As an undergraduate I double-majored in agronomy and agricultural economics. The career options seemed greater in economics, so I switched towards economics, doing more pure economics units, a Masters and then a PhD. I'm enjoying economics! There are always interesting issues, interesting people and new things to learn. In October 2024 I became an Emeritus Professor.

Changes in Australian grain supply chains; emissions management in Australian agriculture; innovations and policies affecting the Australian agriculture.

Principal economist in the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, WA Government.

Former Chief Economist in the Australian Export Grains Innovation Centre

President , Australasian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society

Co-editor of the Australian Journal of Agricultural & Resource Economics

Chair of the Australian Farm Institute's research advisory committee

Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation, "Implications of Climate Change for the Dryland Cereal Farm System". with D.A. Morrison, $51,500, 1992-1995.

Grains Research and Development Corporation, " The nature, use, cost and improvement of varietal testing information." with Prof R.K. Lindner, $ 85,900, 1995-1997.

Land & Water Resources Research & Development Corporation, "Innovative workshops for farm management of climatic variability", $52,000, 1998-2000.

Australian Research Council, SPIRT Grant, "Food safety policy and risk management: a case study of
genetically modified organisms." With A/Prof M. Burton, $64,000, 1999-2001.

Australian Research Council, SPIRT Grant, "Effects of strategic and tactical management on farm water use.", $64,000, 1999-2001.

Grains Research and Development Corporation, " The efficiency of western region grain growers", $ 99,300, 1999-2001.

Grains Research and Development Corporation, " Price Risk Management - Innovative training workshops for assessing packages on offer", $78,125, 2000-2002.

Grains Research and Development Corporation, "Economic evaluation of salinity management options in the cropping regions of Australia", $ 274,954, 2001-2002.

Land & Water Australia, “Changing the ownership-management paradigm in broadacre farming”, $130,386, 2007-2009

Rural Business & Development Corporation, “Changing the ownership-management paradigm in broadacre farming”, $15,000, 2007-2009

NCCARF, "Adapative capacity and adaptive strategies of broadacre farms experiencing climate change", $189,500, 2011-2012

DAFF, Filling the Research Gap, "Novel business structures for adaptation to a changing climate", $249,000 + $75,000 (AEGIC), 2013-2015.

GRDC, “National canola workshop”, $30,000, 2014

GRDC, “An economic analysis of Australia’s main containerised grain supply chains”, 2021-22 to 2022-23, $158,000

SAGIT, “Boosting profitability and efficiency of SA’s trade in containerised grain, 2021-22, $58,000

(xx) GRDC, “Future proofing Australia’s grain supply chains”, 2023-24, $250,000

Emissions management for broadacre farms, grain supply chain analyses, strategic market opportunities for Australian grains,  farming systems analysis

Grains R&D Corporation's Seed of Light winner in 2024.

Up until July 2024 60 percent of my time was spent as the Chief Economist in AEGIC (Australian Export Grains Innovation Centre. In this role I interacted with a range of stakeholders in the export grains' agribusiness and agricultural policy sectors.

Now 80 percent of my time is spent as chief economist in the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development of the WA State Government. The remainer is providing research supervision services to the School of Agriculture and Environment at the University of Western Australia.