Gary Lang looking forward to harnessing GRDC team for strong research outcomes to benefit WA grain growers

The Grains Research and Development Corporation has appointed a new chair for its western region panel. Wickepin farmer Gary Lang has taken over the role from outgoing chairman Mingenew/Dongera grain grower Darrin Lee, who was in the position since 2018. The GRDC has three regional advisory panels across Australia to ensure its investments are in the interests of stakeholders and deliver benefits and services to each grain-growing region. Mr Lang said he was ready to take on the challenge of harnessing the western region panel and was excited about what could be achieved for growers across WA. He has been a western region panellist since 2020 and said he was aware of the importance of the role and recognised the skill and diversity of both the western region panellists and GRDC employees working in WA. He said he first became involved with the GRDC western region panel during the beginning of the global COVID-19 pandemic. “It was an interesting time for the western region panel, along with the rest of the world, with everyone pushed into unfamiliar territory of video conferencing and social distancing,” Mr Lang said. Mr Lang has brought with him to the role a long list of experience, including having spent the past 41 years developing his family farm’s cropping program in Wickepin and many years of experience working with the Facey Group and other R&D projects to improve WA’s grain growing industry. Mr Lang returned to his family farm in 1982 after completing a Bachelor of Business (Accounting) at W.A.I.T. He joined his father Colin, who was a passionate sheep breeder, but has always favoured the cropping side of the business himself. Mr Lang’s focus on cropping over the past four decades has seen the family farm expand from 1000 arable hectares to 4400 arable hectares, with an additional 1600ha lease area at one stage. He said his time in WA’s grain growing industry had been both inspiring and challenging; there had been a constant stream of innovation since the 80s through to the 90s, including the adoption of no till cropping and advancements in chemical application efficiency. He has an appetite for constant improvement in an industry focused on productivity and became involved with the Facey Group in the early 2000s, which he said was a great outlet for his love of science. He said belonging to the Facey Group not only enabled him to be involved with research trials but also helped connect him with his local grain growing community. “From 2014 to 2018 I was involved with the GRDC four-year National Frost Initiative, looking at frost research and crop resilience,” Mr Lang said. “In particular we looked at the impact burning stubble has had in assisting frost resistance.” Mr Lang said this research was in part responsible for oats becoming a more viable option in his local grain growing area and was just one reminder of how important R&D was for the longevity of farming in all different parts of WA’s agricultural landscape. He said the importance of local grower input was also evident during his time on the Regional Cropping Solutions Network (RCSN) of WA through the GRDC. The RCSN connected 10 growers and industry professionals from each port zone to discuss the problems being faced in different farming areas. It is from Mr Lang’s involvement with the RCSN that he then became a panel member for the GRDC western region panel. While Mr Lang has now stepped up to become the western region panel chair of the GRDC, he has recently retired from farming and is now leasing the family farm out for three years as of March this year. His wife Sue joined farming in Wickepin in 1988 and the couple are now looking forward to a different lifestyle living in Dunsborough. Mr Lang said with their three children all enjoying their own successful careers outside of farming, the family had decided as part of their succession plan the farm will now be leased, with the property now split between three other local families. Mr Lang is invested in developing GRDC research opportunities which will benefit all parts of WA’s cropping landscape. He said soil amelioration research projects were one area he was hopeful would provide much-needed results for WA. “Farmers are already clever during autumn, germinating crops on minimal moisture,” Mr Lang said. “Understanding how soil amelioration will improve crop resilience during spring is the next step.” Mr Lang said solving frost issues continued to be another major area of research WA cropping producers needed answers from. “The GRDC is looking at issues such as heat tolerance and developing better genetics for crops to handle hotter and dryer springs,” Mr Lang said. He said developing more profitable legumes was a third key issue he hoped to address, as well as watching the oats story unfold in WA. “There is a lot on the way in terms of developing genetic outcomes,” Mr Lang said. None of this will be undertaken alone, with Mr Lang saying his role was to harness the GRDC Western Region panel. “We have a really strong panel and it is our role to direct research to best benefit WA grain growers,” Mr Lang said. “The panel consists of four farmers, two agronomists, a statistician, a logistics and data analysist and researcher/fertiliser agronomist. “The GRDC team is very powerful; in addition to our board members we have 18 dedicated staff based in our Perth office. If we can knit this all together, the GRDC will be working well for WA grain growers.” The GRDC Western Region Panel members for 2024 comprise: Western region panel chair Gary Lang – Wickepin Western region panel vice-chair Juliet McDonald - Eganu Craig Brown – Perth Quentin Knight – Esperance Dr Dan Mullen – Perth Dr Richard Williams – Perth Suzanne Woods – Calingiri Nick Gillet – Bencubbin John Young – Calingiri Dr Ron Osmond – Adelaide (SA)