6 - 8 AUG ‘25
LEETON NSW

Edwina Bartholomew is a reporter and presenter on Australia's number one breakfast show, Sunrise. She has worked in television and radio news for over 20 years.

Edwina enjoys one of the most diverse roles at the Seven Network. As well as her work on Sunrise as news presenter, she returned for her fi fth Olympic Games coverage at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 hosting the afternoon broadcast each day of the games.

Her work has taken her to Peru, Canada, America, Mexico, Dubai, Spain, East Timor, the Solomon Islands, New Zealand - and right around Australia on a continuous 40,000km Lap of the Map. She has skydived, bungee jumped and abseiled off a 33-storey building all LIVE on air.

As a reporter with 2GB and Seven News, Edwina has also covered major news events including the Christchurch earthquake, Brisbane fl oods and Vanuatu cyclone. She has interviewed the likes of Xanana Gusmao, Al Gore, Andre Agassi, Coldplay, Charlize Theron, Chris Hemsworth and Hugh Jackman.

Edwina completed her journalism degree at Charles Sturt University in Bathurst and later studied a Master of International Relations at Sydney University. She won her very first job with Channel Seven in a competition in 2003. Since then, Edwina has done every role at the network from making coffee to producing to hosting Sunrise, The Morning Show and the Olympic Opening Ceremony.

Edwina is a passionate advocate for small business and runs two of her own; she is currently renovating a luxury boutique hotel in the small town of Carcoar in New South Wales called Saltash Farm and also 'Warramba' in the Greater Blue Mountains.

The 41 year old is an Ambassador for the Nelune Foundation, UNICEF and the Leukaemia Foundation.

Tony Hunter is a Food Futurist Speaker, food scientist, author and strategic foresight consultant specialising in the future of the Food, Beverage and Agriculture industries. He uses his combination of deep technical knowledge and story weaver skills to inform, inspire and entertain his audiences.

He has spoken on four continents and regularly presents on podcasts, webinars, TV, radio and in print as an expert on the Future of Food. He consults to global food companies from PepsiCo to KFC as well as VC investors and top four global consulting companies on the impact of food technology and consumer trends.

He is a contributing author to the futurist book “Aftershocks and Opportunities 2” and the Baking and Biscuit International book “Sustainability and innovations supporting it”. Using his distinctive combination of scientific qualifications, business experience and detailed insight into food technologies he delivers a unique perspective on the future of the food, beverage and agriculture industries. From farm to fork, audiences and clients are amazed at his stories of the Future of Food.

Stefan is the General Manager of RaboResearch Australia & New Zealand, working to provide unparalleled knowledge, insight, and value to clients across Australia and New Zealand and around the globe.

Stefan joined Rabobank in London as Head of Agri Commodities Markets Research and Global Sector Strategist, Grains & Oilseeds in 2014. Under his leadership both the London-based Agri Commodities Research and the global Grains & Oilseeds research teams delivered client-centric, impactful research to the benefit of various global Rabobank businesses.

He brings a wealth of experience to the role. His 20-year career has been focused on the food, agribusiness, and trade industries. Prior to joining Rabobank, Stefan worked for more than a decade in strategy and market research positions with Archer Daniels Midland, including in the US as Director Market Research & Business Analytics and in Germany as Head of Economics Department. Stefan holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Agricultural Economics from University of Giessen, Germany.

Troy Williams is Chief Executive Officer of the National Farmers’ Federation (NFF), the peak national body representing around fifty industry associations across Australian agriculture. He is a respected leader in the policy and advocacy space, known for strengthening the role of peak bodies in shaping national debates.

Troy is a Director of the Australian Made Campaign and a Trustee of the Australian Farmers Fighting Fund. He also serves on several government advisory bodies, including the Ministerial Advisory Committee on Skilled Migration and the Ministerial Workplace Relations Consultative Committee, where he brings a practical, industry-informed perspective to complex national issues.

Before joining the NFF, Troy led peak bodies in the tertiary education, healthcare products, and construction sectors. A firm believer in reducing unnecessary regulation, he is a vocal critic of bureaucratic overreach and a passionate advocate for practical, outcomes-driven reform and red tape reduction.

Well known across the Australian Parliament and among industry colleagues, Troy is regarded for his strategic insight, calm leadership, and commitment to delivering results.  Outside of work, Troy enjoys sport shooting and spending time in remote Australia, often found somewhere between Birdsville and Broken Hill.

Su McCluskey was Australia’s inaugural Special Representative for Australian Agriculture from November 2021 to June 2025.  In this role, Su worked to promote and demonstrate Australia’s commitment to climate-smart sustainable agriculture and counter prescriptive policy that could negatively impact Australian agriculture, global food security and trade and market access.

