General News
4 April, 2024
Rural scholarship coup for Wimmera crop scientist
Wimmera Agricultural scientist Dr Cassandra Walker has received a prestigious national rural leadership scholarship.
Wimmera Agricultural scientist Dr Cassandra Walker has received a prestigious national rural leadership scholarship.
Dr Walker was one of 26 selected nationwide to participate in the 31st intake of the Australian Rural Leadership Program which this year begins in June with 10 days in NSW.
The scholarship is valued at $60,000.
Agriculture Victoria Research is sponsoring Dr Walker and is one of 21 major sponsors.
The program is geared towards developing leadership skills, behaviours, practices and networks.
It takes place over 14 months, and includes short courses in NSW, New Zealand, the Northern Territory and Victoria.
Dr Walker is based at Grains Innovation Precinct and heads a 12-member crop quality laboratory team which assesses grain for human consumption as well as animal forage.
The team also advises on the suitability of new varieties and supports research programs to further benefit the grains industry.
"I feel very privileged and excited to have been selected,” she said.
“I think we’re going to be thrown in at the deep end and it’s going to be tough, but very valuable learning.
"I’m looking forward to learning about leadership through the experimental program. I think we'll be doing complex problem solving throughout the program.”
Dr Walker said the applicants had little information about what to expect.
"But I do know there’ll be people from many different backgrounds,” she said.
“There’s no mobiles allowed and no communication with the outside world during the four times we’re away together.
"And we’ve been told to pack waterproof items for the first 10 days in NSW.”
Dr Walker, who has been in Horsham for 28 years, was educated in Warrnambool before further study including a Bachelor of Chemistry with Honors through The University of Ballarat.
She later gained a doctorate through Melbourne University with a thesis on grain hardness and malting quality.
Australian Grains Genebank curator Dr Sally Norton, also based at Horsham’s Grains
Innovation Precinct, received an Australian Rural Leadership Foundation scholarship in
2020.
The genebank is a national bio-digital resource centre for plant germplasm and important in the development of a resilient and productive grains industry.