CSIRO principal research scientist Dr Ben Biddulph, NT Administrator David Connolly, and NT Department of Agriculture and Fisheries CEO Amelia Vellar.

THE NORTHERN Territory has turned on the warmest of welcomes for the Agronomy Australia Conference, being held in the tropics for the first time in its 46-year history.

The event kicked off with workshops and masterclasses on Monday, and included a twilight welcome reception hosted by the NT Government on the waterfront Speaker’s Green.

Proceedings included the presentation of the 2026 Neil Fettell Award for outstanding contribution to mentoring agronomists to Ian Brown.

Dr Ian Brown received the 2026 Neil Fettell Award at the welcome reception on the NT Parliament’s Speaker’s Lawn on Monday.

“It’s an honour for north to have the Agronomy Australia Conference here,” Dr Brown said after accepting the award from Charles Sturt University researcher Dr Felicity Harris, a long-time colleague of the late Dr Fettell.

Through his work in NT horticulture, a “deeply grateful” Dr Brown has played an important role in diversifying the NT’s primary production beyond beef.

“It’s unusual for a national organisation to recognise an agricultural scientist working in the north, an area plagued by agricultural failure.

“Northern farming has been plagued by carpet baggers, big dreamers, an excess of optimism and poor implementation; this continues today.

“However, a quiet evolution, not a revolution, has been happening in the NT and Ord since the 1980s.

“The Ord is now economically viable based on horticulture and mixed cropping, and now has 10,000ha of irrigated cotton, shipping 15,000 tonnes of cotton last year.

“We now see cotton and cropping emerging in the north, and a developing forage industry to improve cattle nutrition.”

Dr Brown pointed to the NT’s irrigated horticulture industry, which now covers around 10,000ha, and its $80-million vegetable industry established by Vietnamese refugees.

His message is clear: “Industries are developed by communities, not by individuals.”

In her conference opening address yesterday, NT Department of Agriculture and Fisheries chief executive officer Amelia Vellor echoed Dr Brown’s optimism for the NT’s diversifying agricultural sector, and its delight in being able to host the AAC for the first time.

“As Dr Brown said last night, this is a big deal for us.”

“Progress occurs when different perspectives come together; this is why events like this matter a lot.”

Ms Vellor encouraged all of the conference delegates to remain “curious and collaborative” as the NT Government continues to support development of “commercially viable production systems”, which is attracting growing interest, even at its site in the Victoria River district.

“We held a field day last week with nearly 100 people at Kidman Springs Research Station.”

The conference theme is Agronomy for a Diverse Future, and its opening session also heard from Grains Research and Development Corporation sustainable cropping systems senior manager Liam Ryan, who sketched out some of GRDC’s latest investments.

They include a pulse initiative, concentrating on the development of crop-improvement plans for chickpeas, faba beans, lentils, and lupins, as well as a Precision Nutrition Initiative involving Narrabri-based Precision Cropping Technologies, CSIRO, and The University of Sydney.

Mr Ryan also stepped through GRDC’s Grain Automate Program, which is looking into areas including green-on-green spraying that holds promise for Australian growers, and an expansion into large-scale research run by “innovative growers” over 1-3, 3-8 and 8-12 year horizons.

He also pointed to some job opportunities available to the room full of bright sparks and their colleagues.

“We’re hiring in the GRDC agronomy team to help develop exciting RD&E”.

A highlight of day one of the conference was the announcement of the CM Donald Award, presented to Mike Bell, whose career started in Kununurra, Western Australia in 1979, and is still going strong with the Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation.

A story about Professor Bell’s career and his thoughts on agronomy will appear on Grain Central on Friday.

The two-day conference program ends today, with Douglas Daly and Coastal Plains field trips scheduled for tomorrow.

The event has attracted 250-plus delegates from Australia, New Zealand and beyond, and is being held at Charles Darwin University’s Danala campus in the Darwin CBD.

It coincides with Plant Health Australia’s National Biosecurity Week.

Major sponsors of the event are the NT Government, Charles Darwin University’s Regional Institute for Northern Australia, GRDC, and Agrifutures.

Plant Health Australia CEO Sarah Corcoran, National Biosecurity Week, NT Department of Agriculture and Fisheries chief plant health officer and chemical coordinator Sally Heaton, amd Grain Producers Australia CEO Duncan Bremner.

NSW DPIRD research scientist Shihab Uddin, Wagga Wagga and R&D agronomist Colin McMaster, Orange, with Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga, Emeritus Professor Ted Wolfe (centre).

Delegates from WA include CSBP Fertilisers senior agronomists James Easton and Peter Rees.

Field Applied Research Australia senior research manager Dr Ben Jones with The University of Sydney senior lecturer Dr Patrick Filippi and senior lecturer in farming systems agronomy Dr Tim Weaver.

Delegates from Qld included JB Ag Services principal Joshua Bell, Emerald, and CSIRO principal research scientist Dr Fernanda Dreccer, Brisbane.

NT Department of Lands, Planning and Environment principal landscape scientist Luke Finn, land resource scientist Cassandra Ruger and land resource officer Jess Langridge.

Kansas State University’s Dr Romulo Lollato delivering his keynote address which looked at wheat yield gaps around the globe and their impact on trade. Dr Lollato was recently in Australia as a GRDC National Visiting Fellow.

Lincoln University doctoral researcher Obaka Ikani, and PhD students Luke Robb and Breanna Holt.

Timor Leste Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Forestry research agronomists Felisberto Amaral Soares and Marcos Correira.

South Australian Research and Development Institute’s Kaidy Morgan from the Hart Field Site, Clare, with Waite Institute-based senior research officer Melissa McCallum and vetch breeder Stuart Nagel.

Professor Mike Bell receives his CM Donald Award from Charles Darwin University researcher and Agronomy Australia president Dr Muhammad Sohail Mazhar.

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