Thank you for your participation as we hosted the first Nuffield Australia National Conference in the Northern Territory.
The National Conference is the highlight of the Nuffield calendar. It’s a flagship event, offering a meeting point for Scholars, Investors and the broader agriculture industry.
In 2017, it was NT’s turn, providing a real ‘destination’ conference!
The program provided in-depth insights into agriculture and production in Northern Australia, as only Nuffield can provide.
We thank our partners of the 2017 National Conference.
The event has continued to grow over the last five years, with registrations reaching 360 attendees in 2016 and a similar number participating in 2017.
There was a strong program of diverse and vibrant speakers providing the most current and up-to-date insights in agriculture, and particularly Northern Australia, including:
Among the 2016 Nuffield Scholar presentations are:
The event opened with the distinguished Awards Dinner on the first evening, announcing the 2018 Nuffield Scholars, the newest group of emerging leaders in Australian agriculture and agribusiness.
Following the formal close of the conference on Thursday, 21 September, delegates participated in a social evening at Mindil Beach Sunset Markets. Held every Thursday and Sunday night from April to October, these are Darwin's largest and most popular weekly markets with multitude of stalls offering international cuisine, arts, crafts and entertainment.
The post-conference regional tour stimulated agricultural enthusiasts keen to understand primary production in Northern Australia. There was a focus on beef production, barramundi farming, the tropical fruits industry and even crocodiles! Visits included:
2015 Nuffield Scholar Han Shiong Siah is Farm Manager and Agronomist for Tropical Primary Products, a family-owned and operated business specialising in tropical fruit production. Han showcased crops on the 220-ha property including mangoes, durians (largest durian plantation in Australia), jackfruits and pomelos, while other lesser-known tropical fruit also feature. They also have an active mango-breeding project, with their first commercial variety (TPP1) being widely available in green grocers and major Australian supermarket chains.
As business owner of Humpty Doo Barramundi aquaculture, 2016 Nuffield Scholar Dan Richards highlighted the opportunities in developing premium quality, sustainably produced white fish to complement pink fish markets in Australia and overseas. Dan and his family have been pioneering the farming of barramundi from fingerling to five kilograms. This business is now distributing about 40,000 kg of fresh barramundi per week into domestic and export markets.
The NT Department of Primary Industry and Resources (DPIR) hosted a visit to Coastal Plains Research Farm (CPRF). There was a focus on on-farm biosecurity and changes to water licensing requirements in the Darwin rural area. There are a number of active trials in the area of horticulture, including jackfruit seedling selection planting, a trial studying nitrogen nutrition in mango trees, research on Panama disease in bananas and also a trial focusing on the performance of different tropical grasses.
More than 80,000 Saltwater Crocodiles roam the waterways of Northern Australia, and on the Adelaide River, a “Jumping Crocodile Cruise” is a must for any visitor to the Northern Territory! On this tour, delegates saw territorial crocodiles at close range for great photo opportunities and also an array of birdlife. The tour guides were extremely knowledgeable as well as having a great sense of humour! .
The NT Government's Beatrice Hill runs one of the nation's largest herds of Riverine buffalo. This herd originated from eight animals bought in from the USA in 1995. There’s more than 150 purebred Riverine buffalo today, sold to dairies across Australia. Buffalo were introduced to the NT in 1826. Today there are about 10,000 head on farms in the Top End and a further 50,000-60,000 head have remained in Arnhem Land. Buffalo are exported live from Darwin to countries such as Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia, but are also processed locally in Australia abattoirs, including at Australian Agricultural Company's facility at Livingstone.
Registrations have now closed.
Cancellation refund policy: Before 15th August – 75% refund. Between 15th-30th August – 50% refund. After 1st September - no refund.
All events and functions must be pre-paid in advance.
Registrations must be pre-paid with a credit card, in Australian Dollars.
Bookings will be made on a first-come, first-serve basis. There are limitations on bookings, particularly for the regional tour.
Nuffield Australia will not be responsible for any medical expenses, loss or accidents incurred during the event.
Three options for consideration are:
The dry season, from May until October, is characterised by warm, dry sunny days and cool nights. Temperatures typically range from 21.6– 31.8°C and humidity levels are much lower: around 60 – 65%. More information here.
For those wanting to explore the NT further, visit the Tourism Top End Visitor Information Centre here. They manage car rentals and can get the best vehicle to suit your needs, with UNLIMITED KILOMETRES in many instances, which may not be the case if booking through rental companies.
If you have any questions, please contact Nuffield Program Operations Manager Nicola Raymond by emailing here