OUR PEOPLE

(2013 - present)

Kate has been working with local farm businesses for over 20-years, with extensive experience in agricultural economics, in-field research and project management.

An expert in extension and adoption, Kate leads the Farmer and Community Engagement activities across the organisation and has a focus on ensuring local farm business have access to critical and timely information, knowledge, and technologies.

Kate continues to lead significant multi-stakeholder projects, including the Victoria Drought Resilience, Adoption and Innovation Hub project and the Riskwi$e projects, delivering benefits for members and the wider farming community.

kate@riverineplains.org.au

(2019 - present)

Jane leads Riverine Plains’ Field Trial & Agronomy program, working directly with farmers and agronomists to deliver high-quality, practical research in all areas of farming systems. With experience in surface water modelling, gully erosion research and spatial analysis, Jane combines strong technical skills with hands-on project delivery to tackle key challenges such as subsoil acidity and soil health.

Jane is committed to ensuring that field trials and demonstrations are both scientifically robust and relevant to farm businesses. This includes adopting precision agriculture technologies and working alongside leading technical specialists to design and deliver projects that provide farmers with reliable, solutions-focused outcomes.

 jane@riverineplains.org.au

(2016 - present)

Michelle has over 20 years’ experience working in agriculture and communications, and has held roles in government, corporate agribusiness and not-for-profit sectors. With a background in grain production, and extensive experience in agricultural communications and extension, Michelle is passionate about supporting farmers to access the timely and relevant information that can improve the profitability and sustainability of their businesses.

Michelle coordinates and produces the Riverine Plains Trial Book, Annual Report and Newsletter, along with driving other organisational and project communications.

michelle@riverineplains.org.au

(2025 – present)

Jessica is a governance and business management specialist with over 20 years’ hands-on experience leading regional businesses and teams across a range of industries. Having grown up and lived in rural New South Wales, she brings a deep understanding and empathy for the people and communities that drive agriculture in the Riverine Plains region.

Jessica has led multiple rurally based business teams, with a strong focus on stakeholder engagement, financial oversight, and organisational performance. Most recently, she served as Manager of Governance and Compliance at AgriFutures Australia, supporting national agricultural research and development through strategic governance and risk initiatives.

Jessica is passionate about helping rural organisations build strong foundations through fit-for-purpose governance and community-focused leadership. Her role at Riverine Plains focuses on strengthening governance and philanthropic partnerships to support the long-term sustainability and impact of the organisation’s work.

Jess@riverineplains.org.au

(2022 -present)

Brooke oversees the day-to-day business operations of the group, driving strong governance, compliance, and financial management practices across the organisation’s operations and projects.  

Brooke brings extensive experience in logistics, bookkeeping, and project management, and coordinates the organisation’s HR activities, including training and development, as well as recruitment.  

Brooke also coordinates the delivery of work, health, and safety training across the whole team, along with the administration of governance and project management systems.

brooke@riverineplains.org.au

(2022 - present)

Lynn is the go-to for all things member-related. Her priority is ensuring members are heard and supported, while also making sure the organisation is aligned with member needs. Whether she’s chatting to farmers out in the field, designing and delivering key events, or shaping project outcomes, Lynn’s focus helps ensure Riverine Plains’ activities are high-quality, practical and timely.

Lynn also plays an important role in keeping Riverine Plains’ project and member communications running smoothly by managing our social media channels, writing blogs and articles, and creating website content. She also leads the Hyper profitable crops project for young farmers.

Renowned for her ability to juggle many tasks at once, Lynn brings energy, practicality, and a healthy dose of humour to the team.

lynn@riverineplains.org.au

(2022 - present)

Claudia manages communications for the SCOUT for Australian farmers and On-farm experimentation projects, as well as delivering other project content for the Riverine Plains website, newsletter and our suite of social channels.

Since returning from maternity leave, Claudia has explored a range of new communications platforms, broadening her skills and interest areas to create interesting and timely content for our members.

Claudia has a family farming background, which has given her a connection to and a love of country life. Claudia holds a Bachelor of Media and Communications from the University of New England.

claudia@riverineplains.org.au

(2024 - present)

Sayra has a background in regenerative agriculture projects in both Paraguay and Argentina, and her interest lies in developing agricultural systems where productivity and sustainability go hand in hand.

She holds a Bachelor of Agricultural Engineering from the National University of Asuncion and a Masters in Agricultural Sciences with a focus on sustainable food production from the University of Melbourne.

