Program
ABARES Outlook 2025 will bring together influential Australian and international speakers and panellists from industry and government in Canberra and online across 12 sessions.
Download the 2025 program
Day 1 – Tuesday 4 March
- 9.00 am – 9.25 am
Conference opening
MC
Kate Banville
Journalist
Welcome to Country and Minister’s opening address.
- 9.25 am – 10.40 am
Session 1
Driving agriculture’s productivity and sustainable success
Agriculture today faces unprecedented challenges. Climate change, geopolitical turmoil and shifting market dynamics demand innovative solutions and adaptive strategies. Understanding the economic trends and productivity hurdles is essential for developing resilient and sustainable agriculture, fishery and forestry sectors and their respective supply chains.
MC
Kate Banville
Journalist
Keynotes
Dr Jared Greenville
Executive Director, ABARES
Economic Outlook for Australian agriculture
Professor Alex Robson
Deputy Chair, Productivity Commission
Australia’s productivity challenge
Ben van Delden
Climate and Agrifood Partner, Deloitte
Transforming Australia into a food superpower
- 10.40 am – 11.15 am - Morning tea and networking
- 11.15 am – 12.30 pm
Session 2
Commodities spotlight: navigating future trends and opportunities
A panel of ABARES commodity and farm data analysts will discuss the medium-term economic outlook for key agriculture, fisheries and forestry sector commodities and farm incomes. The anticipated economic conditions and their implications for key commodities are vital to understanding the magnitude of the opportunity for the sector.
Panel moderator
Dr Jared Greenville
Executive Director, ABARES
Panel
Emily Dahl
Grains and oilseeds
Alistair Read
Livestock commodities: Meat, wool and dairy
Fred Litchfield
Horticulture and wine
Patrick Mulcahy
Australian farm performance
Harrison Tuynman
Fisheries
Stephanie Black
Forestry
- 12.30 pm – 1.45 pm - Lunch and networking
- 1.45 pm – 3.00 pm
Session 3
Cultivating intelligence: data for shaping modern agriculture
A critical conversation about the future of agricultural data and its role in driving productivity and sustainability in Australia. To set the scene, a conversation highlighting the ongoing efforts to modernise data collection and dissemination, ensuring our statistics keep pace with the evolving needs of the agricultural sector. Following this, an engaging panel discussion will delve into how data is shaping the necessary changes for increased productivity and sustainability.
Chair and panel moderator
Matt Lowe
Deputy Secretary, Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Policy Group
In conversation with
Brenton Goldsworthy
Deputy Australian Statistician, Australian Bureau of Statistics
Panel
Katie McRobert
Executive Director, Australian Farm Institute
Sam Brown
CEO, Agricultural Innovation Australia
Kyaw Kyaw Soe Hlaing
General Manager ICT and Digitalisation, Fisheries Research and Development Corporation
- 3.00 pm – 3.45 pm - Afternoon tea and networking
- 3.45 pm – 5.00 pm
Session 4
Fields of influence: agricultural trade, global giants and protectionism
An exploration of the intricate web of factors shaping the future of agricultural trade and its far-reaching impacts on the global economy. A keynote and a scene-setting presentation will set the stage for a panel discussion. We will hear perspectives on critical issues such as future trading environment, impacts of geopolitics, rising protectionism, securing critical inputs and climate challenges.
Chair and panel moderator
Tina Hutchison
Deputy Secretary, Trade and Regulation Group
Keynote
Vangelis Vitalis
Deputy Secretary, Trade and Economic, New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Scene-setting
James Fell
Trade and Global Change, ABARES
Panel
Dr Pru Gordon
Executive Director, Australian Centre for International Trade and Investment
Fiona Simson
Vice President – Oceania, World Farmers’ Organisation
Tim Ryan
Interim CEO, Australian Meat Industry Council
- 5.00 pm – 7.00 pm - Welcome Sundowners and networking - Celebrating 80 years of ABARES
Day 2 – Wednesday 5 March
- 9.00 am – 10.15 am
Session 5
Sowing seeds of investment: attracting capital to agriculture
An exploration of the financial landscape of agriculture and the innovative pathways to attract capital to help secure a prosperous future for this vital sector.
Scene-setting
Dale Ashton
Farm Data and Analysis, ABARES
Trends in farm debt and investment in farming
Panel
Charley Cramer
National Head of Agribusiness, AgFin Australia
Dr Nicola Thomas
Faculty of Business, Justice and Behavioural Sciences, Charles Sturt University
Jesse Reader
Head of Investment, Growth and Commercial, Hort Innovation
David Bryant
Managing Director, Rural Funds Management Ltd
- 9.00 am – 10.15 am
Session 6
Harvesting harmony: balancing social license, sustainability and productivity for long-term success
A scene-setting presentation will highlight the significance of community trust in rural industries and how to measure trust and foster positive relationships. A diverse panel of speakers, each from industries facing unique social license challenges, will share their perspectives and strategies to address issues while ensuring productivity and sustainability.
Scene-setting
Courtney Bailey
Agriculture Sector Lead, Voconiq
Community trust in rural industries – how do you determine and measure community trust?
