Each of the men, Ian Barber, Glen Andreazza, Michael Pfitzner and Bart Brighenti, claim their individual farming operations – as well as the community as a whole – will suffer irreparable damage if the Griffith station were to shut.

In addition to the potential loss of vital knowledge and experience if the 18 staff at the centre are forced to move away, decade-long trials that could hold the key to combating the prevailing drought conditions are also at risk.

Mr Barber, a dry area farmer from Merriwagga, said no tillage trials aimed at reducing soil erosion and the rolling dust storms that blanket the region could fall by the wayside if the closure goes ahead.

“We’ve got a long-term no tillage trial running which is at the point where we’re starting to see some pretty handy results,” he said.

“The momentum for the trials is driven from the centre in Griffith. If the jobs in Griffith become regional instead of district, well, they’re not going to have the time to put in the work they’ve been putting in for our specific trial.

“It’s a very short-sighted move on behalf of a government that may not be around in three months time or three years time and the effects are going to be around long after that.”

Rice grower Glen Andreazza said if the plan was to centralise the region’s DPI services in a place like Yanco then the government clearly did not understand how important it was for farmers to have immediate access to expert advice.

“In the past if we’ve ever had an outbreak of something then we can jump on the phone and someone will come to take a look at it,” Mr Andreazza said.

“If someone has to travel from Yanco just to have a look at something then obviously we’re not going to get the level of service we used to.”

Meanwhile, the local branch of the NSW Farmers’ Association will meet with local MLC Tony Catanzariti today to air its concerns over the proposed closure.

“We’ve got some questions we want to put to Tony Catanzariti and then pass on to our people in Sydney so they can put them to (Primary Industries Minister Ian Macdonald),” branch president Peter Flanagan said.

“We’re really hoping that this turns out just to be an ambit claim to test the reaction of farmers.”