Well known agricultural facilitator and extension leader Julianne Hill will join the Grower Group Alliance (GGA) to help farmers adopt practices that will assist them to adapt to a drying climate.
“This is a really positive appointment for the GGA that will add value to our expanding network of more than 60 grower groups and benefit producers in our region,” GGA Chief Executive Officer Rikki Foss said.
“I am pleased that we can attract staff of Julianne’s calibre – she joins existing skilled staff at GGA and the South-West WA Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub (SW WA Hub) – a major project led by the GGA with funding from the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund (FDF).
“Julianne is highly respected in WA agricultural circles and has widespread networks, on-the-ground experience and established positive relationships with farmers and industry members.”
Ms Hill’s appointment was made possible by $9 million in additional Australian Government FDF funding awarded this year to Australia’s eight Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hubs, to enable them to employ adoption officers.
She will take up the role of SW WA Hub Adoption Manager in November and will work closely with recently appointed Hub Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Manager and Adoption Officer Theo Nabben and Hub Adoption Officer Maddison McNeil.
Ms Foss said these team members would help the GGA to deliver on its aim of achieving best practice in adoption and extension.
“Julianne and the team will drive greater collaboration between grower groups and industry, with the ultimate aim of increasing adoption,” Ms Foss said.
Ms Hill said she was looking forward to joining the GGA and the SW WA Hub and helping to identify and extend research and practices that would support the industry in a drying climate.
“I love getting out to see farmers and for me, the excitement with this role is the really broad range of industries that we will work with – ranging from grains to dairy to livestock to horticulture – and located in areas stretching from Carnarvon right through to Esperance,” she said.
Ms Hill said the SW WA Hub, led by Director Mark Holland, had been working hard to identify local drought resilience and innovation priorities and projects and she wanted to help ensure that this work now hit the ground.
“I am keen to make sure that the needs identified by farmers are addressed through the extension of research outcomes. Our approach will need to be targeted for each of the different agricultural industries,” she said.
“The challenge will be making the research attractive to farmers – this might mean demonstrating a financial incentive or showing them how it will create less work or hassle.”
Ms Hill’s extensive career includes 11 years as a coordinator for the Grains Research and Development Corporation’s (GRDC) Regional Cropping Solutions Network, now known as the GRDC National Grower Network.
She has worked recently with Dairy Australia as Western Dairy’s Regional Manager and other roles have included seven years with Partners in Grain (now Rural Edge), including four years as State coordinator.
Ms Hill spent 19 years with the then WA Department of Agriculture and began her career as a jillaroo, stockman, farm hand and farm manager.
She won the prestigious 2022 western region GRDC Seed of Light award, presented to people who make a major contribution to communicating the outcomes of grains research and development, and is president of the Brunswick Agricultural Society, which runs the Brunswick Agricultural Show.
More information about the GGA and the SW WA Hub is available at www.gga.org.au.
Caption: Respected industry professional Julianne is joining the Grower Group Alliance and South-West WA Drought Resilience Adoption and Innovation Hub as Hub Adoption Manager.
