SEPWA Past Years' Projects

SEPWA is involved in various projects within the Esperance Port Zone to varying levels of involvement with differenct organizations and the group does have a very close association with the Esperance Department of Agriculture.

High Moisture Harvesting Project

The cool damp conditions that can be experienced during the harvest period on the south coast often leads to delayed harvest and reduced yield, quality and profit. As one of the key ways to improving grain quality in the Esperance Port Zone, SEPWA and The CBH Group have joined in a partnering a project to promote earlier harvest via high moisture grain handling.

The project is run by Nigel Metz and aims to increase grain quality grown on the south coast by employing existing methods of early harvest and high moisture handling. The long-term outcome will be shorter harvest completion time with benefits for growers, bulk handlers, marketers and end users.

CBH Group

Wheat Yield and Quality Trials Project for the South Coast

The Variety Specific Agronomy for Wheat Yield and Quality project is a joint project between the South East Premium Wheat Growers Association (SEPWA) and the Department of Agriculture for the agronomic testing of new cross-breds and wheat varieties.

The project focuses on the Esperance Port Zone and encompasses the mallee and sandplain. It aims to characterise new wheat varieties for the yield and quality responses to agronomic practices (sowing time, seeding rate, fertilizer), and to assess the tolerance of new varieties to the major risk factors on the South Coast, especially sprouting and the major leaf diseases.

This project has run for several years and has been responsible for the introduction of several new varieties into the region.

GRDC DAFWA

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Wheat Protein Management Project

This is another joint project between SEPWA and the DAWA and it focuses on the decline in protein levels in the Esperance Port Zone in recent years which has serious implications for the saleability of our wheat.

Several reasons have been advanced for the protein decline including the reduced quality of legume pastures, higher frequency of non-legumes in rotations and increasing wheat yields without parallel increases in nitrogen applications.

The project focuses on practical, on farm research involving tests with growers of Nitrogen (N) management strategies which can lead to a better understanding of N dynamics and better management of grain protein, thus improving marketability and profit.

GRDC DAFWA

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Grower Group Alliance Project

Grower Group Alliance

The idea for the Grower Group Alliance (GGA) Project came from growers concerned about the lack of formal communication between major research bodies and growers and it prompted the vision for the GGA, which is "enhancing the value of agricultural research, development & extension through the alliance of grower groups and industry".

The GGA key goals are to identify key research issues common to alliance members to develop collaborative projects with industry and to add value to grower groups and researcher outcomes through the regular exchange of information between growers, researchers and industry.

The Grower Group Alliance consists of 15 grower groups including South East Premium Wheat Growers Association (SEPWA), the Fitzgerald Biosphere Group (FBG), research institutions and numerous agribusiness companies.

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