About us

A scoping study was commissioned by GRDC that highlighted the gaps in the research and extension capacity in the Central West and Western Plains of NSW. From here a number of key growers and advisors based in the region took on the challenge of establishing the Grain Orana Alliance alias GOA. GOA’s key role being to provide a quick response solutions to growers problems and to work in with existing service providers such as NSW DPI, CMA or CSIRO to name only a few examples.  

An interim Board was formed consisting of Matt Shepherd, Penny Heuston, Mark McKay, Graeme Callaghan, Ian Elliott, Campbell Muldoon and Andrew McFadyen. Between them they were successful in securing funding from GRDC for an initial 3 years to get GOA off the ground.

GOA was officially formed as a not for profit incorporated association in early 2009, with Maurie Street the inaugural employee starting with GOA in July of 2009.

The GOA project was modelled strongly on the already very successful Northern Grower Alliance (NGA) operating further north. One of the key features of this model is the high level of industry engagement in determining the organisations activities.

Twice a year the local industry is invited to take part in determining what the key issues challenging growers are in a series of meetings coined Focus Group Meetings (FGM). The issues raised at these meetings are how GOA plans it future activities.

It has been proven that this level of engagement for issue discovery ensures that growers levies are directed into activities that offer the best return to the industry.

GOA footprint covers the central- north region of NSW cropping belt. Extending from Cowra and Lake Cargelligo in the south to Coonamble in the North. The Coolah/Merriwa region is the eastern boundary of GOA’s region and extends to the extremes of the cropping belt west of Nyngan and neighbouring localities.