Ten farmers, ten new approaches in 2026

What farmers are changing in 2026

 

By Claudia Cox, from the Vic Hub’s North-West Node lead, BCG*

 

“…It sounds really simple and they are often only 10 minutes, but it made a massive difference to our communication and safety.” – Terry Cox, farmer

 

In farming, there’s always something new to learn or try. Maybe that’s why so many people stick with it for life – it never stands still. Every season brings fresh ideas, whether it’s new research, crop varieties or tools that make the job a little smarter and easier.

We asked 10 farmers across the region what they have learnt from last year, and what they will be implementing into their farming practices this year.

This is what they said:

 

Terry Cox, farmer at Boigbeat
“In 2025, our small team started the day with a morning meeting over coffee. It sounds really simple and they are often only 10 minutes, but it made a massive difference to our communication and safety. The jobs that needed to get done got done. That is something we will continue.”

 

Gerard Bardell, farmer at Vectis
“With a decile 2 growing season rainfall, no subsoil moisture and heavy frost on the 11 November, the crops held up remarkably well in 2025 which is testament to modern agronomy, varieties and a long, cool finish.

“We plan to be cautiously optimistic for season 2026. At this stage we are sticking to our rotation which includes lentils, canola, barley, chickpeas and wheat. Varieties will stay the same, but we will transition from Maximus to NeoCL. Base P rates will be used with the majority of N applied tactically in crop. Soil tests are currently underway to validate these assumptions.”

 

Harley Mott, farmer at Turrif
“We have added a second camera spot spraying system to our summer spraying program. We are now getting increased hectares per hour with it and saving up to 80% of chemical per pass. It takes the pressure off the summer spraying program as it allows us to go in early and only spray what has emerged. It allows us to spot spray problem weeds in certain crops. e.g. Wild Radish in lentils. With input costs always on the rise, it pays for itself pretty quickly.”

 

Danny Conlan, agronomist and farmer at Sea Lake,
“I am hoping to conduct more soil tests. I want to understand the soil profile more and the variability across my paddocks.”

 

Learn more here about the challenges and opportunities in helping Victorian farmers improve soil management in the 2025 Victorian Soil Gap Analysis

 

Georgie Warne, farmer at Warne
“We’ve got a new agronomist heading into the 2026 season, I’m excited for fresh perspective and new ideas. I can’t wait to see where it leads and what new things I will be trying on the farm.”

 

Joe Lockhart, farmer at Wedderburn
“The most obvious change on our farm this year was the purchase of a Reefinator. We have several paddocks with a lot of rocks, which were hard on machinery and challenging to crop. We’re hopeful that this investment will help increase our arable hectares and smooth out some of the rougher areas of the paddocks this season.”

 

Brett Hosking, farmer at Quambatook
“In 2026, we’re deliberately sharpening our focus on timeliness, from getting crops in earlier where conditions allow to tightening spray decisions and harvest logistics, because that’s where we see the biggest gains in productivity and cost control.”

 

Tim Rethus, farmer at Vectis
“Last year, we soil sampled every field doing two zones in most paddocks. This gave more detailed information about the starting point of the soils, and meant that we could refine and tailor fertiliser plans to each paddock. We will continue the soil sampling this year. I’ve has removed a barley variety from the mix, I used to grow two varieties of barley (Neo and Spinnaker), but we will just stick with Neo this year. I’m going to swap out a portion of barley to grow milling oats instead.”

 

Farmers Robbie Lee (Birchip) and Damon Bailey (Sea Lake) were both happy with the season result of 2025 and keeping most things the same in 2026.

 

Impact on research and extension

It’s important to also reflect and acknowledge that current practices are working and that it is okay to not always be chasing “the next big thing”.

These on-farm insights above directly inform how BCG shapes its research and extension priorities. Senior managers Yolanda Plowman and Alicia Gault spoke about what the research and extension teams will be focusing on in 2026.

 

Yolanda Plowman – Senior Manager Research
“This year, our research program is expanding into several new areas while building on our core strengths. We are launching new soil-focused projects on sandy soils, heavy soils and soil amelioration techniques, alongside continuing our work on variety performance, nutrition and weed management. We’re also pushing into the next frontier of nitrogen management by testing alternative nitrogen products that move beyond conventional urea, including organic and enhanced-efficiency options.

“A key difference this year is our stronger focus on how agronomic decisions are actually made on farm, combining paddock data with modelling tools and behavioural – qualitative – insights to better support practical decision-making. In addition to nitrogen, phosphorus management will be a strong focus of our nutrition work in 2026.”

 

Alicia Gault – Senior Manager Extension & Communication
“In 2026, the BCG Extension team will be applying an economic lens to our extension programs. With the current landscape of rising input costs and tight margins, our focus is on supporting north west Victorian farmers to make confident, well informed decisions that protect profitability and long term business resilience.”

 

Informed choices

Through every conversation, one thing stands out: there’s no single right way to farm. What matters is taking time to reflect, learn and make informed choices. Whether that means refining systems, trying new tech or backing what already works, every decision draws on experience and evidence.

And this is where BCG partners with growers, in translating research into practical results on the ground. In 2026, BCG will continue listening, testing and sharing so farmers across north‑west Victoria can adapt with confidence and build resilient enterprises.

 

* Birchip Cropping Group (BCG) leads the North-West Node of the Victoria Drought Resilience Adoption & Innovation Hub, which is supported by the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund

This is an edited version of an article that was first published on the BCG website.