Sayra is involved in a range of projects and events, particularly those connected to carbon farming and sustainability, and has also taken on a project looking at emissions reduction in livestock. She is also currently working on a project to assess the transferability of sustainability strategies in agricultural systems, with the goal of bringing relevant knowledge and technologies to Riverine Plains’ farmers.

sayra@riverineplains.org.au

(2024 - present)

Sabita plays an important role across multiple projects, working closely with farmers while also providing technical support to Riverine Plains’ project teams.

With a Master of Science degree in plant pathology and valuable experience in soil science gained from Western Sydney University, Sabita has a keen interest in plant microbes and their interactions with soil and plants.

Sabita is delivering many in-field projects, including the Companion cropping legumes for nitrogen supply, Optimising slug management and Link between stubble, subsurface acidity and crown rot projects.

sabita@riverineplains.org.au

(2024 - present)

Peter is passionate about leveraging technology to enhance productivity, sustainability and resilience in agricultural systems. As Digital Project Officer, Peter is working with new technologies, while also managing and interpreting data to provide useful insights for farmers.

Peter has a background in agricultural extension projects in Taiwan and holds a Bachelor of Agronomy from National Chiayi University and a Master’s in Agricultural Sciences from the University of Melbourne.

Peter is involved with several SCOUT projects, including Rainstick and the Weather Forecast Accuracy project, as well as trialling digital tools such as time-lapse cameras, a canopy cover assessment app, and updating rainfall deciles and yield forecasts.

peter@riverineplains.org.au

(2024 - present)

As Field Trial Manager, Matt’s role is to oversee on-farm trials and projects, communicating and collaborating with farmers and stakeholders to achieve results that will benefit and improve agricultural practices.  

Matt has extensive on-and-off-farm experience from previous roles in Australia and Canada, and is passionate about engaging farmers in on-farm experimentation while ensuring trial efficiency aligns with farm businesses.

This year, Matt has taken over many in-field project functions, including the Ryegrass control strategies project and the management of all our project trial sites.

 matthew@riverineplains.org.au

(2025 - present)

Georgia leads the finance function to support the continued growth and efficiency of Riverine Plains’ operations.

A Chartered Accountant with a background in Big 4 auditing and ASX listed financial accounting, she is experienced in the identification and assessment of key financial and governance risks, and evaluation of internal controls to mitigate those risks.

Georgia has also previously worked in rural local government, where she led the strategic planning & reporting function, and the development of new tourism and economic development strategies and branding.

She has previous Farming Systems Group experience improving internal governance and efficiency through the development of governance frameworks, financial analysis, cash flow forecasting and Audit & Risk Committee reporting.

She lives at Mullengandra with her husband and two daughters and holds a bachelor of arts/bachelor of commerce from ANU, with majors in accounting, history and political science.

Georgia@riverineplains.org.au

Fiona farms with her husband Craig in the Rennie area, north of Mulwala. They are broadacre, dryland grain growers also operating a prime lamb enterprise. They have been farming together for 26 years and hope their children will be fourth generation farmers in this area.

Fiona is a life-long learner with a background in applied science and education. She is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, the NFF Diversity in Ag Leadership Program and the Grains Social Leadership Program. Fiona has served on the GRDC Southern Panel and is passionate about building capacity within the grains industry from the laboratory to the farm, to the end user and all in between.

Fiona strives to improve the profile and profitability of Australian agriculture with a particular focus on women in the industry.

Melissa Brown has been a committee member since 2018 and is one of the inaugural Member Directors of Riverine Plains.

She is a partner in a family-run mixed farming business, Moorilim Pastoral Company, based near Murchison, Victoria. Melissa is currently employed by BASF Agricultural Solutions as the Technical Development Manager for Broadacre crops and has extensive field trial experience and understanding of agronomic systems across Australia.

Melissa has a Bachelor of Agriculture from Dookie College and is an Australian Rural Leadership Foundation Alumni. She is passionate about improving her community and promoting agriculture as a career pathway for the next generation.

Murray Scholz is the owner and manager of his family farming business producing grain, oilseeds, beef and lamb in the eastern Riverina. He has been a member of Riverine Plains for over 15 years.

Murray is an experienced Board Director with over 10 years of commercial and not for profit experience in strategic direction, financial management, corporate governance and communication strategy in commercial agricultural business, capacity building, and research.

