Attendees at SFS AgriFocus rotated through several trial sites hearing from researchers and agronomists on a range of topics including nitrogen management. Image courtesy of Melissa Marino.
Thirty years ago, as wool prices crashed, a group of farmers in Victoria’s Western District got together looking to add value through improved cropping practices – particularly raised beds.
Over time, that group evolved into Southern Farming Systems (SFS), which today has 20 staff members overseeing a much-expanded research program for some 600 members across southern Victoria and northern Tasmania.
Raised beds are still on the agenda, but SFS now partners with industry, government, universities and agribusiness conducting independent and practical research into cropping, soils, pasture and livestock for the high-rainfall zone.
The growth and success over 3 decades of the farmer-driven, non-profit and independent organisation was celebrated in 2025 at the SFS flagship event, AgriFocus, held at one of its major trial sites in Streatham, Victoria.
Industry Advances
Keynote speaker and celebrated agronomist Dr Harm van Rees reflected on the momentous changes in the Australian agricultural industry since the inception of SFS.
In that time, the widespread adoption of no-till systems guided by precision technology had led to significant improvements in soil structure and yield gains, he said.
Practice changes that improved water-use efficiency and now see reasonable crops grown in low-rainfall years across all regions – were among the industry’s most impressive accomplishments.
“You can now grow 3 t/ha wheat crops on 160 mm of rainfall, and 10 years ago I would have said it was unrealistic,” he said.
But with these gains, challenges have also emerged, including in weed control and growing resistance to chemicals such as glyphosate.
Dr van Rees said grassroots farming systems groups such as SFS and the Birchip Cropping Group had played an integral role addressing challenges and advancing the industry.
This is because they provide a high level of trusted information on crop production, chemical use and nutrition, while testing innovative practices directly with growers.
The research they conducted, he said, was particularly relevant, because members actively shaped its research direction and participated in trials.
“Farmers are deciding on the projects and are involved in the interpretation of the results, which is so very different from when I first started and researchers wrote up a scientific paper and, a lot of the time, that was it,” he said.
AgriFocus 2025
At AgriFocus 2025, more than 300 attendees witnessed a range of trials relevant to their cropping systems that have traditionally been dominated by a cereal/canola rotation, but in which pulses are playing a greater role.
Disease resistance in wheat and barley, faba bean agronomy, liming strategies, canola sowing timing and seeding depths, and oat variety evaluation were on the agenda along with demonstrations of drone technology.
Ashley Amourgis, the SFS General Manager responsible for the 35 ha Streatham trial site, said research priorities were shaped by members. The event was an important opportunity to see trials and hear about findings firsthand, while also having the opportunity to influence the research direction, she said.
“Farmers can see for themselves what we’re doing, ask us questions and have discussions, and we can then take that feedback on board and use that in our research going forward,” said Ms Amourgis, who started at SFS as a graduate in 2017.
Agronomist Jon Midwood, who was SFS CEO for 10 years, said the pipeline of talent nurtured through the organisation’s graduate program was one of its greatest achievements.
Along with Ms Amourgis, other former graduates, including GRDC Southern Panel member Greta Duff, took leading roles, presenting research on the day.
“One of our goals is to bring young people into agriculture, and I think we have done that in spades if you look at the people in the team today, and the many people still in the industry in research and agronomy,” Mr Midwood said.
Chance to Connect
Current SFS CEO Bret Ryan said AgriFocus was important not only for stakeholders to hear from researchers but also as an opportunity to speak with each other.
“It brings everyone together and is a real networking environment,” he said. “And a lot of partners turn up not just as a marketing exercise, but also from networking perspective to communicate, which is really good,” Mr Ryan said. SFS continued to grow in popularity as advances in agricultural research continually help to improve the profitability of cropping and mixed enterprises.
“Originally SFS was all about raised beds, but as we’ve become better at cropping in the high-rainfall zone, it’s more about precision agriculture, water usage, drainage systems, time of sowing, enhancing our soil, fertiliser efficiency and the right type of legume to introduce into our rotations,” he said.
Longtime SFS member and retired mixed cropping and livestock farmer Philip Brain said having SFS conduct trials in his “backyard” had been critical as the district shifted from wool to mixed enterprises. “I take my hat off to all the people over the years involved with GRDC and Southern Farming Systems,” he said.
Read more from GRDC here.