AWB Limited is indicating it may close its 2009-10 wheat pools for Victorian growers very soon.

Last week, the company closed pools in a number of port zones in Western Australia and South Australia.

It said pools in remaining port zones in Western Australia, South Australia, and Victoria were "under review and likely to close in the near future".

Exit from  livestock

MORE and more no-till farmers from Western Australia are getting out of livestock.

A recent survey has shown a marked decrease in the number of Western Australian No-Till Farmers Association members running livestock.

The survey showed 69 per cent of growers ran livestock last year, well down from the 85 per cent in the 2003 survey.

Economics was given as the main reason why farmers were getting out of livestock.

Weed workshop

THE ever-increasing risk of weeds developing resistance to popular herbicides will result in changes in weed management.

That has prompted a series of workshops in Victoria and NSW through the National Integrated Weed Management Initiative, sponsored by the Grains Research and Development Corporation.

The first will be held in Tooleybuc on March 12. Others will be held in Horsham on March 17 and 18; Nhill on March 19; West Wyalong on March 23; Griffith on March 24 and Deniliquin on March 25.

The co-ordinator of the Victorian workshops, Andrew Storrie, said the forums would focus on herbicide resistance, weed seed-bank dynamics, integrated weed management tactics and crop rotations.

For further details, email andrew@agronomo.com.au

Proxy confusion

IN a letter to The Weekly Times this week, Grain Growers Growers Association chairman John Eastburn comments on articles published about the group's move to eliminate standing proxies.

Mr Eastburn said GGA was working to address the impact of standing proxies on the company's elections, trying to promote direct voting and an "equal vote among GGA members", or "one person, one vote".

But it appears while GGA is encouraging one vote for each member, on the other hand it is trying to accumulate multiple votes for Mr Eastburn.

Copies of voting papers seen by The Weekly Times note that GGA allows its members to nominate the chairman as their proxy for ballots at next week's meeting in Albury.

In other words, while trying to ensure other members do not hold proxies - whether standing or issued for that meeting - the chairman appears happy to accumulate them.

Contrary to what Mr Eastburn told The Weekly Times last week, that attending the meeting and voting did not override a standing proxy, he stated this week that was not the case.

Showing up in person to vote will override a standing proxy.

  • Send your grain news to Peter Hemphill, The Weekly Times, PO Box 14999, Melbourne, 8001, email to hemphillp@theweeklytimes.com.au or fax it to (03) 9292 2697.