He has served as a director of Nuffield Australia, of Queensland Crop Research and Holbrook Landcare. He is currently a director of Regional Development Australia Murray Region and Riverine Plains Farming Systems Group. He sits on the NSW Rural Assistance Authority Disaster Assistance Grants Appeals Panel. He also sat on the Industry Advisory Panel of the Graham Centre (Charles Sturt University & NSW DPI) and GRDC Southern NSW Grower Network.

Murray is a nationally recognised innovator and his experience in agriculture has led him to present at conferences in Canada, India, and Japan. In Australia he has presented at government, industry and university conferences including ABARES National Outlook Conference, Australian Farm Institute conferences, and GRDC updates.

Murray is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and completed The Executive Program for Agricultural Producers (TEPAP Texas A&M).

Ed Nixon, together with wife Kat, operate their irrigation and dryland farming enterprise in Balldale, NSW. Ed is also the director of Optimus Ag, through which he provides independent agronomic and farm business advice to growers across southern NSW and northern Victoria. His advisory work spans agronomy, farm management, precision ag and farm meeting facilitation, underpinned by a commitment to clear communication and genuine on-farm value.

Ed’s active involvement in his own farming operation gives him firsthand experience with the day-to-day realities facing producers. This, combined with his advisory role, provides him with a valuable dual perspective—allowing him to understand challenges from both sides of the farm gate and deliver advice that is grounded, relevant, and commercially practical.

As a board member of Riverine Plains, Ed is dedicated to supporting grower-led research and advancing innovation within the mixed-farming zone. He is committed to helping producers access practical trials, emerging technologies, and evidence-based solutions that support productivity, profitability, and long-term sustainability.

Ryan Berndt joined the Board of Riverine Plains in October 2022.

Ryan farms with his wife Stephanie in the Strathmerton, Victoria, area and also has a property in southern NSW. They are irrigated and dryland winter crop growers with the main crops being wheat, barley and canola, and also trade sheep. Ryan and Stephanie are first generation farmers, having purchased their first block 10 years ago.

Prior to returning home to the farm in 2022, Ryan spent 18 years in corporate agribusiness. He has held numerous roles in agronomy and national fertiliser management, including with Elders, Hi Fert, Impact, Viterra, Ruralco and Nutrien.

Anna Toland is a third-generation farmer and owns and operates Toland Poll Merino Stud located at Violet Town, Victoria. After completing a Bachelor of Agricultural Science in 2003 at The University of Melbourne, she relocated to Roseworthy, South Australia to undertake further studies in wool science. Following a year managing 500,000 acres and 25,000 sheep, she returned to the farm at the end of 2008 and has since been working alongside her husband Simon and father Phil.

Toland Poll has been utilising EIDs since 2007 and collects roughly 60 traits over the lifetime of a ewe. The focus of the stud initially was on reproduction and wool traits, but in the last 10 years a lot more focus has been put on the carcass attributes of the animal as well. Utilising EIDs has improved the accuracy and efficiency of data recorded.

Brondwen MacLean is a Director of Pivotal Management Consulting. Until her retirement in July 2019, she was General Manager of Research Programs at the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) and spent over 20 years at GRDC in various parts of the business, including Senior Manager of Breeding Programs.

Brondwen served as Executive Manager on all three of GRDC’s Regional Panels. She is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and has been a mentor is several programs, including NFF’s Diversity in Agricultural Leadership Program. Since retiring, Brondwen has consulted for the CRC for Developing Northern Australia, undertaken company governance and structural reviews, for both the public and private sector and assisted AgriFutures Australia in their establishment of the growAG platform and more broadly across the business.

Brondwen was an interim Director for Rice Breeding Australia, a newly established company focused on delivering better (more water efficient) rice varieties for Australian growers. Currently Brondwen is undertaking a number of consultancies in areas of biosecurity, governance and structural reforms.

Steve Thomas has a degree in Agricultural Science, a PhD focussed on plant molecular biology and an Executive Masters in Public Administration. 

Steve’s passion is assisting farmers to be profitable and sustainable in the challenging Australian environment. He has led NSW Department of Primary Industries biotechnology programs and was heavily involved in policy development for the commercial release of GM canola, before transitioning to R&D management and policy development.

Steve has also coordinated strategy development for GRDC and contributed to a range of industry initiatives, leading programs in extension and adoption, applied R&D, commercialisation, IP management, systems improvement, process design and culture change.

He now brings his enthusiasm, focus and intelligent perspective to ST Strategic Services to provide his clients with a dedicated approach to strategy and policy development and implementation.