Australian grain industry research to improve as new Wagga Wagga Agricultural Research Facility opens

AUSTRALIA – The Wagga Wagga Agricultural Research Facility (WWARF) has opened its doors in New South Wales (NSW), Australia with a promise to improve research in the grains industry.

The NSW Department of Primary Industries (NSW DPI) and the Grains Research Development Corp. (GRDC) facilitated the opening of the research institution domiciled at the Wagga Wagga Agricultural Institute.

Built at a cost of A$2 million, WWARF will explore research necessary to improve plant breeding, soil science, and crop nutrition in southern New South Wales.

“This new world-class facility will improve our efficiencies and increase our capacity to conduct valuable research and development that will support the grains industry and our primary producers into the future,” said Scott Hansen, director general of the NSW DPI.

Among the amenities at the new facility are innovative light and temperature-controlled growth rooms, a biosecurity chamber, advanced cold storage solutions, pulse and cereal preparation stations, technical facilities, and laboratories.

This addition to the NSW DPI research and development portfolio is bound to inspire scientific interest and improve the profitability of the institute.

According to Nigel Hart, managing director of the GRDC, the new facility will provide researchers with the infrastructure and technology needed to deliver high-quality research to support Australian grain growers.

Australia boasts of having some of the best technicians and researchers, and to keep them, investment in infrastructure and technology is paramount.

“This facility in Wagga Wagga will improve the protection of valuable germplasm and increase the ability to process a greater number of samples. The state-of-the-art technology will also mean improved accuracy and reliability of data and the faster delivery of research results.” Hart added.

Earlier, GDRC committed more than $17.5 million over four years to Grains Australia Ltd. to bolster the competitiveness and profitability of the nation’s grain sector across the value chain in domestic and international markets.

John Woods, chairman of GRDC and a grain grower, said the decision to invest in Grains Australia on behalf of the nation’s grain growers was a critical, considered move to support the sector’s long-term competitiveness and profitability.

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