Finding the right balance between land use for agriculture and mining, addressing the rapidly deteriorating season and the genetically modified crops review were among the many issues raised during the second annual Growing SA Conference, last Friday.
Grain Producers SA and Livestock SA hosted the successful event at the Adelaide Hills Convention Centre, Hahndorf.
The nearly 250 attendees included Minister for Primary Industries and Regional Development Tim Whetstone and Opposition spokesperson for Agriculture Eddie Hughes, as well as livestock producers and graingrowers from across the state.
Concurrent livestock and grains sessions were on the program with the impressive speakers including the University of Saskatchewan’s associate professor Stuart Smyth discussing how GM crops have revolutionised production systems, and Meat & Livestock Australia’s Lisa Sharp discussing consumer trends for red meat.
At the Livestock SA annual general meeting Amanda Giles, Avenue Range,was welcomed to the board, while Crystal Brook consultant Peter Cousins and Mallee Sustainable Farming project manager and Mallee grower Tanja Morgan joined the Grain Producers SA board during its AGM.
The SA Beef Industry Blueprint, which sets an ambitious target to grow the state’s beef herd by more than 20 per cent and its value by more than $200 million,a year was launched.
The beef blueprint follows the success of the SA Sheep Industry Blueprint, launched in April 2016, which met its target after just one year. It has helped attract funding for 20 projects.
