From workshops and field days to conferences and study tours, our team is constantly engaging with growers, researchers, and industry leaders to understand what’s working, what’s emerging, and what’s changing in the drought resilience and innovation landscape.
This space showcases the ideas and on-the-ground insights we gather from industry events across Western Australia and beyond.
Pastoral Business Toolbox heads to the Nullarbor
The Goldfields Nullarbor Rangelands Biosecurity Association (GNRBA) hosted its second Pastoral Business Toolbox workshop in April at Kanandah Station, deep in WA’s Nullarbor region. The workshop aims to give pastoralists the confidence and knowledge to make informed decisions – both in good seasons and in times of drought.
The future value of agricultural waste: opportunities for WA farmers
The 2025 evokeAG conference, themed “Common Ground,” brought together agrifood tech innovators, researchers, and industry leaders to explore transformative opportunities in agriculture. One key trend was the upcycling of agricultural waste streams into valuable products such as biofuels, biopolymers, and biochar.
Regional Soil Coordinator has been Talkin’ Soil Health in York
March 2025 marked the return of the Talkin’ Soil Health symposium to the calendar for the first time since 2022. Fran Hoyle (Director) and Bridget Watkins (Regional Soil Coordinator) from the SoilsWest team at Murdoch University presented at the event hosted by Wheatbelt NRM in York.
PropaGATE site visit explores wastewater challenges in WA breweries
As part of the challenge-led innovation program ‘PropaGATE,’ the Grower Group Alliance (GGA) and Beanstalk AgTech team visited two major Western Australian brewing sites on 27 February: Gage Roads Brewing in Palmyra and Little Creatures Brewing in Fremantle.
Natural capital project showcased at agricultural economics conference
Ram Pandit, the UWA project lead for the SW WA Hub’s transformational project on natural capital, presented preliminary project findings at the Australasian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society (AARES) 69th Annual Conference held in Brisbane from 11 to 14 February 2025.
evokeAG 2025: sparking connections for a resilient future
Last week, members of the SW WA Hub team headed to evokeAG 2025 in Brisbane, joining industry leaders, researchers and innovators to explore new opportunities in drought resilience.
Supporting farmers with water quality testing in Merredin
On Tuesday 11 February, the SW WA Hub’s newest extension team members, Mary-Anne and Cassie, headed east to the DPIRD Research Station in Merredin – probes and calibration solutions in tow. During their visit, they teamed up with staff from MADFIG and DPIRD to deliver a hands-on workshop on water quality testing.
Mapping, monitoring and yarning on Country
During the season of Birak (December–January), the Transformative Aboriginal Agricultural Methods (TAAM) project team mapped sites on Gimlet Ridge and Weelhamby farms where landscape interventions, such as leaky weirs, will be installed to slow water flow and improve the landscape’s hydrology.
UWA hosted educational workshops on natural capital production landscape opportunities
UWA hosted educational workshops to share insights on natural capital production landscape opportunities. These sessions delved into the potential of a Natural Asset Company equity structure to drive significant changes in Western Australia.
Hub Regional Node hosts workshop to help producers prepare for drought
On 23 October, South-West NRM, a regional Node of the SW WA Hub, hosted a ‘Preparing for Drought’ workshop at Rylington Park in Boyup Brook. The event brought together experts and organisations dedicated to building drought resilience.
Promoting resilience: SW WA Hub leads sessions at 2024 Agronomy Conference
Grower Group Alliance team members, including CEO Rikki Foss, Acting Hub Director Dr Jo Wisdom, and Hub Adoption Manager Julianne Hill, attended the 2024 Agronomy Conference in Albany, themed “Adaptive Agronomy for a Resilient Future.” The conference highlighted innovative practices that drive resilience in agriculture, a key focus for the SW WA Hub.
New Bioplastics Innovation Hub houses SMART SPRAYS transformational project
Murdoch University and CSIRO launched the Bioplastics Innovation Hub on 2 September, an $8 million collaboration that will work with industry to develop a new generation of 100 per cent compostable plastic.