SEPWA Events

Every year SEPWA organises various trials and events throughout the Esperance Port Zone to assist grain growers to produce quality grain and to become more profitable and sustainable.

Please note that you do not necessarily have to be a SEPWA member to attend these events, however there are discounted rates available for members. Field Days are Free for anyone to attend.

For events that are coming up in the region, check out our Calendar of Events.

Here are some events that we have hosted in 2010.

Soil2Grain Workshop

July 2010

More than fifty farmers, sponsors and industry representatives attended the Soil 2 Grain workshop to find out how to keep their crops greener for longer.

The workshop, held in Esperance, resulted in national and local trial results being shared from the GRDC funded project “Optimising cereal profitability in the high rainfall zone through the integration of disease and canopy management principles”.

The presenters of the workshop were Nick Poole, a researcher from the Foundation for Arable Research (FAR) and Dr James Hunt of the CSIRO Plant industries.

The workshop covered water use efficiency and its link to canopy management; the latest results linking the use of crop sensors to crop canopy development, as well as the latest findings on disease management in both wheat and barley.

The workshop was part of a series of workshops being run across Australia.

 

Wine and Noodles Night

July 2010

Fine wine flowed as forty four participants enjoyed the hands on noodle making workshop sponsored by the CBH Group.

The South East Premium Wheat Growers’ Association (SEPWA) and Ravensthorpe Agricultural Initiative Network (RAIN) event was a unique opportunity for local farmers, sponsors and industry representatives to learn about what manufacturers need to make noodles suitable for their customers.

Dr Narelle Moore, CBH Group Wheat Quality and Technical Manager, explained the characteristics of different grades of wheat and demonstrated how noodles are made.

Everyone enjoyed the opportunity to use simple ingredients to make chinese style yellow alkaline noodles and white salted noodles.

There was lots of laughter as flour flew across the tables, machines clogged with chunky pieces of dough and participants handled chop sticks for the first time.

The noodles were paired with wines from international award winning winery, Ferngrove winery at Frankland River.

 

Money in Mud Seeding Photo Competition

July 2010

Graham Stewart's Winning Photo

Bogged tractors, trucks, motor bikes and self propelled spray units all featured in the South East Premium Wheat Growers’ Association’s recent photo competition.

The award winning photograph was announced at the Soil 2 Grain workshop and was awarded to Graham Stewart of Munglinup with his photo of two big tractors and a seeding rig, well and truly bogged.

    Check out all the entries

Graham wins the Case IH jacket kindly donated by SEPWA Silver Sponsor, Farmers Centre.

Second place went to Clive Rawlinson for “Nitro Bogged” and Kathy Patterson’s photo, “Bogged Again” was highly commended.

The photographs were judged by SEPWA member and Dalyup farmer, Peter Luberda who is also a well known local professional photographer.

 

Understanding Biotechnology Workshops

April 2010

Presenter Stephen Talbot explains DNA extraction to SEPWA members Rebecca Caddy and Sharon Barber.

Stephen Talbot, right, supervises DNA extraction at the Jerdacuttup workshop.

These workshops, which were sponsored by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF), were held in Esperance and Jerdacuttup and they attracted a combined total of almost 30 women who travelled from as far as West River and Condingup.

The presenter was Stephen Talbot from the Molecular Plant Breeding Centre CRC in South Australia.

The participants enjoyed the opportunity to extract DNA from wheatgerm and to learn from leading researchers about the advances in plant breeding that have been achieved over the past few years.

Kerry Smeeton, Jerdacuttup Farmer and SEPWA member, thoroughly enjoyed participating the in the workshop. “The highlights of the workshop were extracting DNA during the hands on activity and having some of the myths of GMOs explained in simple, everyday language”, said Kerry.

 

Annual SEPWA Graingrowers' Dinner

March 2010

Chela Lamond (AWB) and Jake Graham

Heather and John Richardson (SEPWA Life Member) with SEPWA sponsor, Michelle and Grant Harris of South East Petroleum

Wine and conversation flowed at the recent South East Premium Wheat Growers' Association's Annual Graingrowers' Dinner as nearly 140 guests enjoyed the conviviality of the evening.

The highlight of the evening included listening to Irwin Valley Chair James Yewers and sampling the lupin bread.

MC Steve Tilbrook, speaker James Yewers and SEPWA President Andrew Fowler

There was also a toast to retiring CBH director Steve Tilbrook by CBH Chair and local farmer Neil Wandel.

Departing Department of Agriculture and Food WA employee at Ravensthorpe, Julianne Hill was also presented with an award in recognition of her work with farmers in the Esperance Port Zone.

 

 

 

 

SEPWA Harvest Debrief and AGM

March 2010

Farmers - Steve Graham, Chris Roberts and Jamie Hart catching up between speakers

Harvest Debrief speakers, Roger Lawes (CSIRO) and Andrea Hills (DAFWA) caught up with Megan Meates (Grower Group Alliance).

Almost 100 farmers and agribusiness representatives flocked to the South East Premium Wheat Growers Association's annual Harvest Debrief and Annual General Meeting in Esperance in March.

There was a high calibre of speakers which included Nuffield Scholar David Fulwood from Cunderdin who shared his experience of growing GM canola and Mick Keogh from the Australian Farm Institute.

Other speakers included SEPWA sponsors - Rabobank, Summit, AWB and CBH Group, Peter Roberts who is the Western Panel member of the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) and local CBH Director, Steve Tilbrook.

Other topics include a report on the recent Young Growers' Tour and Precision Agriculture.

The results of the SEPWA wheat, barley and canola trials were also presented along with the normal harvest debrief issues which were covered by AWB, Grain Pool and CBH.

The highlight of the event was the presentation on Esperance Port Zone wheat presented by Dr Nas, Group Technical Director for Interflour and a Platinum Sponsor of SEPWA.

 

SEPWA Harvest Photo Competition

2009 - 2010 Harvest season

Reflecting on Harvest

Scaddan farmer, Lynne Norwood has taken out the honours in this year's SEPWA photo competition with her picture of "Reflecting on Harvest". There were 20 entries in this year's commpetition which encouraged people in the rural industry to get behind the camera and snap "Behind the Scenes" shots of harvest.

    Check out all the entries

The competition was judged by Donald MacKenzie who migrated from Kenya to Munglinup in 1967 to take up a position on a farm before buying his own. Mr MacKenzie has always had an interest in photography and still plays with his camera in between running his olive grove near the Pink Lake Golf Club at Esperance.

Another photo that was highly commended was "A dusty Harvest" taken by Olivia Walter which was well composed, and a purposeful action shot of a truck hurtling down a dirt road.

"Anonther flat tyre" taken by Jenny Perks was also commended as it depicts the vagaries of farming and had good composition, good lighting and good subject.

Congratulations to Lynne Nordwood who has won a brown suede RM Williams vest. SEPWA would like to thank everyone who participated in the photo competition and we look forward to your involvement again this coming harvest.