John Ferrier
Farmer, Chair Birchip Cropping Group Board
John is a third-generation farmer at Birchip, in southern Mallee region of Victoria. John and Robyn work with their son David and daughter in law De-Anne on their 5000-hectare broad acre cropping and livestock business. Producing wheat, barley, canola, lentils, chick peas, safflower and wool. Fat lambs are also produced for the supermarket trade
John has been involved with the Birchip Cropping Group since its inception 29 years ago. John was a founding member and served sixteen years as its treasurer and currently Chair of the BCG Board.
BCG is a not-for-profit farmer driven organisation. The mission of BCG is to ‘Drive the prosperity of Australian farmers, communities and landscapes through applied research and innovation and extension’.
John is committed to the vision of the BCG and the viability of family farms and rural communities.
His involvement in the BCG led to two major media programs.
In 2006 John was involved in the Radio National program ‘With the Grain’ an interactive radio broadcast where he grew a crop in competition with the listening audience. The season was a drought and the crops failed however the experience drew the attention of the risks, the practical and social impacts of drought to a larger city audience.
John and his family were also involved a four corners program ‘Winds of Change’.
John has an environmental focus within the farming operation including no-till farming practices, land set aside for Trust for Nature and has an area of native and natural vegetation that has attracted an allocation of environmental water. Johns’ other community involvements include Landcare, local grain receiver center committee, Birchip cemetery trust and was the president of the Birchip P-12 School Council for 14 years.
Through the BCG John has had the opportunity to extensively travel overseas visiting the United Kingdom, France, China, Chile, Mongolia, Ethiopia, Nepal, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Canada - all with an agricultural focus.