YOUR INDUSTRY
Young growers bring a fresh focus to WA veg production BY SOIL WEALTH ICP TEAM AND RACHEL LANCASTER
T
he Soil Wealth and Integrated Crop Protection (ICP) project works with growers nationally to put soil management and plant health research into practice. The project team is currently working with an innovative grower group in Manjimup, Western Australia (WA), where an influx of young grower members has produced positive results on-farm. Soil Wealth ICP Phase 2 (VG16078) is a strategic levy investment under the Hort Innovation Vegetable Fund. Being part of a grower group has many benefits. It helps to be on the forefront of new developments in vegetable production and talk to other growers to share successes, challenges and support each other with new ideas. For around 30 years the Warren Improvement Group in WA has contributed grower expertise and funding towards research and development activities to support the commercial production of a range of vegetable crops in the Manjimup region. In recent years, there has been limited research activity as existing members diversified their cropping and became focused on other activities on their properties.
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WA Grower AUTUMN 2021
However, a new generation of vegetable growers — most of whom are younger than 30 years — has recently formed and joined the Warren Improvement Group. They are keen to apply their knowledge learnt from current and previous generations of vegetable growers and from their university studies in agriculture, to implement new vegetable production methods on their farms.
3 WARREN Improvement Group committee members (L–R): Ryan East, Sangeetha Ravindran, Jake Ryan, Mitchell East, Jennifer Riseley and Ewan Eatts.
“We’ve all returned to farming and our hometown after working in different areas, and want to show that primary production is an important career choice,” Ms Riseley said. “The young growers are also actively engaging with the Soil Wealth ICP project and have conducted cover crop trials and tried strip tillage with support from the project.
Warren Improvement Group — a new generation of vegetable growers.
All members acknowledge the need to showcase vegetable growers’ innovative and strategically improved farming methods to inspire others into the industry.
Warren Improvement Group Executive Officer Jennifer Riseley said there were several generations of experience in farming to draw on, as well as off-farm experience and education.
“The loan of a strip tillage implements and advice on how to get it to work were especially valuable.”
A case study from the project’s Manjimup demonstration site provides more information on this trial: soilwealth.com.au/resources/casestudies/benefits-of-a-cover-crop-striptill-combination
