GROWING pasture seeds and fodder crop business Heritage Seeds has appointed Toby Brown as managing director, effective from July 1, 2019.
It follows former leader Wayne Crofts' decision to join his family full-time in Perth and continue his career in logistics to the automotive and industrial sectors.
Heritage Seeds is a member of the 100 per cent family-owned Barenbrug Group, headquartered in the Netherlands and has been on a rapid growth path in Australia, driving investment and innovation in the local industry.
The company produces a broad range of temperate and tropical pasture varieties, fodder crops, forage cereals and field crops, as well as turf and amenity grasses.
On the heels of acquiring Queensland-based companies Australian Premium Seeds, Blue Ribbon Seeds and Premium Seed Coaters, the business is set to open a new $15 million state-of-the-art facility at Toowoomba, in Queensland, later this year.
This will complement another major facility in Melbourne, Victoria, smaller sites in Brisbane and at Walkamin in Queensland, as well as third party logistics warehouses.
Heritage Seeds has its own research and development sites and strong collaborative partnerships with several technical providers, including AgriBio in Victoria, the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI) and Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries.
Mr Brown only recently joined Heritage Seeds as its national sales manager, bringing 25 years' experience to the company from across the agricultural chemical, machinery and wool sectors.
Over the past decade, he has held senior global leadership roles with Nufarm, including in Germany to cover Europe, the Middle East and Africa and as country manager of the United Kingdom, before his return to Australia last year.
Mr Brown has also held marketing and global product management roles and, prior to joining Heritage Seeds, he was assisting Nufarm's industrial sales division and its partnership with Farmers Edge, which provides precision digital solutions to help guide farm management decisions.
He said he was delighted to be guiding the next phase of growth and direction for the Heritage Seeds business and Barenbrug Group in Australia.
"It's exciting to be taking on the leadership from Wayne with a business that's in strong growth mode and with the energy of the Heritage Seeds team for the future,'' Mr Brown said.
"Despite the tough conditions in various areas of the country, the outlook is promising for many livestock commodities and the industry is on the cusp of significant developments with pasture and fodder crops that have the potential to boost the productivity and international competitiveness of our producers.
"Heritage Seeds is now unique in offering such a breadth of varieties, enabling us to help deliver higher production in southern livestock systems, mixed temperate and tropical zones, right through to northern tropical enterprises."
