South Australian grain grower and former plant breeder and researcher Andrew Barr has taken out a rare and prestigious industry award.
Professor Barr was awarded the Grains Research and Development Corporation Seed of Gold award, one of the grains industry's most prestigious awards, at the GRDC Adelaide update this wee
He is just one of five people to receive the honour since it was created in 2007.
An emotional Prof Barr paid tribute to his family in his acceptance speech.
"This honour means a lot to me and my family deserve so much credit for their support in allowing me to do what I have."
Prof Barr runs a farm at Pinery, in South Australia's Mid North, but is best known for his work in the grains research sector, including a long career at the University of Adelaide as a plant breeder and time at research agency the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT).
GRDC southern panel chair Andrew Russell said the award was richly deserved.
"Andy has been so generous with his time for decades," he said.
Prof Barr's strong connection with the grain grower community also helped him retain a keen sense of what growers wanted in the plant breeding space.
"His connection, passion and commitment to working with, and working for grain growers has set him apart."
"He has shown he is willing to go above and beyond - and we are the ones who are the beneficiaries of his contributions."
Prof Barr's CV as a plant breeder is impressive.
During half a century as a plant breeder with the University of Adelaide, he developed 24 varieties of oats, barley and wheat, including the well-known Echidna oats and Commander barley cultivars, which offered growers industry-leading higher yielding and disease resistant options.
In his time in the industry Prof Barr has published more than 200 papers along with taking on various leadership roles.
These include six years on the GRDC southern panel (2005-2011), three years as GRDC Director (2014-2017), and positions as a trustee and then chair of CIMMYT in Mexico (2008-2014).
Currently he is busy as a trustee of the South Australian Grain industry Trust.
"We've got a small budget but I think we manage to get real bang for our buck due to our close ties with research sector," Prof Barr said.
Looking forward, Prof Barr said he saw sustainability as a hot topic for the grains sector in coming years.
This was the topic of his keynote address at the Adelaide update, exploring the question: Can our farming systems meet the global challenges of climate change, food security and sustainability?
"For so long the Australian grains industry has focused on productivity gains, what we are seeing with changes to European regulations, where changes have led to cuts in overall grain production, is that it is not always the major driver of decision making any more and it is something the industry needs to be aware of," Prof Barr said.
Gregor Heard
Gregor Heard is ACM's national grains industry reporter, based in Horsham, Victoria. He has a wealth of knowledge surrounding the cropping sector through his 15 years in the role. Prior to that he was with the Fairfax network as a reporter with Stock & Land. Some of the major issues he has reported on during his time with the company include the deregulation of the export wheat market, the introduction of genetically modified crops and the fight to protect growers better from grain trader insolvencies. Still involved with the family farm he is passionate about rural Australia and its people and hopes to use his role to act as an advocate for those involved in the grain sector.
Gregor Heard is ACM's national grains industry reporter, based in Horsham, Victoria. He has a wealth of knowledge surrounding the cropping sector through his 15 years in the role. Prior to that he was with the Fairfax network as a reporter with Stock & Land. Some of the major issues he has reported on during his time with the company include the deregulation of the export wheat market, the introduction of genetically modified crops and the fight to protect growers better from grain trader insolvencies. Still involved with the family farm he is passionate about rural Australia and its people and hopes to use his role to act as an advocate for those involved in the grain sector.
