GrainGrowers Blog

Every season hands growers a new puzzle, and while some things like the weather cannot be controlled, understanding the issues that can be managed is central to better decision-making and improved outcomes. No matter how long anyone has been involved in agriculture, an open mind and an inquisitive approach can open the door to new ways and new opportunities.

Hi, I’m Glenn Fernance, and we run Courallie Park on country about 30 kilometres east of Bellata, between Morree and Narrabri. The farm (which is really four farms in total) covers both cropping and cattle, with about 3,000 hectares of country growing sorghum, cotton, chickpeas, wheat, barley, and even fava beans at times, and a further 2,000 odd hectares where we run cattle.

Hi, I’m Todd Carter, and I farm at Xantippe in the Central Wheatbelt, about 300 km northeast of Perth and 40 km east of Dalwallinu. We run about 10,400 hectares and cropped 8,400 hectares in 2025.

GrainGrowers has recently received grower enquiries about the Iraq Funds Distribution Project.

As 2025 draws to a close, GrainGrowers CEO Shona Gawel shares her top 10 grain highlights of the year.

Hi. My name is Kai de Lacy, and with my father Jono, my Uncle Ian and my cousin Seb, we have a farming operation covering some 12,000ha in and around Nungarin, South Trayning and North Doodlakine. It's a family operation, and when we are harvesting, it's all hands on deck, with my Mum Pippa on the header, my sister Milla on the chaser bin and some other workers helping out as well.

A reflection on Farmsafe’s National AgDay Forum – 20 November 2025, Hobart.

Hi. I am Roger Blanch, and with my wife Nadine and our kids Dakota, Montana and Indiana, we farm on the eastern central downs in Queensland, spread between the area around Clifton and Pittsworth.

Australia’s grain industry is typically viewed through a domestic lens as the source of everyday pantry staples like bread and breakfast cereal. However, this perspective overlooks one of the most strategically important aspects of Australian grain, its role in feeding the region.

My name is Danielle Hamlyn, and together with my husband, Dale, and young sons, Albert and Harvey, we are based in Freeling, some 60km north of Adelaide in the mid-north region of South Australia. As first-generation farmers, our operations are small, but success is more than just size. Our home block of just 60 acres was purchased by Dale when he was just 20, and over the past decade, he has added a tractor, a wife, two children, and an additional 800 acres, including shared-farming and leased land.

Hi, I’m Tom Curry, and I farm in southern New South Wales, in the triangle between Cootamundra, Junee and Temora. Our mixed farming operation spans around 3,700 acres, combining cropping and livestock. The land is varied, consisting mainly of loamy red soils with some clay. We also have lighter, not quite gravelly country out in the hills that we don’t crop, which is better suited to pasture.

The climate policy landscape in Australia has been rapidly evolving, with the government grappling with a complex and fast-moving set of challenges and considerations. Over the past year, several new sector-specific strategies, including the Agriculture and Land Sector Plan, have been developed to support the country's legislated emissions reduction targets.

My name is Ash Stewart, and together with my wife Felicity, son Travis, and daughter-in-law Isabel, we run a family cropping operation 60 kilometres northeast of Esperance, in Western Australia. My parents had a farm closer to Esperance, but in 1975, we moved to our current location.

Hi, I’m Russell Heard and I farm with my wife Leoni and our small team across two properties south and southwest of Horsham in Wonwondah, Victoria. We crop around 1800 hectares and run a small terminal lamb enterprise that complements our cropping program. We grow wheat and canola as our main crops, with faba beans grown speculatively depending on the season.

Hi, I’m Megan Baker, and I farm with my husband Mark, a third-generation farmer, about halfway between Springsure and Rolleston in the Central Queensland Highlands. Our farm covers around 8,600 hectares, where we grow everything from chickpeas to wheat.