Where to for barley research, a farmer's perspective

Barley is Australia's second largest field crop with annual production of 6.5 Mt/ha (ABARE, 2005) grown over an area of 3.35 Mha (ABARE, 2005) behind wheat. The Australian barley industry now faces several challenges in the areas of productivity gains, marketing and the continued success of barley in Australia. This includes producing better varieties faster, therefore out-competing competitors through higher productivity gains. Given the competitive environment the Australian barley industry and farmers find themselves in, how are we going to develop a strategic direction and act upon it to improve breeding and the release of better varieties? Is it that breeding programs need to align themselves with individual sectors of the Australian barley industry. The impediments faced by the Australian barley industry need serious consideration by all stakeholders. The research sector, unless it can deliver on current research imperatives, runs the risk of the loss of confidence by growers and a potential reduction in investment by stakeholders in place of other cropping options.