Robin Schaefer

Nuffield Australia 2012 scholarship winner

Robin Schaefer, from Loxton in South Australia, receives the 2012 Nuffield scholarship sponsored by the Grains Research and Development
Corporation.

Robin would like to study farm business management systems as well as medium to long‐term weather forecasting, with a particular focus on management tools to aid decision‐making.

He believes having good systems in place can streamline the practical and business management of a farm, making it easier to make decisions and manage employees, saying, "we have developed systems within our own business which work for us, but I want to see what other people are doing as well which may be better, including how people make decisions using weather forecasts."

Robin is managing director of Bulla Burra Operations, which is a collaborative farming venture based on low rainfall dryland cropping. Their cropping program consists of 8000 hectares of wheat, canola, barley, mustard, rye, hay and this year they are also trialling lupins and lentils.

Also, within the family farming business 'Schaefer Enterprises' Robin has a small irrigation enterprise growing quandongs.

He hopes to visit the USA, England, Argentina and Europe during his Nuffield travels.

PO Box 182,
LOXTON, SA 5333
0417 877 578
rsc10092@bigpond.net.au