Meet the new extension agronomist

The Department of Primary Industry and Resources (DPIR) would like to welcome Joy Sherlock to the Plant Industry Branch team at Katherine Research Station. Joy brings a wealth of experience in agricultural extension and practical, real life experience of owning and managing a pastoral lease in Western Australia and working as an agronomist involved with broadacre cropping. Expect to see Joy working with regional grower groups, assisting agricultural industry development and guiding diversification. I will let Joy introduce herself.

“I recently started as the extension agronomist with DPIR based in Katherine. My career began in the agricultural industry working in various enterprises from picking vegetables at eight years old on the family market garden, working as a farm hand on livestock/cropping properties, driving tractors for seeding and harvest, and in our own livestock enterprise, and further to entering the agricultural research field as a skilled technician many years ago. Seeing first hand the difficulties facing producers, such as volatile markets and unpredictable weather, the research side of things and strategic business planning for mixed farming enterprises fascinated me and drove me a desire to learn more to better help producers in the future. I went to university as a mature age student to obtain an Agricultural degree before working as a facilitator with the WA Government’s pilot drought reform/farm business resilience project to build capacity and better manage risk in farming businesses across WA.

I spent a few years heavily involved with environmental management and later as an agronomist. I have seen directly the issues facing farmers and pastoralists, the challenges, devastation, and the good times. I hope to use these life experiences and knowledge gained to make a difference in the NT agricultural industry with the support of the amazing team I now work with. From my time working with the industry and also being a producer myself I really see the necessity to diversify, and build capacity and resilience within individual businesses. Australia is facing issues with climate and volatile markets; things can change very quickly and producers need to have various options available for the bad times. I have also been involved with pastoral cattle production for the last 14 years running Droughtmaster/shorthorn crosses for both the domestic and export markets.   Please come into the Katherine Research Station or contact me at any time to learn about and see first hand the work of the plant industries branch or ask for farm agronomic advice. I look forward to meeting you in the future.

Joy Sherlock
Senior Extension Agronomist
Katherine
Phone: (08) 8973 9724
Mobile: 0436 425 441
Email: joy.sherlock@nt.gov.au


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