BCG caught up with Charlie Gardner, winner of the 2022 Longerenong College Rising Star in Agronomy award and Nutrien Horsham Graduate Agronomist.
Can you give us a bit of background on yourself?
I grew up on our family farm, which is located 20km west of Frances, just over the border in South Australia. We run cross-bred ewes for prime lambs as well as a cropping program which consists of a faba bean, canola, wheat and barley rotation. We also have some centre pivot irrigation which we use to grow lucerne for grazing, seed and hay production.
I completed my early schooling in Naracoorte before heading away to boarding school in Adelaide. This was a great experience as I was able to meet people from different backgrounds as well as push myself at school and in sports.
I finished school in 2020 which was the height of COVID and I planned on moving straight back home to the family farm when my Dad asked me if I had heard about Longerenong College. I went to an open day after hearing an advert on the radio and then decided to enrol for 2021 as I really enjoyed meeting the teachers and viewing the facilities.
I graduated from ‘Longy’ in 2022 and was fortunate enough to do my industry placement at Nutrien in Horsham. This changed my plans to head back home to the farm after completing my course as I really enjoyed learning about agronomy and speaking with farmers.
I am now working full-time with Nutrien in Horsham as a Graduate Agronomist and I’m really enjoying my time there. I love being able to connect with farmers and to help them gain the best outcomes. Nutrien have been very supportive of my learning, and I have really enjoyed the large network and being able to pick the brains of some great agronomists.
What has been happening at work recently, how have you been helping farmers?
As everyone would know, it has been a very wet start to the season in the Wimmera and at my home farm in SE South Australia where we have had close to 140mm since the start of June. This has made it a struggle to get on paddocks and therefore I have been spending a fair bit of time in the shop which has been enjoyable as farmers are more willing to have a chat when its wet.
In the field, we have seen the pre-emergent chemicals have been working well due to ideal conditions with a moist soil profile at application and follow up rainfall. Some early sown crops have already had their post-emergent and urea applications. Slugs and snails have been a real issue and are moving further north of Horsham into areas where they have never traditionally been an issue.
A main point for the 2023 season for our agronomy team has been trying to get away from group B use due to the increasing resistance shown by wild radish. I have enjoyed working through this challenge with growers using new chemistries and slightly different methods to get good results.
What is your role and why did you choose to work in this area of agriculture?
My role as a graduate agronomist is to learn and support the other agronomists within the branch. I believe the role of an agronomist is to try and understand the farm and the farmer and to work with them to tailor a plan to maximise their profitability without compromising their lifestyle too much. I think that the relationship between an agronomist and the farmer is key to getting good results as no two farms are the same and therefore the advice won’t be the same either.
I think my passion for agriculture stems from my background growing up on the farm and my passion for agronomy comes from my want to question things and see how they can be improved, as annoying to my Dad as that may be!
What do you think are some of the challenges in the industry at the moment?
I believe that one of the biggest challenges within the industry is the movement towards precision agriculture. I believe for success there must be a good balance between the uptake of new technology and sticking to what works. I don’t think that all the new technology provides enough return on investment, but I do believe that agriculture is trending in the right direction by aiming to improve efficiency. I think there is still a lack of support for farmers looking to move into the precision agriculture space and that there is still more learning to be done.
What are your long-term career plans?
I am really enjoying my time in agronomy, and I want to learn as much as I can and take all the opportunities that I am presented with. I want to be able to pass on knowledge to farmers and see them be successful while building good relationships.
My long-term plans are to eventually return home and to have a crack at running the family farm. I really enjoy the lifestyle that farming has to offer, the variety of challenges that you face and coming up with unique solutions.
What is the best advice you’ve been given?
The best piece of advice I have received was from a young local farmer who I look up to. He told me to “have a crack while you are young otherwise you will regret it when you are older”. This resonated with me because I believe young farmers and people in agriculture have lots to offer right now as agriculture is progressing at such a rapid rate.
Who do you rely on for advice?
My Dad is my first port of call for pretty much any question and he has a wealth of knowledge regarding farming. I really enjoy asking him why he does things as it helps me understand the thought process that goes into every decision.
I am very lucky to have a great mentor in Horsham, Simon Severin. He has years of experience and I have learnt so much from him in both agronomy and life in general.
I also love being able to chat with farmers on a daily basis. I consider it the best part of my job. Being able to learn from their countless years of experience has helped me to have a broad view of agriculture and how to run a successful business.
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