At Narrabri, NSW, the University of Sydney’s agricultural research programs are in a growth phase.
Story Ken Eastwood Photo courtesy International Centre of Crop and Digital Agriculture
After a year of operation, the $15.2 million International Centre of Crop and Digital Agriculture at Narrabri, NSW, is expanding its research program into new and improved crop varieties and farming methods. Staff numbers are up 50% at the site on the 350ha I.A. Watson Grains Research Centre, leased to the University of Sydney for more than 60 years.
Built in 2023 at a location with not much more than a few sheds and a greenhouse, the new facility includes digital and wet soil laboratories, a computer teaching room, private offices and a conference facility for 80 people. “We have a modern, state-of-the-art centre with the aim of tripling the number of people who work here,” says Associate Professor Guy Roth, director of Northern Regional Agriculture at Narrabri. “We had 20 people working here previously, and we’re now up to 30, but the aim is to touch 80 in a few years’ time.”
This story excerpt is from Issue #158
Outback Magazine: December/January 2025
