February 22, 2011

Despite what will forever be referred to as the ‘curler incident’ (see previous blog for all the embarrassing details), the fruits of my labour of yesterday (and weeks before) have paid off. I have a very, very full schedule between now and when I leave ‘Oceania’ on the 9th.

Today, I head to the Council of Grain Grower Organizations (COGGO) on Canning Highway to meet first with Bruce Piper and then Bob Lindner. Tomorrow are the Agribusiness Crop Update meetings in Burswood that go into Thursday. Mind you, I will be slipping out early both days for appointments with Bevan Buirchell, a senior plant breeder (lupins) with the Department of Food and Agriculture and with Sally Marsh from the Centre for Environmental Economics and Policy (CEEP) at UWA. On Friday, I hook up with David Crawford, Chairman of the Canola Breeders Western Australia (CBWA) back at the South Perth Enterprise Centre on Canning Highway and then return to campus for lunch with Wallace Cowling at the University Club. I end Friday and my work week with Willie Erskine who according to my preliminary research is either the current Director of the Centre for Legumes in Mediterranean Agriculture (CLIMA) or Director of the International Centre for Plant Breeding Education and Research (ICPBER) or both. That’s this week with more to come next.

An interesting note on the Burswood meetings. I just got an email from the program coordinators that an anti-GMO demonstration is planned for early tomorrow prior to the launch of the event. This is a new one for me. I will see if I can get pictures. Not sure if that will happen as we have been given strict instructions to avoid demonstrators; arrive early, take alternate entrances, etc.

“Australia and Canada were settled by adventurers, they had to break new ground. I think that is indelibly etched on our cultural spirit.” ~ Tom Cochrane