Associate Professor, Dr Catherine Ball is a scientific futurist, speaker,  advisor, author, founder, executive producer, executive director and company director working across global projects where emerging technologies meet humanitarian, education and environmental needs. Catherine also likes to create businesses and champion movements, collaborate with peers, and advise game-changers.

​

Visit Dr Ball's website for further information - https://www.drcatherineball.com/.

​

Sponsored by: Intertek

Mark is a senior consultant with Independent Consultants Australia Network (ICAN), primarily conducting research and extension for the grains and cotton industry.

In recent years Mark’s focus has been largely around extension and training of agronomists and growers – particularly concentrating on herbicide resistance, best pesticide herbicide use, integrated weed management (IWM) and integrated pest management (IPM) and issues associated with spray drift.

Mark has witnessed significant industry change with regard to chemical use in summer crops over his 30-year career and will share these learnings and explore some of the macro trends that are likely to influence pesticide use in the coming 10-15 years.

Resilience, Persistence, and Determination are the words to describe Warren Davies also he is a husband, father of 5, son, brother, mate, and normal bloke down the road. 

Warren’s ability to engage with individuals  is through the journey of him piecing back together his life and the life lessons he learned along the way. His down to earth approach makes his story and strategies relevant whether you are from the country or the city, a farmer or the CEO of a large corporation.

​

Visit the website for more information on Warren's story - https://www.theunbreakablefarmer.com.au/

Callum Fletcher is Manager – Biosecurity at the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC). In this role he manages the various investments that GRDC had made in biosecurity and surveillance in Australia’s grains industries. These programs have a particular focus on improving preparedness and response in the event of an exotic plant pest or disease incursions that may threaten the nation’s second largest agricultural industry. With over twenty years’ experience working in the agricultural science sector, he has most recently held biosecurity and research positions at AUSVEG and Plant and Food Research in New Zealand.

Dennis Hoiberg is founder of Lessons Learnt Consulting and brings over 30 years of consulting experience working with individuals, families, teams and businesses to achieve this purpose.

His main area of consulting expertise is building emotional adaptability to thrive through change.

Dennis’ unique insight into human behaviour, and practical and pragmatic style. provides his clients with highly effective strategies and tools to be able to bounce forward and thrive through change at a personal, family, team, organisational and community level.

​

Sponsored by: AgForce

Dr Peter Carberry  is the newly appointed General Manager Applied Research and Development (R&D) at the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC). Dr Carberry is highly recognised internationally as a research leader, and his specific expertise is in crop physiology, the development and application of farming systems simulation models, and the use of information systems in agriculture.

​

​He was a key developer of the Agricultural Production Systems sIMulator (APSIM) modelling framework, which is still used as a research tool today in many of GRDC’s agronomy-related investments and by growers and advisers through decision support tools such as Yield Prophet®

Professor Daniel Rodriguez works at the Centre of Crop Sciences at the Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation, The University of Queensland.

​

He develops modelling tools and integrative analyses in agriculture, that he applies to develop crop designs that are more profitable and less risky, and farm designs that are better able to manage trade-offs between the multiple functions of agriculture.

Nigel is the Managing Director of New Leaf Ag Pty Ltd, a family owned food and fibre company. Nigel holds a Bachelor of Applied Science Agronomy from the University of Queensland. Nigel’s work across agriculture has been recognised as Australian Cotton Grower of the Year and ABC Rural Australian Young Farmer of the Year. Nigel also received a Nuffield Scholarship. Nigel currently sits on the board of Cotton Seed Distributors and Grain Grower Limited.

Jamie is the QLD/Northern Territory state manager for Elders, an iconic Australian owned agribusiness with a history dating back to 1839, that has risen above the challenges and changes in agriculture and is the most trusted agribusiness brand in Australia.

​

The agribusiness sector is no stranger to challenges.  None more so than the past two years with major impacts affecting all stakeholders in agriculture.

Professor Damian Hine: Future Markets and BioEconomies, Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation (QAAFI). 

Hine is an evolutionary economist with 25 years’ experience in innovation and commercialisation research, teaching and practice. His work sits at the crossroads of strategy and innovation. He specialises in the impact of disruptive technologies and the innovative business models required to deliver them. He works closely with scientists and engineers in translating good science to meaningful economic, community, environmental and societal impacts.

Tim, who was named Australian agricultural consultant of the year 2018, has over 25 years’ experience across Australia and internationally, 20 of which has been running his own agtech businesses. He is co-founder (with wife Peta) and Managing Director of DataFarming, a five-year old agtech business out of Queensland. Tim’s key focus is on adoption of technology, with the DataFarming platform servicing over 30,000 farms in 50 countries.

Andrew is well known as one of Australia's leading business mentors. Having recently built and sold one of Australia's largest coaching companies, with annual sales of $3.6m, Andrew is now focusing on helping farmers succeed in business through Farm Owners Academy.

​

​Andrew has a deep-rooted passion to improve the lives of fellow farmers and their families.  He utlises his 20+ years' experience to teach the business skills farmers require to earn more money, gain more control, and achieve more freedom.

​

Click here for more information - https://www.farmownersacademy.com/

Ben is a rain-fed grain producer with his family at Condamine on the Western Darling Downs, Queensland growing wheat, chickpeas, sorghum, and cotton. They operate a mix of owned and leased land covering 4000ha. Ben is passionate about farming and the long-term sustainability of his family farming land and its profitability.

Ben’s family have cooperated with the GRDC National Variety Trial program for many years in both the winter and summer crop areas and is a member of the Northern NVT Advisory Committee panel.