Organised by Jamie Searle and sponsored by Gloucester Rural Supplies, the field day was designed to focus on the establishment of tropical grass and what it may be able to offer Gloucester landholders in increasingly drier climate.

Held at the Searle property on Wednesday, November 13, attendees listened while the long-time columnist for The Land walked through his farming experiences and those his neighbours in Coonabarabran. Bob spoke about an overall approach to establishing and maintaining good quality pastures in times of low rain with a focus on soil moisture conservation. His approach covers off on everything from finding the right seed to sow at the right time of year to ensuring that it's not over-grazed, leaving enough growth to keep the soil covered.

Bob shared his knowledge about what's worked and what hasn't, using examples of his neighbours, like the one who sowed tropical grass early n the season just to see if it worked.

He talked about what he did know and what he didn't know, simply offering some advice based on his many years of experience, including the years he's been running a 700 acre mixed grain grazing property.

"I'm able to bring my experience in a drier climate to an area experiencing drier times," Bob said.

As Jamie only moved from Coonabarabran (where he got to know Bob) to Gloucester in January, he thought it was a good idea to bring in an expert to help his new fellow farmers.

For Jamie and his wife, Tessa it's a bit of a learning curve in their new pastoral environment, but given the recent prolonged dry spell, a bit of knowledge from back home seemed quite fitting.

Bob wasn't too insistent that people follow his instructions explicitly nor was he there to tell people what to do, he just offered a bit of advice in an area which saw him awarded Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in 2003. He was acknowledged for his service as an agronomist and researcher, particularly in the areas of pasture improvement and agricultural sustainability.