From the 26th to the 27th of February, the Grains research and Development Centre (GRDC) held their annual two days Grains update conference at the Perth Exhibition and conference center. Read first hand about the event from a student perspective.

Article by Kristen Batten (Bachelor of Agricultural Science student)

Held at the Perth exhibition and conference center, the Grains research and Development Centre (GRDC) held their annual two days Grains update conference from the 26^th to the 27^th of February. With a record 750 attendees, the event was booming with discussions around science and agriculture. Murdoch University students, including myself, were presented with the opportunity to attend one day of the conference with sponsored positions from the Mt Burdett Foundation. Three students in total from their final year of agriculture science at Murdoch University attended the first day of the conference, where industry professionals from crop, pasture and soil science backgrounds all came together to discuss the latest research, technology and updates in broadacre cropping. The experience overall was a fantastic opportunity for students to network with potential future employers as well as learn about the newest discoveries in grain research and development. 

I sat down with the chairmen of GRDC and Grains Australia, John Woods and Andrew Young, at lunchtime to discuss the event and the future of agriculture. For John Woods, he discussed the importance of succession planning in Agriculture in particular attention to detail, farm timeliness and planning. He expressed his excitement for the youth coming into Agriculture, stating individuals who have the work ethic, are proactive, and are open minded individuals ready to learn excite him for the future of Agriculture. More from Andrew Young on this point, he stated that youth need to be given the opportunities and access to skills, but that the future is bright with the best opportunities and growth he has seen in recent years, predicting major change in the next 30 years.

After lunch, I was approached by non-executive director Bob Nixon from GRCD who presented a wonderful opportunity to sit down with the grain career opportunities panelists and speak briefly about agriculture and the conference from an undergraduate perspective. The panelists consisted of Hon. Jackie Jarvis, Minister for Agriculture and Food, Forestry and Small businesses; Nigel Hart, managing director of GRDC; Simon Stead, chair of CBH group, Tress Walmsley, CEO of Intergrain; and Peter Roberts, chair of Grower Group Alliance, and rural and regional advancement committee member for the Mt Burdett foundation. This was a fantastic opportunity to share experiences and opinions of agriculture, as well as a fantastic networking opportunity for myself and the other guest presenters from other universities and workplaces.

After the presentation, two other students including another Murdoch undergraduate student, Will Lethlean and I were asked by ABC’s Country Hour to speak on what attracted us to grain and our plans for the future.

Overall, the GRDC Grains Research Update was a fantastic opportunity to explore all the career opportunities the grain sector can offer. As a final year agriculture student, I highly recommend other students to take advantage of these opportunities to strengthen their knowledge and build on their connections in the Australian agriculture industry.