Tour supports cross-regional learning

Fourteen Granite Belt growers became the envy of the region when they embarked on a seemingly ordinary bus tour from Stanthorpe to Gatton for the Lockyer Valley Growers Expo earlier this year.

The Granite Belt Growers Association (GBGA) organised tour - supported by Growcom’s Farm Business Resilience Program, SQNNSW Innovation Hub and Muirs - allowed the touring group to travel and attend day one of the Expo.

For GBGA Industry Development Officer Narissa Corfe, the trip exceeded all expectations.

“Regions, climates, commodities are all different. It’s good for growers to see how the other half lives, what’s working and what’s not,” Narissa said. “Fostering relationships is what makes horticulture great.”

Importantly, the tour also fostered a strong sense of peer-to-peer learning.

“This was the grower’s version of being a kid in a candy store,” was how FBRP Facilitator Brock McDonald described the Expo. “Growers were enthused about the variety of displays and the suppliers they could meet.”

More doors for networking were opened from the tour as well.

Namely, SQNNSW Innovation Hub’s Wim Linström’s conversation with a Metagen representative at the Expo led to an impromptu tour to the Metagen facility.

Discussions around DNA speciation of pathogens were of particular interest to growers who were keen to implement the practice on their farms.

“A 30-minute presentation on DNA speciation became an hour and a half,” said Brock.

As well as repeating this year’s trip in 2025, Brock is looking to expand the exchange opportunity and welcome Lockyer Valley growers to the next Soil and Water Expo in Stanthorpe.