AEGIC reflected on the long and successful career of Ken Quail at the recent 2025 LA Judge Award for Baking Apprentice of the Year event. Photo: AEGIC

• AEGIC farewells Ken Quail
• SunRice chairman to retire
• New SFMCA executive officer
• Crowley joins ETG
• Siddique awarded Crawford Fund Medal
• Cotton Australia 2025 award finalists
• Australian Academy of Science honour for Varshney
• New InterGrain SA territory manager
• Singh named Australian Oilseeds CFO
• Horizon Scholarship cohort revealed
• National Trucking Industry Award winners
• Civvic Labs Farm Safety Challenge winners

AEGIC farewells Ken Quail

The Australian Export Grains Innovation Centre has farewelled Dr Ken Quail, who has retired this month from a long and accomplished career in the Australian grains industry, most recently as the leader of its Sydney team and operations.

Over his 45-year career, Dr Quail contributed widely to the development of Australia’s grains and allied industries through his leadership in cereal science, grains research and market support.

After starting his career at CSIRO, Dr Quail spent 34 years at AEGIC’s Sydney operations (formerly BRI Australia) from 1991, which including leading and developing team of scientists and support staff dedicated to adding value to the Australian grains industry.

During his tenure, Dr Quail also served as AEGIC’s interim CEO for an extended period during 2022-23.

The Australian industry farewelled Dr Quail at the 2025 LA Judge Award for Baking Apprentice of the Year, an annual event delivered by AEGIC which he has been closely involved with for many years.

Dr Quail hands over the reins to long-time colleague Dr Hayfa Salman.

SunRice chairman to retire

SunRice chairman and director Laurie Arthur will step down from the board following the company’s annual general meeting on September 4, with John Bradford named chair-elect and set to take over the role after the meeting.

Laurie Arthur, John Bradford and Paul Serra

Mr Arthur will retire having served on the board for nearly 18 years and as its chairman for over a decade as has “witnessed the SunRice Group undergo significant transformation and growth, both domestically and with the expansion of its international footprint”.

“As the SunRice Group enters its next phase of growth, I retire with confidence in our future direction,” Mr Arthur said.

Mr Bradford, a grower director on the SunRice board for nearly a decade and deputy chair since September 2022, also chairs Trukai Industries Limited and brings extensive agricultural experience from his mixed farming operations and previous role as a director of the Rice Marketing Board of NSW.

He thanked Mr Arthur for his contribution to the company and to the Australian rice industry.

“During his tenure, Laurie has led the SunRice Group as it delivered a number of significant achievements, including the successful listing of the company on the ASX in 2019, and the transformation of the Group into one of Australia’s leading branded food exporters with operations across 10 countries,” Mr Bradford said.

The retirement of Mr Arthur will create a vacancy on the board for a new grower director, with an election process to be held in advance of the AGM.

New SFMCA executive officer

Ellen Buckle has been named the new executive officer of the Stock Feed Manufacturers’ Council of Australia, taking over from Duncan Rowland who has held the role since 2017.

Ellen Buckle

Ms Buckle has held several roles within the agricultural industry, most recently as a senior manager for AgriFutures Australia and a senior project manager for Plant Health Australia.

The SFMCA is the national industry association representing 283 corporate and individual manufacturers of stock feed and their supply chain associates located throughout Australia.

The association operates within five state-based branches where members meet to address industry specific issues.

From the association’s inception, it has played an active role in addressing national industry issues, many of these relating to raw material ingredient supply, quality standards, federal and state government legislation and regulations.

Crowley joins ETG

ETG trader Nick Crowley.

ETG Australia has appointed Nick Crowley as its northern pulse trader, dealing mainly with chickpeas, and also faba beans.

Based in ETG Australia’s Brisbane office, Mr Crowley has come to the business after four years with CL Commodities in Orange, NSW.

“With his background, he brings fresh energy and valuable knowledge to our organisation,” ETG said in a social media post.

ETG Australia’s northern operation works in with the company’s southern base at Horsham in Victoria, which deals primarily with lentils as well as faba beans and field peas as part of ETG’s global network.

Siddique awarded Crawford Fund Medal

The 2024 Crawford Fund Medal has been awarded to internationally renowned agricultural scientist, educator and collaborator, Kadambot Siddique CitWA FTSE.

Kadambot Siddiquee

The medal recognises those who have made a considerable and continued contribution to international agricultural research through the Crawford Fund’s programs and related activities.