Su is a Director of LiveCorp, Crawford Fund and the Australasian Pork Research Institute, a member of the CSIRO Food and Agriculture Advisory Group and a CPA and ATSE Fellow. She is also a beef cattle farmer in Yass NSW.

She was most recently a Director of Australian Unity, Commissioner for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), and previously held positions as a Commissioner on the National COVID-19 Advisory Board, a member of the Charities Review, CEO of the Regional Australia Institute and the Council of Rural Research and Development Corporations and the Executive Director of the Office of Best Practice Regulation. She has also held senior positions with the Business Council of Australia, the National Farmers’ Federation and the Australian Taxation Office.

Caroline has more than two decades of agribusiness experience, having held senior roles in both the public and private sector and with state and federal farmer representative bodies in Australia, including the former South Australian Farmers’ Federation and the Grains Council of Australia. She was the CEO of Grain Producers SA prior to joining PPSA, and brings skills in strategic communications, stakeholder management and regulatory affairs.

Caroline brings extensive experience in corporate governance and has served on a wide range of industry and community sector boards. Her current external board appointments include the Australian Farm Institute, Foodbank SA/NT, the South Australian Cricket Association and the Adelaide Oval Stadium Management Authority. She holds a Bachelor of Agricultural Science and a Master of Agribusiness.

Dr Madeleine Hartley is an award-winning water lawyer with over 15 years’ experience in water law and policy. She advocates for pragmatic, outcome-focused legal and policy frameworks that support sustainable water use and better outcomes for all water users.

Madeleine’s career spans academia, private practice, government, and consulting. She has represented irrigators in legal proceedings, advised Ministers, and led government responses to major water reforms, record drought and floods. In 2019, she was named Corporate Counsel Government Lawyer of the Year, received the Excellence Award, and was awarded a Churchill Fellowship to explore legal responses to water scarcity by learning from the global experience. Madeleine is also a Fellow of the Peter Cullen Trust.

Madeleine grew up in Tamworth, NSW, during the Millennium Drought. She is the granddaughter of a farmer and daughter of a rice scientist - roots that shaped her commitment to water and the land. After graduating with honours in law, she completed a PhD in groundwater law, focusing on water use efficiency and sustainability, with case studies in Perth, NSW, and Colorado.

With a depth of experience and a passion for simplifying complexity, Madeleine brings clarity, rigour, and compassion to one of the world’s most pressing challenges: sustainable water management and use.

Ben Trevaskis – CSIRO Agriculture and Food – Research Director

Ben is the Research Director of the CSIRO Farming Systems Program. This research program has more than 150 people located across Australia who are undertaking research and innovation to deliver sustainable, productive and profitable farming systems for future climates. Highlights from the program include the development of digital technologies to improve farm productivity and natural resource management, innovations in pest/weed/disease control and diversification of farming systems for production resilience. Prior to his current role Ben completed a PhD in Plant Science at the Australian National University, spent three years as a researcher in Berlin, and then led research to understand how cereal crop plants sense and respond to the changing seasons.

Professor Ganna Pogrebna is an award-winning academic and Executive Director of the AI and Cyber Futures Institute. A global leader in behavioural data science and AI strategy, she brings over two decades of experience at the intersection of technology, decision theory, and sustainability.

Ganna has led major interdisciplinary programs across Australia and the UK, including national-scale projects in agritech and digital twins for sustainable agriculture. Her institute currently partners with SunRice as well as other industry leaders to develop AI-enabled solutions for climate-resilient rice production. She has advised the World Bank, Council of Europe, and the European Leadership Network on digital strategy, and her work has been featured in Harvard Business Review.

A member of the Defence Innovation Network and a 2024 Women in AI Award winner (Asia-Pacific), she is also a popular keynote speaker at events such as SXSW, CogX, DevTalks, to name a few. Ganna is passionate about regional innovation and inclusive technology for rural prosperity.

Professor, Executive Director.

Artificial Intelligence and Cyber Futures Institute

Michael Chalmers operates a progressive mixed farming business in both NSW and Victoria.

The Chalmers family has a long history in agriculture and Michael has been involved in the family business his whole life.

After studying a Bachelor of Design and working off-farm for several years, Michael returned to the farm full-time in 2006.

Farm succession took place in multiple stages over about 10 years. Now, Michael, his wife Felicia, their children Lachie and Sam, and a team of staff and advisers grow rice, irrigated cereals and dorper sheep at their Tullakool property (near Wakool), and crop dryland cereal in the Victorian Mallee.

