The Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) has launched Grain Adopt, a regional development and extension open call, inviting applications for short-term projects to deliver practical solutions for grain growers to locally identified challenges.
An initiative of GRDC’s National Grower Network (NGN), Grain Adopt seeks proposals responding to grower-identified issues and priorities which align with GRDC’s research, development and extension plan 2023-28.
Projects can be up to 40 months’ duration with an indicative budget of up to $300,000.
GRDC senior regional manager – west, Peter Bird, says the Grain Adopt open call is about problem solving at the regional level, empowering the regions to take ownership of adoption.
“We know the best ideas often come from the ground up, and Grain Adopt provides a pathway for those ideas to become reality,” Peter says.
“We’re looking for projects that go beyond traditional approaches – activities that show creativity in how research is translated into practice,” he says.
“Whether it’s peer-to-peer learning, innovative demonstration sites, or new ways of engaging growers, the focus is on impact and adoption.”
The open call seeks proposals which:
• enable adoption of existing knowledge and proven practices.
• address locally relevant, grower identified challenges.
• deliver clear, measurable benefits to profitability, sustainability and resilience.
• explore innovative approaches to extension and engagement which drive practice change.
Examples of eligible activities include validation or demonstration sites and on-farm trials; grower forums, workshops and peer-to-peer learning; and regional initiatives that strengthen capability and accelerate adoption.
GRDC projects which have delivered impact for growers in recent seasons include a Victorian Wimmera-based initiative led by Frontier Farming Systems addressing faba bean yield instability through grower-led forums and discussion groups.
The project combined on-farm demonstrations with peer-to-peer learning and economic analysis to support growers to identify agronomic levers to improve yield stability and profitability across variable seasons.
Another project based in Western Australia led by South Coast NRM focused on the application of subsurface drainage in high rainfall zones to better manage waterlogging.
By pairing engineering solutions with in-paddock grower extension and case studies, this project demonstrated productivity gains and supported more confident, economised decision-making on-farm and led to further strategic investment.
