Source: GRDC's The Crop Doctor

It’s great to see an innovative grower group celebrate 10 years of local research and development.

It is a mean feat to survive that long in any industry and the grain industry certainly is no exception.

The Mingenew-Irwin Group (MIG) was formed in 1994 when the Mingenew Land Conservation District Committee (LCDC) and the Irwin LCDC amalgamated to undertake a catchment planning process.

In 1997 the two LCDCs employed their own officer and formed a committee of 12 members from the district.

At the end of 1998 the two LCDCs formally joined, with the incorporation of MIG.

MIG Executive Officer, Rachel Bagshaw said that at the beginning of 1997 a partnership was developed with merchandise company Elders, which heralded the beginning of locally driven research and development.

MIG has hosted or been involved with more than six Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) projects and is a key player in the WA grains industry.

The core function of the group is to integrate farm production and landcare and essentially encourage economic and environmentally sustainable agriculture.

In recent years the group’s trial program has included about 70 trials and the group’s popularity demonstrated with up to 350 people attending field days.

MIG covers approximately 350,000 hectares within the shires of Irwin, Mingenew and West Morawa, with close to 95 farm businesses being active members, which equates to approximately 95 per cent of growers in Mingenew.

MIG will celebrate 10 years of local research and development in Irwin on February 23.

The Crop Doctor is GRDC Managing Director, Peter Reading