Irrigation Research and Extension Committee

What Irrigation Research and Extension Committee does

The Irrigation Research and Extension Committee (IREC) is a non-profit incorporated association founded in 1939 in Griffith, New South Wales, operating as an independent voice for irrigated agriculture in the Murrumbidgee Valley. It convenes cross-commodity collaboration among irrigators, researchers, industry bodies, government agencies, and irrigation operators across multiple sectors — rice, cotton, cereals, citrus, wine grapes, almonds, and olives — with the stated objective of improving the irrigation industry's productivity, profitability, and sustainability.

IREC's product surface is extension-oriented rather than technology-oriented. Its core offerings include the Farmers' Newsletter (published continuously since 1944), a membership program that aggregates a diverse base of growers and stakeholders, the 45-hectare Whitton Field Station used for on-ground research trials, the 'On Target with Irrigated Ag' podcast, publications and fact sheets, and a calendar of field days, seminars, and masterclass workshops. Research outputs are produced in collaboration with partner universities (Deakin, Charles Sturt), NSW DPI, and irrigation infrastructure operators (Murrumbidgee Irrigation, Coleambally Irrigation), as well as industry bodies and research and development corporations (GRDC, CRDC, Hort Innovation, RGA).

Revenue is generated through three streams: membership subscriptions (pricing undisclosed), tiered corporate sponsorship (Gold, Silver, Friends of IREC), and project-specific grants from Commonwealth departments and agricultural RDCs. Notable recent grants include participation in the GRDC RiskWi$e initiative (2023-2028), the DCCEEW Carbon Farming Outreach Program (2024-2026), and the DAFF-funded Climate Smart Horticulture Masterclass (2025-2026). The organization is governed by a representative executive committee spanning all major commodity groups and partners, operates with a small staff (approximately 6 employees), and has no disclosed parent company or commercial ownership structure.

Name

Irrigation Research and Extension Committee

Legal name

Irrigation Research and Extension Committee Inc

Website

https://irec.org.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1939

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

IREC is a non-profit farming systems group founded in 1939 that convenes cross-commodity collaboration among irrigators, researchers, and government in the Murrumbidgee Valley, delivering extension services, research projects, and the long-running Farmers' Newsletter.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Research and Extension Services

NAICS

Other Similar Organizations (except Business, Professional, Labor, and Political Organizations) (81399)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Afforestation, Reforestation & Revegetation (ARR) (EUABABAA)

Keywords

• Irrigated agriculture research
• Agricultural extension services
• Irrigation farming systems
• Agricultural membership services
• Grower research collaboration

Headquarters

HQ city

Griffith

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership fees: IREC operates as a membership-based organization where irrigators and stakeholders pay membership fees to join and access resources, research, and industry representation.
2. Sponsorship: The organization attracts sponsorship from businesses at Gold, Silver, and Friends of IREC levels to support events, research activities, and operational costs.
3. Project funding and grants: IREC receives funding from government departments and research corporations including the Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, GRDC, CRDC, and other agricultural R&D bodies for specific research projects.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

IREC is a non-profit farming systems group that facilitates cross-industry collaboration between irrigators, researchers, industry, agencies, and government to improve productivity, profitability, and sustainability of irrigated agriculture in the Murrumbidgee Valley. It delivers this through membership services, the Farmers' Newsletter, research and extension project management, the IREC Field Station, events and field days, podcasts, and educational resources.

