THE last in an elite series of events across the country hosted by Fairfax Media and the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) will be held at Orange on Thursday, April 7.
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Prominent farming identities form the panel at the event called Farming, the Key to Australia's Future, hosted by influential 2GB radio broadcaster Alan Jones.
It will be held at Orange Ex-Services Club, 231-243 Anson Street, Orange, from 5pm to 7.30pm, with expert panellists GRDC chairman Richard Clark, Farmlink Research chief executive Cindy Cassidy, Ariah Park; NSW Farmers grains committee chairman Dan Cooper, Caragabal, and Peter Mac Smith from MSM Milling, Manildra.
Ms Cassidy, the 2015 Rural Woman of the Year, was general manager, technical at Wheat Quality Australia, a not-for-profit company responsible for the nation's wheat variety classification. She grew up on a sheep and grain farm and has worked at CSIRO, the Australian Barley Board, and AWB Ltd.
Mr Cooper manages the grain operations for the Caragabal properties and is a director of DB Ag - a collaborative farming venture for five families. He took part of in the GrainGrowers Future Grain Leaders Program, and in 2009 and 2010 visited Asia to investigate opportunities to export grain directly to end users via the container trade, which resulted in export sale opportunities.
Mr Mac Smith is a director of MSM Milling, a fully integrated oilseed processing plant which is a joint venture between Bob and Peter Mac Smith and the Manildra Group. The Mac Smith family has been farming in the Cudal district since the 1850s and in 1992 Bob and Pete built a small canola processing plant on the family farm, "Little Boree". The business has grown into a major regional agricultural processor employing more than 50 staff, with a specialised packing plant and feedmill facilities on site.
Mr Clarke, appointed chairman of the GRDC in October, 2013, is a farmer and company director from Tulloona, where he and his wife Barbara run an intensive 1340-hectare enterprise. A graduate of the Orange Agricultural College, he has held various industry directorships, and was a councillor of the Grains Council of Australia and National Farmers Federation.
The event aims to educate a wider audience about the work the GRDC is doing to help grow the industry and influence the agriculture industry with their research and development in the process.
Farmers can discuss the issues they face and how GRDC is helping them with profitability.
The panel discussion will include issues and innovations important to Australia's farming future.
