07/05/2015
MEDIA RELEASE
APPLICATIONS INVITED FOR NEW ROUND OF COGGO FUNDING (NOW CLOSED)
7 May 2015
Applications are now open for the fourth COGGO Research Fund round.
The Council of Grain Growers Organisations Limited (COGGO) established the COGGO Research
Fund to invest in innovative research and development projects across the whole supply chain that
can demonstrate a direct benefit to Western Australian grain growers. It is focused on funding
catalytic or start up ìproof of conceptî research that can lead to further development using GRDC
or commercial funding.
'The COGGO Board has been very impressed with the range and quality of applications received in
the first three years of operating the fundí, said COGGO Chairman, Mr Chris Wilkins.
To date 28 projects have been funded to a total of over $1.4 million. Successful projects have
covered crop breeding, the role of fallow in cropping systems, summer weed control, insect control,
grower group projects, and the technologies to assist farm productivity including the development
of 'Apps' and web based decision tools.
In total there have been 94 project proposals submitted so there a success rate of nearly 1 in 3
projects selected for funding. Projects have been funded that have been initiated by grower
groups, universities, the WA Department of Agriculture and Food and private companies.
'Applications from research organisations, private companies and grower groups are welcome for
the 2016 COGGO Research Fund round, however they must be able to demonstrate a clear benefit
to the WA grower,' said Mr Wilkins.
As a guide, COGGO anticipates funding projects in the range of $20,000 to $50,000 per annum and
with a project life of one or two years.
Projects funded for commencement in 2015 will help give an idea of the sorts of projects that can
qualify for support from the COGGO Research Fund. These are:
ï Australian Grown Superfoodís project Taking Quinoa from a subsistence crop to a broad acre crop
for the WA wheat belt.
ï The Fitzgerald Biosphere Group (FBG)project Frost management options to increase wheat grain
quality and yield and how these strategies impact on soil erosion along the south coast of WA
ï The West Midlands Group (WMG) project Using farmer strips and electronic sensors to diagnose
crop growth limitations
ï South East Premium Wheat Growers Association (SEPWA) project Farm scale Wi-Fi - the future of
data for WA grain farmers
ï Coorow Seeds & Agrarian project Investigate the performance of an alternative oilseed crop,
Camelina, in the Mid-West region. Assess the influences of environment and nutrition on the oil
content, protein, oil quality and Omega 3 and erucic acid levels
ï Murdoch University, Refining remote sensing technologies to give real-time estimation of crop
nitrogen status for application in precision agriculture
ï North East Farming Futures Group (NEFFG) project On farm pH adjustment trials
ï Facey Group (FG), Incorporating lime to depth on duplex wheatbelt soils
ï Mingenew Irwin Group (MIG), Measuring, monitoring and understanding soil water holding
properties to increase risk management, grower confidence and grain yield improvement, resulting in
increasing returns to grain growers
The COGGO Research Fund is financed through a voluntary levy collected from Western Australian
grain growers who are members of COGGO with the cooperation of grain acquisition and marketing
companies. All WA grain growers are eligible to become members of COGGO.
The Grains Industry Association of WA (GIWA) is administering the COGGO Research Fund on behalf
of COGGO. Further information and project proposal application forms are available from the
GIWA website - www.giwa.org.au/coggoresearchfund or by telephoning 08 6262 2128.
The closing date for the current round is Friday 24th July 2015.