I was extremely fortunate to “discover” David Hardwick at a Landcare conference some years ago where I was exposed to his unique, engaging extension style; he turned our group into soil micro-organisms so we could understand how nutrients cycle and move into the crop. Since then, I have worked extensively with David to bring workshops to farmers in Far North Queensland that bring knowledge and build decision making skills that help them with both production and environmental outcomes. David’s gift is his ability to synthesise complex science with practical communication at a number of levels: he can relate to school children, seasoned farmers, extension staff and management equally. More recently I have asked David to develop a series of workshops aimed at extension staff that link agricultural practices to water quality for the $15million Wet Tropics Major Integrated Project.

Fiona George - Basin Coordinator Major Integrated Project - Wet Tropics - Terrain NRM