Panel
Veronica Papacosta
CEO, Seafood Industry Australia
John Lawson
Carbon Projects Manager, Midway Limited
Dr Sarah Bolton
Research Fellow, Animal Welfare Program, University of British Colombia
Charles Burke
Queensland Food Farmers’ Commissioner
- 10.15 am – 10.45 am - Morning tea and networking
- 10.45 am – 12.00 pm
Session 7
Resilient landscapes: tackling pests and weeds for sustainable agriculture and biodiversity
Explore one of the most pressing challenges in agriculture and environment management – controlling pests and weeds while promoting sustainable practices and preserving biodiversity.
Scene-setting
Dr Tony Arthur
Chief Biosecurity Scientist, ABARES
Insights into Australia’s established pest and weed problems
Panel
Dr Catherine Riordan
Director Nature Repair Committee, Department of Climate Change, Environment and Water
Nerida Bradley
Chief Impact Officer, GreenCollar
Justin Crosby
Director of Government and Strategic Relations, CropLife Australia
Dr Ken Young
Senior Manager Biosecurity and Regulation, Grains Research and Development Corporation
- 10.45 am – 12.00 pm
Session 8
Farming talent: ensuring a sustainable agriculture workforce
Addresses one of the most critical components of the agricultural sector – building and sustaining a skilled, capable workforce that can meet the demands of the future.
Scene-setting
David Turvey
Executive Director, Jobs and Skills Australia
Food Supply Chain Capacity Study
Panel
Jennifer Galloway
Acting General Manager, Workforce Communications and Adoption, AgriFutures Australia
Mick Fuller
National People Lead, Dairy Australia
Professor Ruth Nettle
School of Agriculture, Food and Ecosystem Sciences, University of Melbourne
Richard Shannon
Executive Officer, National Farmers Federation Horticulture Council
- 12.00 pm – 1.00 pm - Lunch and networking
- 1.00 pm – 2.15 pm
Session 9
‘Walking together’ for Indigenous commercial outcomes
Explore and celebrate the significant contributions of First Nations people in agriculture, fisheries and forestry and their vital role in creating sustainable commercial markets for cultural products and enterprise while managing and preserving their lands and resources.
Chair
Russell Barnett
Partner, Australian Venture Consultants
Scene-setting
Rohan Jacobsen
Forests and Land Sciences, ABARES
Insights into Indigenous Land and Forest Estate
Panel
Professor Emma Lee
Professorial Research Fellow, Federation University
Additional panellists to be confirmed
- 1.00 pm – 2.15 pm
Session 10
Securing the essentials: fuels, fertilisers and farm chemicals
A discussion of the critical inputs that are fundamental to agricultural production. Ensuring the security and availability of these essential inputs is vital for the success and resilience of our farming communities. Our panellists will explore the challenges and opportunities facing these sectors and how we can work towards securing them for the long term.
Scene-setting
Andrew Henderson
Principal, Agsecure
Food security and supply chain resilience
Panel
David Jochinke
President, National Farmers’ Federation
Scott Bowman
President, Incitec Pivot Fertilisers
Scott Hansen
CEO, Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority
- 10 minute break
- 2.25 pm – 3.40 pm
Session 11
Eyes in the sky: leveraging satellite data for sustainable agriculture and climate resilience
In a world where climate change is increasingly impacting our food systems, this exploration of satellite earth observation for agriculture and climate resilience will showcase the latest advancements in this field, including the innovative collaboration between UK and Australian earth observation scientists.
Scene-setting
Dr Hugh Mortimer
Global Research Innovation Partnership Program Lead, UK Science and Technology Facilities Council
Satellite Earth observation for agriculture and climate (UK-Aus collaborative program)
Panel
Professor Richard Lucas
Head of Earth Observation and Ecosystem Dynamics Research Group, Aberystwyth University, UK
Professor Jadu Dash
Professor of Remote Sensing, Department of Geography and Earth Sciences, University of Southampton, UK
Professor Owen Atkin
Professor of Plant Science, Australian National University and Director Agrifood Innovation Institute, Australia
Dr Phil Tickle
Managing Director, Cibo Labs, Australia
- 2.25 pm – 3.40 pm
Session 12
Sustainable productivity and net zero
Exploring the journey around sustainable productivity in agriculture and reaching net zero emissions, we discuss strategies to balance productivity with environmental stewardship for a prosperous future for agricultural communities and our planet.
Scene-setting
Will Chancellor
Farm Performance, ABARES
Measuring productivity
Panel
Richard Heath
CEO, Zero Net Emissions Agricultural Cooperative Research Centre
Angela Williamson
Director, Blue Policy and Planning,
Blue Economy CRC
Su McCluskey
Special Representative Australian Agriculture
Chris Stevens
Director, Global Agribusiness, Kellanova
Additional panellist to be confirmed
- 3.40 pm – 4.30 pm - Conference close with afternoon tea
Contact Us
For questions about the ABARES Outlook conference please email abaresevents@aff.gov.au
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ABARES is a division of the Department of Agriculture Fisheries and Forestry. We acknowledge the Ngunnawal people the traditional custodians of the land where we work and where Outlook is hosted. We pay our Yadaba (respects) to the Traditional Custodians of this land, their culture, their language and elders both past and present.