Four regional committees have been created to provide support and advice to the GRDC’s Southern Regional Panel on local grain production constraints and opportunities.

GRDC Southern Regional Panel chair David Shannon says the committees cover the four principal cropping zones of south eastern Australia – high rainfall, medium rainfall, low rainfall and irrigated.

“The new committees have been established as part of an effort by GRDC to better identify priority regional issues in each of those cropping zones and determine how best to tackle these issues,” Mr Shannon said.

Each committee will liaise with the wider grain grower community in their respective production zone, and activities will include convening regional meetings with relevant groups.

It is expected that each committee will consist of up to 12 members, including two GRDC Southern Regional Panel members and at least eight individuals who are grain growers, advisers, agronomists, consultants and researchers.

“The committee members’ roles are not onerous – the commitment would involve about four days a year and members will be recompensed for their time spent on committee activities,” Mr Shannon said.

The GRDC, through its recently appointed Cropping Solutions Facilitators, will support the work of the committees.

The appointments will be for a three-year term, commencing early this year. Applications close on January 27.

Further information about the roles is available from Stuart Kearns at the GRDC, telephone (02) 6166 4500 or email s.kearns@grdc.com.au.