SEPWA Projects in the Esperance Port Zone
Current Projects
- Chemicals on Farms
- Grain in Containers
- Agronomy Jigsaw
- Precision Agriculture
- Grower Group Alliance
- Farmer Wheat and Barley Variety Trials
Past Projects
Grain Trials
SEPWA is involved in various projects within the Esperance Port Zone to varying levels of involvement with different organizations and the group does have a very close association with the Esperance Department of Agriculture.
"Use of chemicals on farms: the impact on the farming family"
Chemicals on Farms Project details
Is the health of farming families being put at risk with exposure to farm chemicals inside the family home? The South East Premium Wheat Growers Association (SEPWA) has teamed up with the Combined Universities Centre for Rural Health (CUCRH) to investigate the concerns about the possible transmission of chemical residue to other farm family members. With exposure to farm chemicals one of the biggest occupational risks of farmers and their employees, the project aims to increase people's awareness about the safe handling of chemicals in order to reduce the risk of contamination to other people.
Duration - June 2010 - September 2010
Contact - Gemma Walker 9083 1134 or email
Grain in Containers from the Esperance Port ?
Grain in Containers Project details
The presence of a container crane at the Esperance Port and newly deregulated market has got Esperance Port Zone (EPZ) grain growers thinking: "Could container export be an option for our regions grain production?"
In response to this SEPWA has developed a project proposal to the state governments 'Royalties for Regions' grants scheme to investigate this question.
Funding pending, stay tuned for further details.
Contact Nigel Metz on 9083 1115 for further information. Email:
Agronomy Jigsaw - Finding the pieces that maximise water use efficiency.
- left to right, David Hall from DAFWA and SEPWA Project Officer, Nigel Metz discuss the Agronomy Jigsaw project. (Please note Nigel was involved in Movember at the time of this photo)
Agronomy Jigsaw Project details
This project will assist grain growers to maximise the benefit of their inputs which will improve the efficiency of production and reduce potential waste of inputs and increase water use efficiency. The project will be run over three years and focus on a range of issues including nutrition, lime, gypsum, radiometrics and more. The project will be run across the south coast from Esperance to Albany and involve other grower groups including Ravensthorpe Agricultural Initiative Network (RAIN), Fitzgerald Biosphere Group (FBG) and the South Stirlings Pallinup Group. The Agronomy Jigsaw project is funded by the Grains Research and Development Corporation with support from the Department of Agriculture and Food WA.
Duration: July 2009 - June 2012
Contact Nigel Metz on 9083 1115 for further information. Email:
Putting Precision Agriculture on the ground in Western Australia
Precision Agronomics Project details
SEPWA was involved in a precision agriculture project led by the CSIRO in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture and Food. The state wide project looked at ways that precision agriculture (PA) can be adopted for farm efficiency gains via managing paddock and farm variability. The project examines the benefits of managing farm inputs via precision agriculture as well as making better use of spatial data such as yield maps, topography and other soil survey methods. SEPWA's involvement in this project has now wound down, however the project will continue to be run by the CSIRO until June 2011
Duration: July 2008 - June 2011
Contact Nigel Metz on 9083 1115 for further information or Roger Lawes at the CSIRO in Floreat on 9333 6455. Email:
Grower Group Alliance (GGA)
The Grower Group Alliance (GGA) is a non-profit, farmer driven organisation connecting grower groups, research organisations and agribusiness in a network across WA. The GGA acts to support the development of more effective grower groups with expanded networking capacity and greater involvement in collaborative projects with other grower groups, industry partners and the wider research community.
The Grower Group Alliance project was developed in 2002 by grower groups and is funded by the Grains Research and Development Corporation. The GGA network includes universities, research organisations and agribusiness.
Duration: 2002 - Present
Contact Susan Hall on 08 6488 3410 for further information. Email:
Farmer Wheat, Barley and Canola Variety Trials
- - from left to right - SEPWA Trials Coordinator, Bill Sharp bagging seed with SEPWA Executive member, Andrew Heinrich
These trials have been running for several years and have been successful in identifying new varieties grown in the Port Zone. Breeders have submitted new varieties that they believe may be adapted to the Esperance environment and they have been sown and harvested in half hectare plots with farmers machinery over a range of sites.
Plots are harvested and measured with the SEPWA weigh trailer and yield information is posted on the SEPWA web page over harvest. Detailed recieval data is collected over summer and delivery grades determined. This early source of information has proven very useful to growers making variety choices while on the header.
Recently the SEPWA trials program received a big boost with funding support from Interflour, the internationally renowned group jointly owned by the CBH Group. Their sponsorship helps fund the SEPWA variety trials and the employment of the SEPWA Trials Coordinator, Bill Sharp.
Interflour have access to samples from all the SEPWA trials in order to determine the best performing wheat varieties in the flour mill, which may then lead to enhanced market opportunities for wheat out of the Esperance Port Zone (EPZ). This information will be fed back to SEPWA members, to help lift the quality of wheat coming out of the region.
Duration - 2002 to present
For more information contact:
Ben Curtis on 08 9083 1111
Sarah Ellis on 08 9083 1111
Bill Sharp on 0428711375
