Australia
March 3, 2017

How does a young woman from the Sydney beachside suburb of Cronulla end up working as a wheat breeder in the dusty, grain paddocks of north west New South Wales?

For Rebecca Thistlethwaite it all started with her family’s small hobby farm, where as a youngster she developed a keen appreciation for all-things-outdoors, by the time she finished school she was weighing up the merits of a degree in agriculture.

“I definitely didn’t come from a ‘rural’ background into the industry, but I did come with a love of learning and a genuine appreciation and interest in agriculture,” she explained.

After studying agriculture at the University of Sydney she landed a position working in plant breeding at the university’s IA Watson Grains Research Centre in Narrabri and has called the north-west NSW city home for the past three years.

Last month she was one of the youngest presenters and amongst just a handful of female researchers, to deliver findings at the Grains Research and Development Corporation’s (GRDC) Grains Research Updates in Dubbo.

Despite confessing to a few pre-presentation nerves, the 27-year-old was unperturbed by the attention and says she is excited to be one of an increasing number of young people making their mark in the Australian grains sector.

“I love research and I believe projects like this one, investigating and identifying wheat germplasm that can tolerate greater heat stress, have the potential to significantly reduce the impact high temperatures can have on wheat yield,” Ms Thistlethwaite explained.

GRDC Growers Services Manager North Sharon O’Keeffe is another woman, who like Rebecca started her career in the grains sector and has found the industry a rewarding and ability-focused place to work.

“I believe that working in agriculture is the most rewarding career path you can follow, you see the results not only on the ground with growers, but in rural communities and on a larger scale through to farming’s contribution to the Australian economy. In my experience if you work hard, are prepared to keep learning and willing to embrace opportunities then gender doesn’t really play a role,” Ms O'Keeffe explained.

“I had the advantage of a family with strong agricultural ties, yet that only helped from the perspective of identifying where I wanted to be early.

“Australia is one of the most urbanised countries in the world – we need to bring talent in from non-farming backgrounds, and we certainly can’t afford to leave half the talent on the table due to gender.

“Professional agriculture and research at a certain level, might still be male dominated, but that has improved though my career, and will continue to improve.

“In the grains sector, like other industries, we need young people for the innovation, new strategies and enthusiasm they bring. They are a vital part of our future and the grains industries’ sustainability and young women, like Rebecca, epitomise what we are looking for in the next generation of researchers.”

Ms O’Keeffe said the young researcher was already involved in important research with significant on-ground relevance for wheat growers.

“High temperature stress continues to damage wheat crops across the north western grain production belt of New South Wales, for every degree the temperature rises growers can lose 457kg of grain per hectare so it is a serious production and profitability issue,” Ms Thistlethwaite explained.

“As part of this research our main objective has been to develop an understanding of what combination of traits are needed for heat tolerance and to develop and trial new germplasm.”

She said early results had indicate the genetic diversity for heat tolerance was present in Australia and international germplasms and it was now a matter of fine-tuning field-based screening methods for heat tolerance and collecting trial data on the impact of environmental conditions, like wheat planting dates and seasonal conditions.

“This is definitely a long-term process, but I am optimistic it will ultimately provide growers with commercial varieties that are more adapted to conditions in north west NSW for current, and if climate forecast models are correct, future climatic conditions,” Ms Thistlethwaite said.

Like the research work she is planning on a long-term connection with agriculture.

“I can’t see myself ever going back to live or work in the city, there is something very rewarding and real about being involved in research that actually impacts our food production,” she explained.

“Living in a regional area has also proved a great experience, and both the grains industry and the community have made me feel very welcome and the opportunities in terms of advancing your career are significant.

“I have never felt being a woman made any difference at all in terms of how seriously my work is being taken. To the contrary, I think the grains sector is keen to have young women and young people generally, involved and bringing their enthusiasm, energy and ideas to research.”

And when it comes to bridging the city-country divide the young scientist is equally forthcoming.

“In my opinion the best way to connect city and country people is through face-to-face communication. Agriculture needs to be prepared to share their stories with city people, because improving urban understanding in a thought provoking and thoughtful way will give them insight into the real challenges being faced by rural people.”

Website: http://www.grdc.com.au

Published: April 3, 2017