The Adelaide Plains recently welcomed a group of Nuffield Scholars, who got a first hand look at regional farming developments following a two day conference in Adelaide.
The 2025 Nuffield Australia National Conference was held at Adelaide Oval on 8-10 September, which brought together scholars, alumni and ag industry representatives to learn of the newest group of scholars and hear of research findings from returning scholars.
Following the conference attendees took part in a regional tour on 11-12 September, the first day taking them to Roseworthy for a tour of Australian Grain Technologies, then on to a tour of Schuster’s Ezybale at Freeling and then on to Derek Tiller’s farm at Pinery for a lentil production tour.
Mr Tiller was a Nuffield Scholar in 2015 and did a scholarship study aimed to make family farming businesses more resilient, sustainable and responsive in times of hardship.
He said it was good to host the Nuffield group, which included scholars from around the world.
“It gives me a chance to give back to a scholarship organisation which gave me so much in the first place,” he said.
“This organisation gives us the opportunity to share what we know with horticulturalists, viticulturalists and all sorts of different industries.”
Mr Tiller, who highlighted lentil growing during the visit, said the crop had been appropriate as a break crop to wheat, which compliment each other. Lentils fix nitrogen in the atmosphere for the wheat crop to use, and provides a weed and disease break.
Other highlights of the tour included the visit to the Schuster property which also highlighted agricultural tourism, as the property owners had turned silos into a bed and breakfast venue.
Among the people taking the tour was Bruce Scott AM from Queensland, who was a Nuffield Scholar in 1983 and said like he had done back then, this tour provided a chance to speak with farmers in another area and share information, for the continued development of industry practices.
“Nuffield gives you eyes to the world … it changes your thinking and I’m still learning, I’m still interested,” he said.
“Meeting other communities where there are Nuffield scholars and exchange information, which leads to, when you return, to change what you’re doing and adopt innovation.”
Nuffield SA chairperson James Stacey said the tour was a chance to showcase South Australian ag products, and the people involved in it. Following the stop at Pinery the tour departed for Seppeltsfield Winery for dinner and then headed back to Adelaide, and the following day the tour continued with stops in areas including Hahndorf, Finniss, Langhorne Creek and Mount Barker.
