Vanessa Stewart
Development Officer
My role in the department
My role involves ensuring that the Western Region has people with the skills in crop production and crop protection research agronomy to continually innovate at the local level to address evolving R&D priorities. I work closely with regional and national projects, the GRDC Regional Cropping Solutions Network, agribusiness and growers to ensure that key R&D outcomes are delivered at a local level especially those focussed on locally identified R&D priorities.
I am based in Merredin in the low rainfall eastern wheatbelt.
My background
I have extensive experience working with agri-industry and growers to develop extension programs and products in the areas of integrated weed management, herbicide resistance and farm business management. This includes Planning for Profit workshop and supporting materials, integrated weed management workshops and manual, e-weed, paddock spray guides and demonstration sites. I have been with DPIRD at Merredin as a Development Officer since 1998.
Prior to joining DPIRD, I worked as a Research Officer with the Centre for Legumes in Mediterranean Agriculture (CLIMA) as a bio-economic modeller on the development of the Central Wheatbelt MIDAS model. I was involved in the development of the 'Risky Business' training program, designed to increase understanding of whole farm decision making in risky environments. I was heavily involved in developing the bio-economic simulation model RIM which investigates the management of herbicide resistant weeds within WA farming systems.
Projects
- Building Crop Protection and Crop Production agronomy R&D capacity in regional Western Australia’ (Project Leader). Jointly funded GRDC/DPIRD/Royalties for Regions – Boosting Grains R&D project DAW00256
Key Expertise
Extension, development, strategic planning, farming systems, integrated weed management, herbicide resistance management, weed identification, summer weeds, low rainfall cropping systems, integrated business analysis, RIM, participatory R&D, facilitation
Qualifications
- B.Sc. (Agriculture) Hons. University of Western Australia 1993
My articles
Tuesday, 18 September 2018 - 9:27am