Product overview

IREC is a non-profit farming systems organization (not a technology company) that provides research and extension services to the irrigated agriculture industry in the Murrumbidgee Valley. Its core offerings include the Farmers' Newsletter (published since 1944), membership program, research and extension project management, the IREC Field Station facility, the 'On Target with Irrigated Ag' podcast, events and field days, and publications/resources. These services work together to facilitate cross-industry collaboration and support improved productivity, profitability and sustainability in irrigated agriculture.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• IREC Farmers' Newsletter A magazine published since 1944 that brings together relevant articles on research trials, demonstrations, crop and management techniques, plus stories on policy, legislation, programs and opportunities affecting irrigators in the Murrumbidgee Valley.
• IREC Membership Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Tile drainage research saved thousands of hectares of horticultural plantings after prolonged wet period
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Murrumbidgee IrrigationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1939Long-standing partnership with Murrumbidgee Irrigation, a major irrigation infrastructure operator in the Murrumbidgee Valley. IREC collaborates with MI on channel automation projects including Division 3 pilot programs at Whitton.
• Coleambally IrrigationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1939Partnership with Coleambally Irrigation, a key irrigation provider in the Coleambally irrigation area. IREC works together on research and extension activities benefiting irrigators in the region.
• Deakin UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1939Deakin University's Centre for Regional and Rural Futures (CeRRF) is based at Griffith and conducts collaborative research with IREC on irrigation management, soil health, drone technology applications, and agricultural innovation.
• Charles Sturt UniversitymajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1939Charles Sturt University collaborates with IREC on research projects and knowledge transfer activities related to irrigated agriculture in the Murrumbidgee Valley.
• Riverina Local Land ServicesmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1939Riverina Local Land Services works with IREC on regional agricultural development initiatives, innovation grants, and extension services for irrigators in the Riverina region.
• NSW Department of Primary IndustriescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1939NSW DPI is a key research partner involved in IREC projects covering cereals, canola, cotton, rice, and other crops, providing scientific expertise and research capacity.
• Southern NSW Innovation HubmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with the Southern NSW Innovation Hub to support innovation and agricultural development in the region through collaborative initiatives and knowledge sharing.
• Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGRDC is a major funder and partner in IREC's grains research activities, including the RiskWi$e project ($30 million initiative 2023-2028), Optimising Irrigated Grains project, and various nitrogen management trials.
• Cotton Research and Development Corporation (CRDC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCRDC partners with IREC on cotton research including nitrogen use efficiency studies, irrigation optimization, and the Smarter Irrigation for Profit project.
• Cool Soil Initiative ConsortiummajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMulti-stakeholder initiative including CSU, Mars, Allied Pinnacle, CWFS, FarmLink Research, Kellanova Australia, PepsiCo, Manildra Group, Riverine Plains and Corson Grain, focused on improving soil health and reducing farm greenhouse gas emissions.
• Ricegrowers' Association of Australia (RGA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRGA represents rice growers and partners with IREC on rice extension activities, variety trials, and industry research initiatives including Rice Extension program.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• FarmLink Research: FarmLink Research is a southern NSW grower-driven research and extension organisation operating a similar membership/farming-systems model to IREC, running on-farm trials, field days and local applied-research projects for dryland and irrigated cropping farmers in the Riverina and southwest slopes.
• Central West Farming Systems (CWFS): CWFS is a Central West NSW grower group delivering applied research, field trials and extension events for mixed farming enterprises — same farming-systems / member-funded / trial-based extension model as IREC, just in a different NSW region.
• Birchip Cropping Group (BCG): BCG is a Victorian Mallee-based farming systems group running member-funded agronomic trials, field days and research communications for dryland farmers — a near-identical operating model to IREC, just in a different (rain-fed) cropping region.
• Riverine Plains: Riverine Plains is a farmer-driven research and extension group covering the NSW/Victorian Riverine Plains, conducting applied farming-systems research, trials and extension events focused on cropping systems — directly overlapping IREC's irrigated-systems research remit and target grower audience.
• Mallee Sustainable Farming (MSF): MSF is a grower-driven sustainable farming systems group in the SA/Vic Mallee, running paddock-scale trials and extension activities on soil health, carbon and climate-smart agriculture — comparable to IREC's sustainability/climate-smart programs and grant-funded extension delivery.
• Southern Farming Systems (SFS): SFS is a farming systems group in southwest Victoria and southeast South Australia running replicated trials, demonstrations and extension events across cropping and mixed farming — closely comparable to IREC's trial-based, member-funded extension approach.

Broad incumbents

• Hort Innovation Australia: Hort Innovation is the national horticulture RDC that IREC works with on citrus, olive, almond and winegrape R&D via the Climate Smart Horticulture Masterclass — a broader, national RDC that sits upstream of IREC's commodity-specific extension work.
• Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC): GRDC is the national RDC funding and co-ordinating grains R&D, including the $30M RiskWi$e program in which IREC participates — a much larger, national counterpart whose funding decisions materially shape IREC's irrigated grains research pipeline.

Regional players

• Ag Excellence Alliance: Ag Excellence Alliance is a South Australian peak body for farming systems groups, providing coordination, advocacy and shared services for member organisations — functionally the SA equivalent of the network role IREC plays for Murrumbidgee irrigation groups.

Others

• Murray-Darling Basin Authority (MDBA): MDBA is the federal authority that plans and oversees water resources across the Murray-Darling Basin — a strategic stakeholder rather than direct peer, but the single most consequential policy actor for Murrumbidgee irrigators and therefore for IREC's operating context and research priorities.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/IRECNSW
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCWd8mp66H9L5USEHAst9g9Q
• Facebookfacebook.com/irecnsw
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/irrigation-research-and-extension-committee

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Irrigation Research and Extension Committee