Before sunrise, the local farmers’ WhatsApp group comes to life.
“Eight ml at Birchip.”
“Four at Nullawil.”
Across the Mallee, phones light up in kitchens and utes as farmers scroll through the numbers, doing the maths only they understand – how long the moisture might last, when the next front could fail to arrive. Out in the paddocks, every decision – when to sow, when to spray, whether to risk another pass over the crop – hangs on that same uncertainty. And behind all the unknown stands the Birchip Cropping Group (BCG), helping farmers turn that uncertainty into knowledge.
BCG’s reach extends far beyond Birchip, a town of just 700 people in North-West Victoria. The organisation has grown from supporting local farmers to running projects across Australia.
CEO Fiona Best says the organisation has transformed since its humble beginnings in 1992.
“It’s grown from an organisation that represents sort of local Birchip farmers to an organisation that now represents a really big geographic footprint. We have collaborative projects right across Australia that have national significance,” Best says.
From a single part-time staff member, BCG now employs 26 people. Many have relocated to Birchip, becoming active members of the community. They shop locally, join committees, volunteer and participate in sports, becoming part of the town’s social and economic fabric. Best says their contribution goes beyond their work.
“If you took the staff out of the town, that would leave a significant hole,” she says.
BCG also draws thousands of visitors to the region each year. Field days and workshops connect farmers with researchers, sharing information that directly supports crop management and decision-making. Best says this knowledge benefits not just farmers but the broader community.
“The information generated through research supports farmers to make better decisions. That makes the farming community more prosperous, and that obviously has a flow-on effect,” she says.
Looking ahead, the BCG has grand plans to ensure it continues to provide farmers with data of the highest quality. The $6 million Nexus Project aims to deepen collaboration between farmers and researchers. The short-term accommodation facility will allow scientists from across Australia and abroad to work directly with local farmers.
“It’s about BCG continuing to be a place where science intersects with farmers and industry. We just don’t have enough accommodation in Birchip to take full advantage of the opportunities that exist,” Best says.
For Best, BCG’s strength lies in being farmer-led.
“We’re still very farmer driven. We’ve got eight farmer board members and four skill-based board members. It’s the farmers who we come to work for every day.”
After more than three decades, BCG remains proof of what can happen when innovation and community come together.
“BCG has been such a positive influence and it’s been symbolic of what can happen if you harness a can-do kind of approach,” Best says.
“It shows what’s possible when people in small communities believe in each other and in the future of farming.”
This story is part of a project exploring regional Victoria and the issues farmers are facing. See the whole collection here.
