The University of Sydney Plant Breeding Institute Narrabri

02/09/2026

Free field day - 11am today! Enter via Killarney Gap Rd

02/09/2026

Field day TOMORROW 3rd Sept 11am

01/09/2026

30/08/2026

Crop circles in Narrabri?!? Ahead of this Thursday’s field day, OUTLOOK AG created a custom prescription spray map and we put a John Deere spray rig to the test by spraying our logos into a crop of wheat. Come and check out this, as well as the results of green-on-green camera spraying with John Deeres new Gen 2 See and Spray cameras. Free registration on Eventbrite.

30/08/2026

Field day this Thursday Sep 3!! More info https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/annual-narrabri-field-day-2026-university-of-sydney-tickets-1993504525700?

28/08/2026

Field Day this Thursday, September 3 2026!

14/08/2026

Congratulations to Fiona Fogarty, who was recognised as a finalist in the Rotary Pride of Workmanship Awards, presented by Rotary Club of Narrabri Vice-President Di Ainsworth.

Fi was recognised for her outstanding commitment to excellence, her growing leadership across the Plant Breeding Institute, and the incredible support she provides to colleagues, students and the wider Narrabri community. Her willingness to mentor others and help international students and their families settle into life in Narrabri makes a lasting difference both within and beyond our workplace.

Thank you to Tricia Hadley for coordinating this year’s awards, and to the Rotary Club of Narrabri for celebrating people who embody the philosophy of “Do it once – do it well.” Congratulations, Fi! 👏🌾"

11/08/2026

After months of planning, it's incredibly rewarding to see our winter research program emerging. This year we've established more than 21,000 research plots across 23 hectares, including wheat, barley, chickpeas, lentils and canola. Every plot represents an opportunity to answer important research questions that will help improve the productivity and resilience of Australian cropping systems.

Trial establishment is never as simple as just putting seed in the ground. This season we worked between rainfall events to apply pre-emergent herbicides before sowing, then planted as quickly as conditions allowed. Timing was critical. Pre-emergent herbicides need to be applied before crop emergence to provide effective early w**d control, while research trials rely on uniform establishment across thousands of small plots. Balancing those priorities, all while keeping an eye on the weather forecast and the impact of chemcial, is one of the biggest challenges of field research. Like every season, there were a few compromises along the way, but timely rainfall after sowing has resulted in excellent establishment across much of the trial program and has given us a strong foundation for the months ahead.

Over the coming season, these trials will support research aimed at improving crop performance under abiotic stresses such as heat, drought and challenging soil conditions, alongside grain quality, crop physiology, disease resistance, hybrid wheat, pulse improvement and high-throughput phenotyping. The planning, teamwork and precision that go into trial establishment often happen behind the scenes, but they are fundamental to producing robust, reliable research outcomes.

A huge thank you to our incredible technical team, students and collaborators. Establishing this many research plots is no small task, and seeing the paddocks turning green is a rewarding milestone after months of hard work. Now the season really begins.

Photo credit: Emma Pavey

01/08/2026

🤝 Narrabri welcomed researchers from Pakistan for a unique agricultural fellowship. Learn more 👉 bit.ly/4ce9ORQ