Michael and his family enjoy getting involved in their local community through sport, service clubs and other initiatives, and whenever possible love to travel through different parts of Australia in their caravan.

Passionate about the future of Australian agriculture, Nathan brings a fresh perspective to the rice industry by blending hands-on farming experience with a background in engineering — a combination that’s proven handy for fixing things in the paddock and figuring out why something isn’t working (again). He’s known for practical thinking, calm under pressure, and a healthy respect for both duct tape and common sense.

Nathan believes in balancing the old with the new — as a third-generation farmer, he deeply respects the knowledge passed down through generations while staying open to ideas that can improve how we farm, manage water, and care for country. With the industry constantly evolving, he reckons curiosity and adaptability are essential tools in the shed.

He’s also a big believer in the power of community and good conversation. Whether it’s a yarn over a fence or a laugh at the end of a long day, Nathan knows it’s people — not just paddocks — that keep the industry going.

Curious by nature and guided by a deep respect for the land, Nathan is committed to building a future for agriculture that’s not just productive, but thoughtful and sustainable. With his roots in both the farming and problem-solving worlds, he’s helping shape the next chapter of Australian rice — one clever fix, one good yarn, and one muddy pair of boots at a time.

Meg Brown is an Irrigation and Broadacre Agronomist at Elders in Griffith.

In 2021, Meg earned her Bachelor of Science in Agriculture at The University of Sydney, where she completed her honours thesis which focused on machine learning. She achieved Honours Class 1 in this project and went on to present her findings at the Ecological Society of Australia Conference in 2021.

Meg commenced her career as an agronomist in 2020. Over her 5 years in Griffith, she has helped support growers in both the winter and summer cropping sector, specialising in irrigated summer crop. She is dedicated to her growers and has an interest in investigating new research and potential ways to improve their day-to-day management.

Her passion for this industry has developed since her first introduction back in 2022. Since this time, she has partaken in the Rice 101 course, Rice Industry Leadership Program, RGA capacity building program and participated in the MIA focus site reference group last year.

I was raised in a rice-farming family in Willbriggie, NSW, an experience that has deeply shaped my passion for agriculture—particularly the rice industry. I pursued this interest academically by studying agriculture throughout high school and going on to complete a Bachelor of Agriculture at Charles Sturt University in 2023. Following graduation, I worked as a Grower Liaison Officer at a local cotton gin, gaining valuable industry experience.

In November 2024, I commenced my current role as a Graduate Technical Officer with Rice Breeding Australia, further aligning my career with the advancement of the rice sector and supporting regional agriculture. This job has led to hands-on experience in crop development, the ability to engage in continuous learning and has deepened my understanding of modern farming challenges.

Looking to the future, I am passionate about driving innovation and supporting sustainable farming practices, with the goal of enhancing long-term productivity, for the future resilience of farming communities.

Dr Steve Jefferies is Principal of Jefferies Ag Solutions which provides consultancy services to agribusinesses. Prior to this Steve was Managing Director of GRDC from 2016 to 2020. From 2002 to 2016, Steve was the inaugural CEO of AGT, Australia’s largest and market leading plant breeding company. From 1996 to 2002 Steve was an academic in crop genetics at University of Adelaide.

Steve is Chairman of Rice Breeding Australia and Non-Executive Director of APVMA and Grain Producers SA and previously Birchip Cropping Group and Barley Australia.

In 2016 Steve was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia. In 2020 Steve was elected a Fellow of the Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (FTSE) and in 2021 Steve was awarded a Doctorate of Science (honoris causa) from the University of Adelaide for eminence in plant breeding.

Tristan grew up on a mixed farming enterprise in Central West NSW. After school, he joined the Army, serving in Special Forces. Throughout his military career, he stayed connected to farming, coming home between deployments to help out – whether on the tractor at sowing, running a chaser bin at harvest or helping with shearing. The military gave him deep exposure to drones, sensors, and advanced intelligence capabilities, all geared towards timely and accurate decision-making. His time on the land has given him an awareness of the pressures farmers face with skilled labour shortages, rising input costs and increasing farm sizes.

Leaving the Army, Tristan returned to the Central West and established StevTech in 2016 with a mission to pioneer the practical application of drones and AI in Australian farming with a desire to assist solving the problems that he saw firsthand through his brother's farming operation.
StevTech's approach is firmly grounded in real-world use, ensuring innovation delivers tangible, on-the-ground benefits for producers. Tristan is focused on delivering results now, while also ensuring Australian agriculture and StevTech is set to fully leverage the productivity gains that drones and AI will bring.