Damien Odgers- Market Development Manager in Horticulture ...

Name Damien Odgers

Age 31

Location Melbourne

What part(s) of the industry do you work in? Crop protection industry for the horticulture sector, specifically vegetable and fruit tree crop production.

Job title Market Development Manager ? Horticulture

What does your company/ business do? Bayer CropScience is a leading global R&D company developing new integrated crop protection solutions as well as seeds & traits in the agricultural sector.

Describe your job on the average day My role is very ?customer centric?, in other words I work very closely with horticultural producers to understand their crop needs, productivity and sustainability issues/hurdles and perhaps assist in providing solutions both long and short term.

Due to the prolonged nature of pesticide innovation and development, I?m always looking at emerging production issues (5-10 years into the future) within the horticulture industry so Bayer can maximise our R&D efficiency and impact in the marketplace.

I spend most of my time out on farm speaking with leading, progressive growers who represent the future of the industry. My role also involves demonstration and education of new innovative Bayer products to the wider agribusiness and grower community.

How did you get involved with agriculture? I grew up on a farm in Tasmania so it was always in my blood and therefore from an early age I developed a keen interest in the industry and a determination to make a career out of it. My father was a dairy and vegetable farmer and so it was a natural progression for me to work in the vegetable industry.

Education

Scotch Oakburn College, Tasmania ? 1995-1998

University of Tasmania ? Bachelor of Agricultural Science (Hons) ? 1999 ? 2002

If you studied/ trained in agriculture, why did you choose that degree/ certificate? I enjoyed the combination of true science and the extension of science into the industry. I get great satisfaction out of seeing the development of good scientific agricultural research, and the application of this work into the industry at a producer level.

This degree certainly ticked those boxes so it was the logical choice.

What are/were you plans after school/TAFE/university? Travel overseas for several years, come back home to Australia and move to Qld to develop a agricultural career in the sub-tropics.

Job history

Landmark ? Horticultural Agronomist SE Qld ? 2005-2008

Bayer CropScience ? Territory Manager ? SE Qld ? 2008 ? 2010

Bayer CropScience ? Market Development Manager (Southern Horticulture) ? 2011-now

What are your interests? Travelling, Gym ? trying to keep fit, Golf, AFL, cricket and sport in general, Bushwalking, Snow skiing

What is your favourite thing about the industry? The relationships I have forged with progressive and creative individuals that represent the future of this industry.

Best experience in agriculture? The farming lifestyle that I grew up with in Tasmania as a child.

Worst experience in agriculture? Being undervalued as a agronomist in the merchandise business. Competitive nature of this sector was very frustrating.

What do you think will be the biggest challenges of the agricultural industry in the future?

1. Decline in productivity from arable soils (soil health management is a huge concern)

2. Progression from a labour intensive industry (high labour costs) to one that embraces mechanisation

3. Competiveness in the global maketplace. The horticulture industry is predominantly focussed on the domestic market. Oversupply has led to producers looking at export markets yet our global competiveness lets us down.

4. Severe lack of young people entering into the agricultural industry and the huge gap that will develop once the baby boomer generation has moved on.

Why do you think less people are becoming involved in agriculture? For many reasons there has been a significant decline in rural communities with many young people now growing up in larger cities. This has seen the development of a ?disconnect? with the agricultural community. Young people therefore aren?t exposed to this career path and pursue other options.

I think there is also the perception that a rural lifestyle is very hard and the future looks very bleak. During the critical phase at schooling where career paths are chosen, other sectors such as finance, law, health, IT, sales and management, are seen as more prosperous (financially and future career options) and this tends to become their focus.

What advice do you have for people thinking about getting into agriculture? Agriculture is very much a people-orientated industry. There are so many opportunities in agriculture so embrace the diversity that it offers. Always be open to change and have a willingness to learn from all the people you encounter throughout the journey.

How important do you think an agricultural background is to become involved in the industry? Ideally, I think this helps but only from an empathy perspective. Personally that connection I have had with farming has helped me to have an understanding of the grower?s point of view. This is particularly important since I have direct contact with growers on a daily basis. However, into the future I think it will be less critical as we?ll have no choice but to attract those people without an agricultural background to the industry.

I work with plenty of fantastic people that do not have an agriculture background. These people are highly effective in their roles and so I think that this element is no so essential.

What do you think is the most common misconception about agriculture? It?s boring!

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