“In awarding the 2024 Crawford Fund Medal, we recognise the more than 35 years’ of eminent service by Hackett Professor Siddique AM CitWA FTSE in agricultural research, teaching and management in Australia and overseas, especially in the context of international agricultural research for development,” the fund’s CEO Shaun Coffey said.

“Professor Siddique has served on the Crawford Fund WA Committee since 1999 and has led and co-led numerous international projects funded by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) and United Nations (UN) Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).”

“He’s made an outstanding contribution in the fields of crop physiology, production agronomy, farming systems, genetic resources, breeding research in cereal, grain legumes and oilseed crops.”

He has pioneered research on chickpea, contributing enormously to the Australian chickpea industry as well as having bred and commercially released 13 grain legume cultivars (chickpea, lentil and grasspea).

Professor Siddique will be presented with the 2024 Crawford Fund Medal at the Crawford Fund’s 2025 Annual Conference, being held in the Great Hall, Parliament House, Canberra on 11 and 12 August.

Cotton Australia award finalists: Matt Richards, RDS Farming; Thomas Popp, RMI ‘Springfield’; Tom Eather, Bellevue Pastoral Company; Jock Brownhill, Merrilong Agricultural Company, and Tyson Armitage, Wamara Farming.

Cotton Australia 2025 award finalists

Cotton Australia has announced the finalists for both the 2025 Bayer Cotton Grower of the Year award and the AgriRisk High Achiever of the year award with the results to be announced at the Cotton Collective in Toowoomba in August.

This year, each of the five finalists, nominated by their Cotton Grower Associations and fellow growers, will be considered for the Bayer Grower of the Year Award and the AgriRisk High Achiever of the Year, with one recipient to be announced in each category.

This year the finalists are:

• Tyson Armitage – Wamara Farming Trust, Cecil Plains, Qld;
• Brownhill Family – Merrilong Agricultural Company, Spring Ridge, NSW;
• Tom and Julia Eather – Bellevue Pastoral Company, Narrabri, NSW;
• Thomas Popp – Springfield, RMI Ltd, Kurumbal, Qld;
• Matt Richards, RDS Farming, Nobby, Qld.

Cotton Australia’s CEO Adam Kay said the nominees for this year’s top cotton industry awards are all highly deserving, with some encountering a challenging year particularly with the onset of rain at the start of picking.

“The awards are the Australian cotton industry’s top grower honours for the year, and they recognise a range of attributes including innovation, sustainability, water efficiencies, nutrition and soil health, and commitment to their own communities,” Mr Kay said.

“This year the nominees represent a range of cotton growers with one producing only his third cotton crop, while another family has been growing cotton for more than 30 years and are now fifth-generation farmers.”

The growers were nominated after winning regional awards or after recognition from other growers, impressed by their farming strategies and crop outcomes.

Australian Academy of Science honour for Varshney

Prof Rajeev Varshney

The Australian Academy of Science has named Murdoch University Professor Rajeev Varshney as one of 26 scientists elected as a Fellow in 2025.

Prof Varshney is an internationally renowned expert in genomics, genetics and pre-breeding who serves as Director of the Centre for Crop and Food Innovation, Director of the WA State Agricultural Biotechnology Centre, and International Chair – Agriculture and Food Security at Murdoch University.

His research breakthroughs in the field of crop genomics include decoding genomes of over a dozen crops, developing the Genomics-Assisted Breeding framework, and conceptualising and popularising the super-pangenome approach.

He currently leads multiple research projects designed to boost Australian cereal, legume and horticultural crop productivity, working directly with primary industry across the country and research development corporations, such as GRDC and Hort Innovation.

“It is an honour to be recognised by my peers for my contributions to agricultural research in Australia and abroad,” Prof Varshney said.

New InterGrain SA territory manager

InterGrain has appointed Darcy Moore as its new territory manager for South Australia, where he will work alongside the team to promote the company’s wheat, barley and oat varieties to growers and agronomists across the state.

Darcy Moore

Mr Moore, who studied at the University of Adelaide, has held various roles in the agricultural sector, including experience in research agronomy and most recently as an agronomist.

“Darcy’s extensive background in agronomy and his deep understanding of growers’ needs make him an excellent addition to our team,” InterGrain chief marketing officer Nicole Kerr said.

“Darcy has a very well-rounded understanding of South Australian farming systems, and we’re looking forward to him working closely with growers to promote the productivity gains available from our new wheat, oat and barley varieties.”

