Lower South West Grower Group
Description
The Lower South West Growers Group (formally the Scott River Growers Group Margaret River Region) was formed in September 2000 by a group of local producers, service providers and community members.
Today the group is focused on highlighting and celebrating our wonderful Lower South West Agriculture Industry, providing information and opportunities to our producers, and attracting agricultural research and development to the region to progress the industry in a sustainable manner.
Today the group is focused on highlighting and celebrating our wonderful Lower South West Agriculture Industry, providing information and opportunities to our producers, and attracting agricultural research and development to the region to progress the industry in a sustainable manner.
Activities/Projects
The Lower South West Growers Group aims to support growers across both the Augusta-Margaret River and Nannup Shire.
The group is open to all Lower South West producers, large & small, and to anyone else who is interested in primary production in the region. New members are welcome!
This Growers Group project is aimed at beef producers in the Lower South West region, and will demonstrate the potential of autumn grazed fodder crops to provide a lower cost and more productive alternative to supplement feeding with conserved fodder in the high rainfall Lower South West region in WA.
The project focus will be on whether a successful autumn forage crop could allow beef producers in the region to meet weaner target weights and maintain stocking rates during that crucial late summer, early autumn period as well as providing a lower cost feed alternative to fodder conservation.
The four-year project will see a strip trial demonstration site established in the first year where 6-10 different autumn fodder varieties will be seeded to see how they perform, with quality and dry matter being measured and season length, timing and persistence of each variety being observed. Years 2 to 4 will then see potential well-performing varieties selected and rolled out at five different farm sites across the Lower South West Region.
The project will also include a number of field days throughout the four years as well as case studies and a producer project guide to provide an information hub for Lower South West Growers on Autumn Fodder crops.
This project has been enabled though funding from Meat & Livestock Australia’s Producer Demonstration Sites (PDS) program.
The group is open to all Lower South West producers, large & small, and to anyone else who is interested in primary production in the region. New members are welcome!
This Growers Group project is aimed at beef producers in the Lower South West region, and will demonstrate the potential of autumn grazed fodder crops to provide a lower cost and more productive alternative to supplement feeding with conserved fodder in the high rainfall Lower South West region in WA.
The project focus will be on whether a successful autumn forage crop could allow beef producers in the region to meet weaner target weights and maintain stocking rates during that crucial late summer, early autumn period as well as providing a lower cost feed alternative to fodder conservation.
The four-year project will see a strip trial demonstration site established in the first year where 6-10 different autumn fodder varieties will be seeded to see how they perform, with quality and dry matter being measured and season length, timing and persistence of each variety being observed. Years 2 to 4 will then see potential well-performing varieties selected and rolled out at five different farm sites across the Lower South West Region.
The project will also include a number of field days throughout the four years as well as case studies and a producer project guide to provide an information hub for Lower South West Growers on Autumn Fodder crops.
This project has been enabled though funding from Meat & Livestock Australia’s Producer Demonstration Sites (PDS) program.
Past Accomplishments
The original group, Scott River Growers Group Margaret River Region Inc (Scott Rivers Grower Group) was established in to try and secure the Beenup mine site for value adding of agricultural product. The group vision was to increase the capacity of the Grower Group to eventually be a South West Growers Group which has now been realised. Worked closely with the Department of Water to get a better licensing system in place for irrigators Investigated a private model for local water management
Lower South West Grower Group
403 Kudardup Rd, Kudardup WA 6288