Turner acknowledged for drought research

Living on the edge of an industrial town, he didn't come from a farming background, but he developed a real interest in agriculture.

That interest became a career, which has spanned across more than five decades and this week, the CSIRO research scientist and University of Western Australia, Institute of Agriculture adjunct professor was named on the Queen's Birthday honours list.

Dr Turner said he was grateful to have been appointed as a member in the general division of the Order of Australia for his significant service to agriculture and environmental science and to education.

"It feels extremely good," Dr Turner said.

"It is nice because it is recognition for research primarily done for Australian farmers and agriculture through CSIRO."

Before landing a job in the industry, Dr Turner studied agriculture at the University of Reading, UK.

There he embarked on a new course in agricultural science, which was a general degree and also opened the door to two new subjects crop ecology and crop physiology.

Dr Turner said he always had an interest in ecological principles and how plants worked.

He found the course was different in the way it didn't look at individual plants, but instead how those plants operated in a crop.

"There were certainly some different principles involved there, so when I finished my degree I was offered a Commonwealth scholarship to study in Australia."

Dr Turner's scholarship took him to the University of Adelaide in the mid 1960s, where he was introduced to two professors, who were promoting studying agronomy from a physiological and ecological point-of-view.

At the time one of the biggest issues that stood out to him in Australian farming was the dry environment.

Moving from Europe and seeing wheat grown on such low rainfall, was something he found both interesting and challenging.

"My PhD focused on the impact drought had on wheat and it has been a pimary focus of my research since then," he said.

Dr Turner completed his PhD, but struggled to secure employment in the field within the UK or even Australia.

With no career opportunities, Dr Turner moved to Connecticut, United States and worked at a "very small agricultural experiment station" where he remained for seven years until 1974.

In 1974 he found his way back to Australia, after landing a job as a CSIRO crop physiologist in Canberra.

Ten years later, he was invited to reinvigorate the CSIRO Division of Plant Industry in Perth, where he remained until retirement in 2005.

Upon moving to WA, Dr Turner's research into dryland farming expanded onto lupins as well as wheat.

It has taken him to places including Merredin and higher rainfall areas including Beverley and Kojonup.

Dr Turner said in all cases the research focus was getting the maximum grain yield with the limited rainfall where there is no potential for irrigation.

"That has really been the core of my research - maximising yields," he said.

"That is either by improved varieties, looking for characteristics or traits that give the plant better performance under drought or by managing the environment."

A prime example of this for Dr Turner, has been the fact planting time had moved forward by at least a month in many agricultural areas since he first moved to WA.

He said early seeding allowed farmers to "take advantage of every drop of rain from the break".

Dr Turner has also been involved with a research project in India through the Australian government.

The 10-year project focused on drought and salinity in chickpeas, and identifying new genotypes for India, as well as the Australian Chickpea Breeding Program.

In the final year of the project, Dr Turner said he and other involved group members went to select a saline site at a farm in Bindi Bindi, in the State's Wheatbelt.

It was April 2, and the farmer had his machinery ready to start seeding early.

Dry seeding was relatively new at the time, but has since evolved into a farming practice many cropping farmers use.

"That farmer was out with his canola seeding the afternoon we were there picking up a site for our chickpea, which we planted a month later," Dr Turner said.

"It is an important issue.

"The whole direct seeding and control of weeds by herbicides shifted agriculture in the first 10 to 15 years that I was in WA.

"If you plot out what happened over that period with the same rainfall, in fact now of course it is declining rainfall, but with the same rainfall or even less rainfall, yields doubled throughout WA.

"There were a few periods after that when the droughts were so severe that you couldn't see yields going up, but basically it was a whole series of different things."

With such a successful career, it is Dr Turner's role in education that he finds his greatest achievement including his work in Chinese universities.

"I must say seeing students develop and become competent researchers is something I find very rewarding," he said.

"I enjoy doing the science myself, but I also like seeing students pick it up and become quality researchers themselves.

"Through teaching I came to realise recently that not everyone is cut out to be a good research scientist.

"There are certain skills that enable some people to be better at it than others.

"Having said that, I find that when you get those students and you see them suddenly flourish it is rewarding."

Dr Turner's lengthy career has seen him contribute to organisations including the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering, Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research, Crawford Fund for International Agricultural Research, Indian Council of Agricultural Research, International Centre for Research in Agroforestry (now the World Agroforestry Centre), Nairobi, Kenya and the International Crop Science Society.

Cecilia Sounness

CECILIA Sounness has received a Medal in the Order of Australia for her service to the Mount Barker community.

Ms Sounness' service to Mount Barker spans across more than seven decades and she is the current president of the Mount Barker Country Women's Association (CWA), having been a member since 1960.

She has served as the CWA president over an addition six terms (three years per term), as well as the former catering manager and has received a loyal service badge for her dedication to the organisation.

Other voluntary work and recognition includes:

Ian Eckersley

HARVEY resident Ian Eckersley's service to primary industry received a Medal in the Order of Australia for his involvement with the Harvey Water (South West Irrigation Asset Co-operative and South West Irrigation Management Co-operative), Harvey Agricultural Society and Western Australian College of Agriculture.

He served as the Harvey Water chairman from 2009-18 and the South West Irrigation Asset Cooperative inaugural chairman for 14 years.

Mr Eckersley became a member of the Harvey Agricultural Society in the 1980s, was president from 1996-1997 and awarded a life membership in 2002.

He has also been a member of the Western Australian College of Agriculture for 30 years, a former president of the advisory board and former chair of the Combined Agricultural Advisory Committee for the formation of Western Australian College of Agriculture.

He owns Yambellup Estate.