Mr Moore said he was thrilled to join InterGrain and contribute to the company’s ongoing success.

“I look forward to strengthening my existing industry relationships and working directly with growers and advisors to help them understand and utilise the available varieties across South Australian farming system,” Mr Moore said.

Singh named Australian Oilseeds CFO

Amarjeet Singh

Australian Oilseeds Holdings Limited, operators of the Cootamundra Oilseeds plant, has announced the appointment of Amarjeet Singh as chief financial officer effective February 28.

Mr Singh brings more than 20 years of finance and accounting experience and held leadership roles at major companies in the global agricultural sector.

Before joining Australian Oilseeds, Mr Singh served as head of finance at MOI International Pty Ltd, a subsidiary of Mewah International, a large agricultural company listed in Singapore, and before that was manager, accounts and treasury, at Mewah Oils & Fats, another subsidiary of Mewah International.

He will replace Bob Wu who is leaving his position to explore new opportunities outside of the company.

“[Mr Singh’s] deep expertise in finance and accounting coupled with a strong background in the global agricultural sector make him the ideal candidate to lead our finance organization at this pivotal time,” Australian Oilseeds chief executive officer Gary Seaton said.

“On behalf of everyone at the Company, I would like to thank Bob for his significant contributions and wish him success in his future endeavors.”

Mr Singh said it was “an exciting time to join Australian Oilseeds as the company continues to focus on expanding and scaling its business globally”.

Horizon Scholarship cohort revealed

AgriFutures Australia has announced a cohort of 21 students across Australia who were successfully chosen to take part in the Horizon Scholarship Program.

Horizon Scholar from 2018 and 2020, Indiana Rhind

Since its inception in 2010, the Horizon Scholarship Program has supported more than 240 students and played a key role in addressing workforce challenges across the sector, with several scholars going on to start their own ventures.

Reflecting on her experience as a 2018 and 2020 Horizon Scholar, Indiana Rhind, said the program had played a pivotal role in shaping her work.

“It gave me the skills and confidence to succeed in the professional world through its amazing workshops and introduced me to a network of driven, supportive peers I’m still in contact with today,” Ms Rhind said.

Each scholar receives a $10,000 bursary over two years to support their studies and living expenses, along with access to a unique program of professional development, industry networking and work placements with an industry sponsor.

The 2025 cohort will come together face to face in July for a five-day workshop in Canberra, held in conjunction with the AgriFutures Stakeholder Summit.

National Trucking Industry Award winners

The Australian Trucking Association has announced the winners of the 2025 National Trucking Industry Awards, announced at the 2025 ATA Foundation Sponsors Gala Awards Dinner, held in Adelaide on April 30.

“The National Trucking Industry Awards recognise the businesses and individuals who make exceptional contributions to our great industry – and Australia,” ATA chair Mark Parry said.

“The winners of all our awards have shown enormous commitment to their individual businesses and the community.”

Mark Tobin, Followmont Transport.

The winners are:

• Outstanding Contribution to the Australian Trucking Industry: Mark Tobin, Followmont Transport, Eagle Farm, Qld;
• National Professional Driver of the Year: Brad Train, VE Group, Ipswich, Qld;
• National Trucking Industry Woman of the Year: Ann Lopez, Lopez Bros Transport, Enfield, NSW;
• National Trucking Industry Workforce Award: Border Crane Consultants, Wodonga, Victoria;
• TruckSafe John Kelly Memorial Award: Jim Pearson Transport, Port Macquarie, NSW; and
• Don Watson Memorial Award: Kathy Williams AM.

Civvic Labs Farm Safety Challenge winners

Agtech startups SeeALL and People in Paddocks, have each secured $35,000 in Victorian Government funding to advance their farm safety solutions to market, following their standout performances in the CivVic Labs Farm Safety Challenge.

SeeALL is a blind-spot radar for farm vehicles designed to prevent distractions and avoid collisions on farms, while People in Paddocks is an inclusive workforce management tool that boosts productivity and safety, designed especially for workers with dyslexia.

Delivered by LaunchVic, a group of 10 emerging agtech startups took part in a six-week intensive bootcamp, which culminated in a showcase pitch event.

Minister for Agriculture Ros Spence said the startups demonstrated how “technology can help us address long-standing challenges in fresh and inclusive ways”.

“People in Paddocks and SeeALL exemplify how user-centred design can lead to practical solutions, whether that’s improving visibility on tractors or supporting workers with diverse learning needs,” Ms Spence said.

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