CRDC Grassroots Grants can help make good things grow in the field. Applications are now open with $50,000 available to support growers.
The CRDC Grassroots Grants program offers grants of up to $10,000 for initiatives to be delivered by Cotton Grower Associations (CGAs), whose members bring ideas and requests.
Grants over the years have seen this initial investment turn into wide ranging knowledge sharing and practice change, with real returns for growers and their regions.
Grants in action
Southern Valleys Cotton Growers Association (SVCGA) applied for a CRDC Grassroots Grant to improve the soil health of the Murrumbidgee Shire Community Demonstration Farm at Coleambally to maintain its value to the community while also offering valuable extension opportunities.
The 400-hectare farm has been at the heart of farming knowledge and fundraising for the town since its inception in the 1960s, run almost entirely by local volunteers and farmers. Cotton and other crops are grown by local growers, with proceeds going to local initiatives. However, continuous cropping and soil variation was threatening the viability of this important icon.
The SVCGA project was developed and managed by local consultant James Kanaley, who saw an opportunity to identify local constraints and convey the knowledge and outcomes more broadly to local growers.
"This farm highlights some of the issues we have across the district. We have variability that you won't find in a lot of other growing regions, and traditional soil sampling methods may not pick up on these constraints," James said.
To collect more accurate data and assess soil variability, intensive grid soil sampling was undertaken along with EM surveys, which allowed accurate variable rates applications, translating to healthier soil and saving on input costs. This attracted a lot of interest from the cotton growing community.
"These improvements will make a huge difference to the Demonstration Farm's soil health and ensure this community asset can continue to operate in the Coleambally community in the future, providing a learning environment and financial support," SVCGA President Joe Briggs said.
"We are also seeing benefits through adoption of practices by other growers, so it has been and continues to be a very worthwhile project all round."
Nearly 100 projects and countless benefits
Since 2011, CRDC has supported nearly 100 projects directly benefiting growers and their communities through Grassroots Grants.
Projects have covered an array of topics and approaches, and all tailored to local needs across the cotton growing valleys. Projects have included improving climate and spray drift management by creating weather networks, and conducting on-farm trials into nutrition, compaction, cover cropping and soil remediation.
Training is often a popular topic, with work health and safety, best practice spraying and digital skills workshops held in many valleys. Some grants have facilitated workshops for growers trialling new technology or irrigation layouts; others have gone towards supporting growers to undertake research tours of different valleys.
CottonInfo Program Manager Janelle Montgomery leads the Grassroots Grant program for CRDC, and CottonInfo Regional Extension Officers work closely with CGAs and Cotton Australia Regional Managers to develop and carry out projects.
"One of the major benefits of these grants is that they can be tailored to the needs of growers and consultants in each valley. They're easy to apply for, don't involve a lot of paperwork, and funding is available now," Janelle said.
