With a long-standing commitment to the agriculture industry, Mr Bennett brings a wealth of experience and dedication to his new role.

Born and raised in Casino, NSW Mr Bennett said that living directly across the street from the local saleyards and abattoir inevitably led him to a lifelong passion for the livestock industry.

“I always wanted to go to the sales and eventually got my first job at around 13 when a meat operator let me help him muster the cattle from the saleyards up to the abattoir every Sunday afternoon for $3 an hour,” Mr Bennett said.

“After that, when I left school, I went up to Central Queensland to work as a jackeroo.”

Mr Bennett's journey with NSW DPI began in 2002 when he joined as a farm assistant at the Elizabeth Macarthur Agricultural Institute in Menangle. During that time, he seized every opportunity to expand his knowledge and experience, eventually taking on roles such as leading hand and acting farm manager of the Institute.

In 2010, Mr Bennett returned to the North Coast, working as a farm supervisor at Grafton Primary Industries Institute, managing on-farm operations at both Grafton and Wollongbar Institutes. He would later play a pivotal role in the multimillion-dollar Southern Multi Breed (SMB) beef genetics project which saw him lead the management and care of over 500 breeding cows.

Although staff still see him lending a hand at the cattle yards, in his new appointment as site manager, Mr Bennett now oversees all branches of DPI and Forestry that are housed at the Grafton Institute. These branches include livestock genetics and northern cropping research, Fisheries, Invasive Species, and Weeds Biosecurity.

Although still acclimatising to the increase in desk-bound responsibilities, Mr Bennett said he is thrilled to be appointed custodian of such an historically significant site for the Clarence Valley region, and to be a witness to the diverse array of work being conducted at the Institute.

"Grafton Station is so unique by having all those different branches, so you get to see all aspects of what DPI research is trying to achieve,” Mr Bennett said.

“The best part is I get to work alongside this wide variety of people.”