Supporter Information:
William Buckland was a highly successful pastoralist who had a great love of the land and agriculture. His suggestion that his Trustees, in administering funds from the Foundation, “give preference to agriculture and related pursuits” has been instrumental in developing the Advancing Agriculture Program for the Foundation.
The William Buckland Foundation, through its Advancing Agriculture Program, supports initiatives which focus on strengthening the resilience and capacity of regional and rural communities. This includes the support of innovative approaches to farming that increase yield and/or reduce damaging environmental impacts as well ensuring that rural leaders are equipped to inclusively address the challenges and embrace the opportunities that arise through change.
Website: www.williambucklandfoundation.org.au
Jason Cotter
Nuffield Australia 2020 Scholarship winner
Jason Cotter, of Tuerong, Victoria, receives a Nuffield Scholarship with support from the William Buckland Foundation to research grain diversity and adding value in specialist markets.
As the owner and operator of Tuerong Farm, a 60-hectare mixed farming enterprise on the Mornington Peninsula, Jason grows and mills heritage, ancient and modern grains for direct sale and distribution to leading restaurants, bakeries and home-bakers.
“I am passionate about cultivars and practices that prioritise flavour, nutrition and sustainability over convenience. Internationally, there is a burgeoning movement which has provenance, food sovereignty, sustainability and flavour at its core, and I believe we have an opportunity to further this at home,” Jason said.
“My research will explore methods of achieving quality grain in low input and organic farming systems, propagation and processing techniques that prioritise flavour, establishment of population, and winter wheats with greater climate resilience, and restoration of direct farmer, miller, baker and breeder relationships.”
Travelling throughout Europe, the United States, Mexico, Canada and Turkey, Jason aims to use his research to establish common threads between his peri-urban business and broadacre cropping operations, unlocking the benefits of genetic diversity and bolstered consumer trust.