Current Projects
2026 Projects
**2026 Projects are still being updated**
GRDC x GGA - RiskWi$e
2023-2028
Project Lead: Fiona Dempster
Project Support: Steph Rose
Grain growers are facing increasing uncertainty due to changing weather patterns and volatile commodity prices. RiskWi$e, a five-year, $30 million national initiative that runs from 2023 - 2028, was developed to address these challenges by helping growers make more informed, confident decisions. Led by CSIRO and funded by the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC), RiskWi$e uses participatory action research to engage growers in every step—from identifying risky decisions to exploring solutions.
The goal is for 80% of growers to evaluate management choices by weighing potential rewards against associated risks. By working directly with growers, RiskWi$e delivers practical tools and insights to better understand the risk-reward trade-offs across five key themes: nitrogen strategies, sowing decisions, agronomic planning, financial management, and natural resource capital. Behavioral science and analytics will be primarily utilised to support and understand decision making and adopting throughout the project.
RiskWi$e brings together a strong network of grower groups and research partners across Australia. At Mingenew Irwin Group, we will be focusing on the key themes of Nitrogen decisions and machinery decisions, using both trials and participatory action research groups to collect data to assist farmers with risk decision making in relation to these two themes.
At its core, RiskWi$e is about building grower confidence through better knowledge—empowering grain producers to maximize profits, reduce losses, and thrive in an increasingly unpredictable environment.
ARC x WSU Silicon: a novel solution to reduce water use and pest damage in wheat
2024-2027
Project Lead: Steph Rose
Project Support: Montana Bradley
ARC-funded research led by Western Sydney University (WSU), in collaboration with Agripower Australia and grower groups including MIG in Western Australia, has established field plots to test silicon supplementation. These partnerships aim to integrate Si fertilization into conventional farming practices to enhance crop productivity and sustainability. This project seeks to address critical challenges in Australian wheat farming, such as water scarcity and pest damage, which significantly impact yields and production costs.
GGA Carbon Farming Outreach Program
2024-2026
Project Leads: Montana Bradley
The National Industry-led Carbon Farming Outreach Program is delivering un-biased, independent carbon farming knowledge to primary producers and ag advisors, with no sales pitch. Helping Farmers make informed decisions about measuring and managing their carbon emissions.
This network will deliver more than 160 carbon farming workshops across Australia, utilising an extensive Knowledge Bank, developed from the leading agriculture carbon experts in the country.
Delivered with funding support from the Commonwealth of Australia through the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water under the Carbon Farming Outreach Program.
GRDC x GGA - Closing the Economic Yield Gap of Grain Legumes in WA – The Economics of Grain Legumes in a Double Break
2022-2026
Project Lead: Montana Bradley
Project Support: Steph Rose
Mingenew-Irwin Group (MIG), Greenough Speciality Ag (GSA), Three Springs Farm Innovation Network (3FIN), and Northern Agri Group (NAG) have identified a key opportunity to assess the economic viability of double-break cropping systems in the Northern Agricultural Region of WA.
The project aims to evaluate how a double-break system can improve profitability and sustainability—particularly in response to the significant weed pressure experienced in 2024. The approach includes:
Three small plot trials at Mingenew, Three Springs, and Northampton comparing double-break sequences to standard rotations, assessing yield, input costs, weed control, and profitability.
Three regional case studies highlighting growers who have adopted double-break strategies, offering practical, real-world insights across different NAR environments.
The combination of field trial data and case studies will help build an evidence base for the adoption of more productive and economical weed management practices.
GRDC x MIG: Exploring the economics of late sowing (June) options in the Geraldton Port Zone
2025-2026
Project Lead: Montana Bradley
Project Support: Steph Rose
The Mingenew-Irwin Group (MIG), in collaboration with the Liebe Group and supported by the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) through the National Grower Network (NGN), is investigating the profitability and performance of late-sown crop options across the Geraldton Port Zone.
As later seasonal breaks and operational delays, such as machinery breakdown, become more common, growers are increasingly challenged to make confident decisions when seeding opportunities arrive late. This project compares short-season wheat, canola, and grain legumes sown in June across different soil types and sowing times to identify which combinations deliver the strongest economic return. The findings will provide practical, region-specific insights to support growers managing the risks and rewards of delayed sowing in variable seasons.
2026 Projects
**2026 Projects are still being updated - this section is being edited**
GRDC - GGA
2023-2028
RiskWi$e is a National Risk Management Initiative (NRMI) seeks to understand and improve the risk-reward outcomes for Australian grain growers by supporting grower on-farm decision-making. Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) have invested $30 million to support this 5-year national initiative.
RiskWi$e
GRDC - GGA
2024-2027
GRDC - GGA
2021-2027
Grain legumes currently make a small and declining contribution to Western Australian farming system profitability. While growers recognise rotational benefits, concerns around reliability and returns have limited adoption, despite advances in genetics, rhizobia and management. This project will generate agronomic, financial and market information to guide pulse selection and placement, rebuild confidence in legumes in WA systems, and identify future research priorities.
Closing the Economic Yield Gap of Grain Legumes in WA
GRDC - GGA
2025-2027
Later seasonal breaks and operational delays are increasing pressure on growers to make confident late-sowing decisions. This project compares short-season wheat, canola and grain legumes sown in June across soil types and sowing times to identify the most profitable combinations. Findings will deliver practical, region-specific guidance to support risk management in variable seasons.
Exploring the economics of late sowing (June) options in the Geraldton Port Zone
GRDC - GGA
ARC-funded research led by Western Sydney University (WSU), in collaboration with Agripower Australia and grower groups including MIG in Western Australia, has established field plots to test silicon supplementation. These partnerships aim to integrate Si fertilization into conventional farming practices to enhance crop productivity and sustainability. This project seeks to address critical challenges in Australian wheat farming, such as water scarcity and pest damage, which significantly impact yields and production costs.
Silicon: a novel solution to reduce water use and pest damage in wheat
2024-2028
The threat to food security due to Australia's climate change impacts, and the rising economic and environmental costs of inefficient water use require innovative solutions. While enhancing resilience to climate impacts can involve optimizing rainfall absorption and efficient water usage by crops and pastures, current dryland farming systems lack sufficient proven strategies to achieve these outcomes.
Innovative Soil Technologies to Foster Resilience and Climate Smart Crop Production in Australia
GRDC
2025-2030
The five year ‘Sustainable solutions for sandy soils – a collaborative approach to transformational change’ project is being led by the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD).
The West Midlands Group and the Mingenew-Irwin Group are project partners, with funding from the Commonwealth Government Future Drought Fund’s Resilient Landscapes program.