Ashley Fraser

Nuffield Australia 2012 scholarship winner

Ashley Fraser, from Rutherglen in Victoria, receives the 2012 Nuffield Scholarship sponsored by the Grains Research and Development Corporation.

Ashley would like to study how seed coating both protects and enhances crop growth.

Problems with poor crop establishment due to a variety of nutritional, disease, insect and seed bed issues prompted his interest, saying "in short Australian growers have hundreds of millions of dollars in lost production due to poor crop establishment, which in some cases could be solved with a $3 per hectare seed coating."

Ashley believes research into seed coating technologies could result in targeted insect controls, fungicide control, better water harvesting properties, biological enhancement through species targeted rhizobia and more.

He would like to travel to Canada, USA and Europe to visit research facilities and manufacturers of coating equipment, coating materials, powder manufacturers and chemistry experts.

Ashley is general manager for Baker Seed Co, a family owned and operated business centred around an extensive seed processing and processed grains plant. Within the family they also crop approximately 3000 hectares for seed production in the Rutherglen area and operate a small feedlot to utilize the by‐products from the processing plant.

10 Springhurst Rd,
LILLIPUT, VIC 3682
0418 176 764
ashley.fraser@bakerseedco.com.au