David Roget Award for Excellence

Mallee Sustainable Farming is proud to announce Jason Brand, Senior Researcher with Agriculture Victoria, as the 2021 winner of the David Roget award for Excellence.

Lachie Sutton, Executive Officer, Mallee Sustainable Farming presented the David Roget Award to Jason Brand at the Mildura Mallee Research Update on February 3 2021.

“Jason Brand leads the Southern Pulse Agronomy Program and is heavily involved in extension services to growers across the region and delivers field days and other initiatives in an informative and practical way. He has been recognised as approaching this extension work in a balanced way and has developed management packages to help farmers achieve optimal results with what are now key cornerstones of modern farming systems,” said Lachie Sutton, Executive Officer, MSF.

The David Roget Award for Excellence recognises an individual, business or group who has made a significant contribution to dryland farming production systems in the Mallee Sustainable Farming region.

Jason was nominated for the award for not only the instrumental role he has played in the development and extension of the Australian pulse industry but also for his work in attracting young people into grains research as graduates, PhD students and technical staff. For these reasons MSF believes Jason is an excellent candidate for the award.

Jason expressed his sincere thanks and gratitude upon receiving the award with particular thanks for the support he has received from farmers in the Mallee.

“I am so incredibly honoured to receive this award and having the opportunity to work with mallee growers, agronomists and researchers. I really enjoy collaborating and sharing knowledge out in the field and working alongside groups like MSF and Michael Moodie from Frontier Farming Systems to achieve all we have in the pulse industry. The Mallee has been one of the best and most innovative environments to work in,” said Jason Brand, Agriculture Victoria Pulse Agronomist and leader of the Southern Pulse Agronomy Program.

The David Roget Award was created by Mallee Sustainable Farming to remember and celebrate the significant contributions made by the late David Roget. The Award for Excellence acknowledges David’s enduring legacy and contribution to sustainable agriculture. David was a principal research scientist with CSIRO at the Waite campus, Adelaide, before he retired in 2005 and will be remembered for taking research out of the laboratory and into the paddock.

David was instrumental in developing and promoting the concept of farming systems research by bringing together multiple disciplines and grower input, particularly through the Mallee Sustainable Farming Project.

The calibre of nominations received each year is high and MSF will continue to recognise outstanding individuals, groups and businesses through this award into the future. The next call for the 2022 award will open at the end of 2021.

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