riverine Research Centre, Riverine Plains and FAR Australia are also seeking to work with other sectors of the agricultural industry to provide the highest quality field research outcomes.

As well as providing a base for local research, the Riverine Research Centre also enables both Riverine Plains Inc and FAR Australia to showcase our range of research activities. As a result, the centre will be an ongoing site for field days, paddock walks and information days.

In collaborating to launch the Riverine Research Centre, both Riverine Plains Inc and FAR Australia, both groups have been able to secure an opportunity to expand our research capacity and to demonstrate our expertise in this field.