Project Title: TOPCROP Queensland - Networks and Benchmarks

Project Supervisor: Dr Ian J Titmarsh, Mike Foale, & Zvi Hochman

Funding Body: GRDC

Admin Contact: Peter Cronin, DPI

Commencement Date: 01/07/96 Completion Date: 30/06/99

• Collaborate closely with DPI’s TOPCROP Statewide Coordinator, other Department of Primary Industries staff, private agricultural consultants, and other operatives sustaining or interested in sustaining producer groups for TOPCROP purposes, to identify existing producer groups and establish further groups consistent with taking a TOPCROP extension approach to improving the performance and profitability of grain grower in southern, southeastern and central Queensland.
• Network Coordinators to facilitate, communicate, and coordinate among interested producer groups for the purpose of delivering generic information and analysis tools to teach groups and using an action-learning experience to boost each producer’s performance and profitability towards "best industry practice" levels.
• To compare the available tools (best performing paddock in an area versus crop simulation) on their ability to generate appropriate benchmarks for production units and districts in Queensland experiencing more variable environmental conditions; and to provide training for facilitators/advisers in the monitoring and simulation skills required for proper use of these tools.
• By the end of the project, provide a rigorous evaluation of the (diverse) benefits accrued by individual producers through their participation in a TOPCROP group; and make an objective assessment as to the future for the initiative in Queensland.

TOPCROP is an "action-learning" model for crop management based on objective checks that increase productivity, grain quality, and profitability. This check approach evolved from a need to find better ways for researching and communicating with growers while finding solutions ot common problems. It recognises the equal importance of growers, extension and research workers in the process of technology transfer; at a time when big gaps between researcher and grower yields, and between "top" and "bottom" producers, are becoming apparent. The TOPCROP protocol focuses on group interaction with producers, maximising the effect of government extension officers and agribusiness professionals, and improving technology adoption rates among the "middle 50%" of producers.

There is significant potential for this model to be adopted by graingrowers in Queensland yet they have no current linkage to the national TOPCROP initiative because of priorities-to-date on existing Department of Primary Industries resources. Adoption and promotion of the model is consistent with both Federal and State Government opinion on the importance of regional economic performance, new Department of Primary Industries regional strategies to "grow" local industries, and addresses a high priority issue identified through formal channels by the "grass roots" level of industry - low adoption rates of new technology due to ineffective technology transfer processes. Any TOPCROP initiative undertaken in Queensland requires a significant interaction be established and maintained among DPI extension officers, producer groups, and agribusiness professionals. This relationship will be influenced by the quality and usefulness of information disseminated across the "network". In the short term, Queensland’s late start relative to southern states already implementing the TOPCROP initiative can be an advantage in that we should not have to reinvent the wheel. Rather current TOPCROP systems, documentation and software revised by DPI’s TOPCROP Statewide Coordinator to reflect local knowledge and conditions will provide an initial package for delivery to producer groups. In effect this operationalism DPI’s respected Crop Management Notes series, and more widely targets the impact of that information.

Through its experience in monitoring and simulation of crops and cropping systems, there is scope for the Agricultural Production Systems Research Unit (APSRU) to provide an active supporting role for the facilitators/advisers implementing a TOPCROP initiative. APSRU could assist in the adaptation of TOPCROP protocols from southern Australia to the northern cropping region, as well as providing interpretative and simulation skills as necessary. For example, in the south the model for benchmarking crop performance under TOPCROP is based on the best performing paddock in an area. APSRU now have sufficient experience to propose that their simulator (given appropriate inputs) could be used to benchmark production units and districts in more variable environments. This approach removes the risk that undetected limitations might render a benchmark invalid. APSRU also could provide the training required by facilitators/adviser undertaking monitoring and simulation for TOPCROP purposes.

Impact: Available data from successful "TOPCROP" projects suggest yield increases of 5-10% in the medium term (5-8 years) are conservative. Costs also reduce due to the higher efficiencies of input utilisation.

Scale: The TOPCROP Queensland initiative will impact on some 1.6 million hectares of crop production (South- 1 000 000 ha; South-East-100 000 ha; Central-500 000 ha).

Adoption: Adoption should begin by mid-1997 and reach a maximum of about 50% of grain producers by about 2005. This % is calculated on reaching half of the "middle 50%" of producers (25%) plus the 20-25% of producers who are confirmed Department of Primary Industries clients.