Major achievements 2008
Allergen Bureau
  • Provided management and secretariat services for this national food industry association.
Australian oyster industry
  • Facilitated the annual industry workshop – “Shellfish Futures”.
Dept. Agriculture, Forestry & Fisheries
  • Completed the training of 90 Landcare officers – one from each NRM region in Australia, in how to work with farmers and industry to support sustainable agriculture.
  • Investigated how NRM and production change programs can deliver NRM and production outcomes on farms.
Dairy Australia
  • Delivered regular updates on the development of genetic modification technology of relevance to the dairy industry.
  • Contributed to the development of a chemical usage risk assessment for the Australian dairy industry.
Dept. Primary Industries & Water, Dept. Agriculture, Forestry & Fisheries
  • Identified landholder decision making processes for using, or not using, 1080.
Dept. Primary Industries & Water,
Dept. Agriculture, Forestry & Fisheries,
Natural Resource Management North
  • Developing a module for assisting landholders to manage browsing damage on a property and sub-catchment basis.
FarmBis Tasmania
  • Delivered Environmental Management Systems training and consulting for 17 Tasmanian aquacultural businesses.
Horticulture Australia Ltd
  • Trained 12 private consultants from around Australia in ‘service-brokering’.
Integrated Packaging, Horticulture Australia Ltd
  • Assessed the potential of a biodegradable film for improving potato productivity.
Meat & Livestock Australia
  • Identified the training needs of Tasmanian meat producers.
Natural Resource Management North
  • Delivered the first aquaculture Property Management Plan mapping in Tasmania.
Natural Resource Management North, FarmBis Tasmania
  • Delivered 20 Property Management Plans, covering 70 000ha, in the Ross-Cressy region.
Natural Resource Management South
  • Consulted potential users to determine their needs for a GIS tool for identifying and managing ecosystems linkages at the landscape scale, within the Tasmanian Southern NRM Region.
Natural Resource Management South, FarmBis Tasmania
  • Delivered 12 Property Management Plans in the Oatlands-Bothwell region.
Rural Industries Research & Development Corporation
  • Provided mentoring and support for participants in the Fast Track Cooperative Venture for Capacity Building program.
  • Examining the role of non-profit drivers in landholder decision making.
Resource Planning & Development Commission
  • Contributed to an inquiry into marine protected areas in the Bruny Bioregion.
Shellfish Culture Ltd
  • Continued the management of a project to develop and commercialise technology to produce spawnless oysters.
Simplot Australia, Horticulture Australia Ltd
  • Delivered a series of grower workshops under the banner “Potato Futures”.
  • Delivered eight water management plans for demonstration farms (as part of a National Landcare project).
  • Facilitated meetings for seed growers and contract harvesters.
  • Delivered business management training to members of the Simplot Grower Groups.
Solaris Biosciences
  • Provided scientific advice for a project aimed at commercialising the microbial production of omega-3 fatty acids.
Tamar NRM reference group
  • Assessed the productivity gains achieved by landholders participating in the Tamar NRM project, Managing Remnant Bush, producing a series of case studies.
Tasmanian Abalone Council
  • Facilitated the development of a Quality Assurance Code of Practice.
Tasmanian Freight Logistics Council
  • Evaluated the status of freight demand and utilisation in the Huon and Kingborough regions.
Tasmanian Lupini Enterprises, Rural Industries Research & Development Corporation
  • Reported on three years of research on the agronomy of lupini beans.
Tasmanian Farmers and Graziers Association
  • Worked with 57 producers to use the Farm Self Assessment Tool (FarmSAT) to identify opportunities for improving their on-farm environmental performance.
  • Evaluated FarmSAT and reviewed the future direction for Environmental Management Systems in Tasmania.

In addition, RDS has invested strongly in professional development for its staff:

  • All staff undertook a Diploma of Project Management.
  • Dr David Fulton and Amabel Fulton undertook the Company Director’s course.
  • Dr Tom Lewis graduated from the Tasmanian Leaders Program and participated in 2 director updates through the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
  • Dr Carla Mooney and Jodie Presnell undertook national training in program evaluation and extension.
  • Donna Lucas attended a conference on the impact of climate change on agriculture.
  • Sue Hinton attended a conference on the impact of climate change on agriculture and did a training course in centre pivot & lateral move irrigation systems.
  • Jodie Presnell and Naomi McGrath-Kerr took part in the RIRDC Fast Track Capacity Building program.
  • Ray Murphy established GIS mapping capabilities at RDS.
  • Amabel Fulton submitted her PhD on Enabling Change in Family Farm Businesses in Australia.