Simon Craig wins Science & Innovation Award for Young People

Young grains researcher Simon Craig relishes the challenge of working in a "tough" scientific field, and the Latrobe University graduate's dedication to agricultural science was recognised on 2 November 2005 at Canberra's Parliament House where he was announced the recipient of the GRDC Science and Innovation Award for Young People.

BCG Technical Officer, Simon Craig, with Federal Minister for Agriculture, the Hon Peter McGauran MP.

Simon, 24, is completing a Masters of Agricultural Science (University of Adelaide) while working full-time with BCG.  His Masters work involves a two-year fluid fertiliser trial at BCG's Sea Lake research site in north-west Victoria.

Simon checks the soil pit at BCG's Main Research Site, Birchip.

The trial is investigating a wheat crop's response to liquid mono-ammonium phosphate (MAP) compared to the granular form of MAP. The project also aims to test fluid MAP’s compatibility with trace element micro-nutrients.

Previous research conducted on calcareous soil types in South Australia has indicated fluid MAP is a more available form of phosphorus for roots to take up, and also improves the ability of wheat roots to take up other nutrients. Simon will investigate these same interactions on Mallee soils in Victoria.

"We want to get a better idea of the efficiency of fluid fertilisers and evaluate their viability for grain production in western Victoria," Simon said. "The first year of trials has shown that fluid MAP results in better early vigour in wheat. At the five-leaf stage of growth, the crop response to fluid MAP was significantly greater in terms of dry matter production.

"One of the biggest barriers to the use of fluid MAP is cost. Currently all fluid forms of phosphorus are significantly more expensive than the granular form and depending on how they are used in the farming system, machinery change-over expenses can be up to $70,000.

"In the trial we're looking for the optimum use of fluid MAP and micro-nutrients to achieve sufficiently increased yields that at least cover the extra cost of using the fluid, or better yet, enhance profitability.

Simon, from Geelong, said agricultural science could be a tough field but he appreciated the personal rewards that came from producing tangible, useful results that farmers could apply on farm.

"This kind of research has the potential to benefit an entire industry – agricultural science is all about feeding the world," he said. "This project is challenging me to apply scientific rigour to a research project that is relevant not only to science, but also to farmers."

Alexandra Gartmann (BCG CEO), Peter Reading (Managing Director of GRDC), Helen Weldon (Manager Corporate Communications GRDC), Simon Craig (BCG Technical Officer and winner of GRDC Science & Innovation Award for Young People), Maureen Cribb (Information Products & Services GRDC), Terry Enright (Chairman of GRDC Board)	Helen Weldon (Manager Corporate Communications GRDC), Simon Craig (BCG Technical Officer and winner of GRDC Science & Innovation Award for Young People), Maureen Cribb (Information Products & Services GRDC)