Broadacre crops in the spotlight

They say the best outcomes are achieved when everyone works together.

That’s why the University of Southern Queensland (UniSQ) is proud to be partnering with the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Queensland (DAF), along with industry, growers and communities, to deliver the second Broadacre Cropping Initiative (BACI) Research Showcase.

The BACI Research Showcase is a day to showcase the collaboration and partnership between the University and DAF, started in 2014, and to ensure the future of broadacre cropping remains bright for Queensland.

The University’s Institute for Life Sciences and the Environment Executive Director Professor Gavin Ash said the BACI Research Showcase was an opportunity for broadacre industry, research and development corporations, and growers to work together to ensure the continued success of Queensland’s broadacre cropping industry.

“The BACI agreement encompasses all of the areas of broadacre cropping in southern Queensland and has so far proven excellent outcomes for farmers, the farming community and, more broadly, the Queensland community,” Professor Ash said.

“The collaborative nature of this agreement between the University and DAF means we’ve been responsive to the changing needs of the farming community, and we’ve also been able to manage and investigate new opportunities that would not have otherwise been possible,” he said.

“This is our second time hosting this Research Showcase and it really gives an opportunity to show that we’re pretty good at what we do here at the University of Southern Queensland, and our outcomes have proven that fact.

“Now, we want to invite people in to broaden that collaboration and deliver that higher level of impact to the communities and industry as a whole.”

Broadacre crops such as wheat, barley, sorghum, cotton, legumes, and sugarcane are a vital pillar in Queensland’s agricultural industry, contributing around $5 billion every year to the state’s economy.

Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, Crop and Food Science acting General Manager Meagan McKenzie said the event was a great opportunity to show how the department and UniSQ work together to solve challenges faced by the broad acre cropping industry.

“With a research focus on transforming plant protection, driving production system innovation, and exploring enabling technologies such as AgTech, we deliver economic, social and environmental benefits for the Queensland broadacre cropping industries,” Ms McKenzie said.

The BACI Research Showcase will look at the existing research, projects and collaborations already happening within the broadacre cropping space, as well as the potential for new research and commercialisations to improve the productivity and sustainability in the industry.

The BACI Research Showcase will take place on Thursday 26 October from 9:30am to 4:30pm at the Allison Dickson Lecture Theatre at the University of Southern Queensland Toowoomba campus.

Register your attendance at the BACI Research Showcase or find out more about BACI research and projects at the University of Southern Queensland.