GIWA Barley Council chair and InterGrain barley breeder David Moody inspecting a barley plot. Photo: COGGO

WESTERN Australia’s Council of Grain Grower Organisations has invested in a range of projects as part of the latest round of its annual research fund grants program.

The three successful projects range from developing receival standards for malt barley, researching mental health management during natural disasters and measuring herbicide residue in high rainfall conditions.

A fourth research project is under final negotiation before being announced.

COGGO chairman Rhys Turton said the 2024 projects provided a holistic look at the WA grain industry and extended into areas of markets and mental health.

“This year’s projects address a growing need to acknowledge the administration of our grain enterprises as well as the growing of the crops themselves,” Mr Turton said.

“It is critical that the health of both our farmers and our business practices match the health of our crops, and COGGO is pleased to be able to support these initiatives through targeted research over the next couple of years.”

The COGGO Research Fund will support the projects commencing from January 2024.

The Grain Industry Association of WA Barley Council will receive $15,000 for a project to develop a business case into the need for research to establish appropriate receival standard as a measure of malt barley storability.

The project aims to develop a strong business case to justify investment by government and industry bodies into research to identify the best methodology to use at the point of grain receival for assessing the likely duration of high germination of malting barley in storage.

Agribusiness consultants Farmanco will use the $65,000 COGGO contribution to conduct a two-year project entitled Preparing our people for natural disaster mental health management.

As part of the initiative, Farmanco plans to provide agricultural professionals working in rural areas with the necessary skills to effectively communicate and support farmers who are experiencing high levels of situational stress in the aftermath of natural disasters or major weather events.

Albany-based grower group Stirlings to Coast Farmers is conducting a project that will provide growers with new data on how some herbicides may be continuing to impact crops outside of the labelled plant-back periods in higher-rainfall environments or in years of higher rainfall, particularly where waterlogging occurs.

Thanks to a $103,852 grant over two years, the group’s information shared as part of this project will be useful to growers and advisers in these high-rainfall zone environments, and will also be applicable to the entire WA grainbelt in years of high rainfall.

Established in 2000, the purpose of the COGGO Research Fund is to invest in innovative new research and development projects from across the whole supply chain, and that can demonstrate a direct benefit to WA grain growers.

Mr Turton said 30 expressions of interest were received for the 2024 funding round “from a cross-section of industry, government, grower groups, universities and research organisations”.

He said this indicated “the demand for funding of small stimulus R&D projects of relevance to grain growers in WA”.

COGGO is a public company limited by guarantee, with a mandate to invest in Research and Development for the benefit of grain growers in Western Australia.

Source: COGGO