Open day to celebrate 75 years of Ag R&D in Dareton
6 Jun 2023
This year marks 75 years of the NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) Dareton Institut, delivering research to support our State’s horticulture industry, and the local community is invited to join in the celebrations.
NSW DPI Dareton Institute Director Dr Dave Monks said to mark this significant milestone, staff at the site will swing open the gates to the public on Thursday 15 June 2023.
“We are excited to welcome the community to view our world-class facilities, learn about current research projects and programs and see our fantastic staff at work,” Dr Monks said.
“Since its establishment in 1948, the DPI Dareton Institute has played a vital role in ensuring the NSW horticultural industry continues to be healthy, thriving and most importantly, sustainable.”
The open day will consist of:
- Sharing the research and achievements of the Institute
- Farm Business Resilience Program Workshop
- Displays and demonstrations
- Citrus tastings
- Site tours
- Free BBQ
Dr Monks said citrus research began at Dareton in 1955, where the practice of working alongside growers to provide them with timely and accurate information to support sound management decisions has continued through to the present day.
“With approximately 70% of the nation’s citrus hectares planted in the Riverland, Murray Valley and Riverina, our location gives us direct relevance to the citrus industry,” Dr Monks said.
“We have built a strong relationship with the citrus industry, targeting our work to address real-world problems, including research on fruit sizing, drought tolerance, variety and rootstock selection.
“This 75-year milestone reminds us of the important research and infrastructure the DPI Dareton Institute offers to ensure NSW growers have sustainable businesses now and into the future.”
Some of the research at the DPI Dareton Institute has included:
- Research in the first 50 years focused on citrus irrigation and drainage to manage salinity, apple and avocado demonstrations, asparagus nutrition, and erosion management.
- More recently, the Institute has undertaken citrus variety and rootstock evaluation programs continuously for more than 20 years.
- The national germplasm collection of grapevine varieties was also established at Dareton for the Australian Vine Improvement Association with initial plantings in 2003.
- Research in other crops, such as persimmons, hazelnuts and pistachios.
The Dareton Primary Industries Institute Open Day will be held on Thursday 15 June from 9:30 am to 12:00 pm, at 1998 Silver City Highway, Dareton.
A free workshop organised by DPI’s Farm Business Resilience Program will also be held for farmers from the local area focusing on business management, resilience and succession planning. Led by a line-up of industry experts, including Rebecca Fing from House Paddock Training and Consulting, Jess Cavanagh from Proagtive, and Warren Davies from The Unbreakable Farmer.
Further information and details on the Open Day program and workshop can be found at www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/openday
Media contact: 02 6391 3686
