RAGT Australia’s Lauren May, Glasshouse Technical Officer, and Maqbool Ahmad, Senior Plant Breeder, welcomed visitors to the Longerenong Wheat and Broadacre Breeding Facility as part of the Longerenong College Open Day.
Prospective students and their family members were greeted with an overview of RAGT, both globally and within Australia, including the crops and pasture species we work with as a seed company. Visitors then learned about the wheat breeding process – how new varieties are developed for Australian conditions – along with details of our most recent product launches.
Lauren shared her hands-on experience with glasshouse experiments, from growing parent plants and making crosses to developing populations and using DNA markers to target specific genes or track particular genetic traits. She also highlighted the work placement opportunities available through the Longerenong College/RAGT collaboration. Throughout the day, operational slides and videos played in the background, adding visual insight into our work.
Some visitors were curious about the smaller-scale farm equipment we use. Maqbool explained that while our research plots are small, there are many of them – and accuracy in data collection is key to breeding success.
Approximately 60 visitors from as far as Murray Bridge in South Australia and from towns such as Woodend, Ballarat, Geelong, Horsham, Naracoorte, Hamilton and Swan Hill. Their backgrounds were diverse, including hay production, dairy, mixed farming, potato farming, real estate, cropping, vetch production and sheep farming.
The sessions were highly interactive, with plenty of questions about wheat breeding, training pathways for students, and career advice. Lauren was often asked about her own study background and how she came to work in agricultural research at RAGT. She delivered her presentations with enthusiasm, engaging visitors and sharing her professional journey with warmth and confidence.
The day was not only a valuable outreach opportunity but also a chance for Lauren to further develop her public speaking skills and demonstrate her natural ability in people engagement.
In summary, the event was a great success, giving visitors an inside look at the science of plant breeding and showcasing the passion and expertise of the RAGT Australia team.
