19. What 40 Years in WA Agriculture Taught Geoff Fosbery

Bill sits down with respected WA agronomist Geoff Fosbery to look back on a career shaped by curiosity, experimentation, and some of the biggest changes in Western Australian agriculture. Geoff shares how growing up around Corrigin sparked his passion for farming, before taking us through his early work with the Department of Agriculture in Merredin and Three Springs. A major part of the conversation explores his pioneering work with gypsum, soil acidity, nutrient limitations, and the importance of understanding how one change in the farming system can affect everything else. They also discuss early sowing, wheat varieties, herbicide resistance, no-till farming, and the people and research that helped reshape agriculture across the WA Wheatbelt. This is Part 1 of Bill’s conversation with Geoff Fosbery, packed with agricultural history, practical agronomy, and lessons that remain highly relevant to farming today.