Welcome to the 2011 edition of Research for the Riverine Plains.
Membership is at the heart of the Riverine Plains success story. Since Riverine Plains first started operating 11 years ago, the membership numbers have steadily increased and it was pleasing to see that 2010 was no exception.
Riverine Plains is all about providing quality and timely information to our farming membership and the 2010 extension program was jam-packed full of field days, seminars and workshops dealing with the ever-changing range of issues facing growers across the Riverine Plains. A particular highlight included the annual Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) update held during February, where we had another record attendance and positive feedback about the day and speakers.
The climatic conditions during 2010 brought a different set of challenges to our members. Sowing proved to be difficult in minimum-till systems because most growers encountered trash-flow issues as a result of heavy 2009 stubbles. This prompted Riverine Plains to host five grower meetings across the districts (at short notice) to bring growers together in the paddock to discuss the successes and failures of sowing. The meetings were a great success with most participants taking away new ideas and information to help manage problems with stubble retention in the future.