A local Narromine family has secured the winning position in the annual wheat competition for Northern NSW, where they were crowned as number one for the Suncorp Bank Championship Dryland Field Wheat Competition. 

Based in Narromine, wheat growers Billy and Jodi Browning were thrilled at hearing their name being called at the award’s state final this weekend in Dubbo. 

“It’s a complete credit to our team, and we can’t thank everyone that’s involved…hopefully they can go home knowing they’ve achieved something special as well,” Mr Browning said. 

While the end of season saw crop damage across the region as floodwaters inundated the state, Mr Browning said the judging of the competition came at fortunate timing. 

“The wheat competition was judged prior to the rainfall. After the rain, the yield was still there but we lost quality of the grain,” Mr Browning said. 

Floodwaters aside, Mr Browning said that it was an outstanding year for cropping conditions. 

“It’s certainly been a standout year, I think across all commodities. The canola was also pretty special this year. We’re also very mindful that there’s a lot of heartbreak out there for a lot of people.”

The Northern NSW region saw farmers competing across the Western Plains and beyond, covering Baradine, Bourke, Burren Junction, Coonamble, Gilgandra, Gulargambone, Narromine, Nyngan, Walgett and Warren, extending as far east as Manilla. 

The Western Plains is also home to Warren growers Simon and Rachel Cant, who came in at second place. 

President of AgShows NSW - who runs the annual competition - Tim Capp said that 2021 was a strong year for competitors. 

“The central and southern regions were hard to beat in 2021 thanks to favourable seasonal conditions, and the skill of those producers to make the most of their competitions,” Mr Capp said. 

“While the wheat competition is typically a yield-based competition, if a grower has made the best of the local season, spraying and feeding the crop to grow an optimal plant base it should perform well in the competition,” Mr Capp said. 

Mr Browning was thankful for the encouragement to seek out continuous improvement in his own farming. 

“I think it’s great that there’s more and more entrants happening each year. It’s always good to compare agronomic advice and different farming practices,” Mr Browning said. 

The statewide award was taken home by Grenfell based wheat growers Rob and Mandy Taylor.