The WA Agricultural Research Collaboration (WAARC) was well represented at the 21st Australian Agronomy Conference in Albany from 21-24 October 2024.
WAARC Director Dr Kelly Pearce, Capacity Building and Extension Program Lead Jenny Crisp, Grains Transformation Program Lead Vanessa Stewart McGinniss, and Northern Agriculture Program Lead Dr Dean Thomas were among the attendees.
The event was a valuable opportunity to connect with current and future leaders in crop and pasture agronomy from across Australia, and delve into the latest research driving innovation in sustainable and profitable farming systems.
A Masterclass for early career researchers and agronomists kicked off the conference, setting the scene for a dynamic and inspiring week of learning and networking.
WAARC was proud to sponsor the Masterclass along with The University of Western Australia’s United Nations Regional Centre of Expertise (UNRCE) WA.
The Collaboration provided support for six of its Postgraduate Research Scholarship students to attend the Masterclass, broader conference and field tours. Our postgraduate scholars were privileged to be among a limited number of 40 attendees to take part in the Masterclass.
The interactive morning session focused on Resilient Agronomy 101, integrating the fundamentals of agronomy into risk management and decision-making. It featured six nationally renowned speakers who generously shared their insights and expertise.
In the afternoon, attendees developed their skills in ‘Networking and Personal Branding’ delivered by Value Creators Director Ann Maree O’Callaghan.
PhD students were able to put the networking and personal branding tips they gained into practice throughout the four-day conference.
The final day was dedicated to field tours. WAARC’s Harvestable Annual Legume Options (HALO) project was featured as part of the program. HALO Project Lead Dr Ron Yates and team members Robert Harrison and Dr Luca De Prato spoke about different legume options in rotation at the HALO field sites, aimed at reducing risk in the farming system by cutting fertiliser costs and allowing for better management of weeds, pests and diseases with positive flow-on effects for the environment.
The HALO project brings together the pasture legume breeding, agronomy and bio-economic modelling expertise of Murdoch University, DPIRD and CSIRO with co-investment from the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC).
