Darren Hughes

Darren Hughes has over 20 years of experience in the Australian grains industry and a passion to see agriculture become a significant industry in Australia. Growing up on family farm near Geraldton in Western Australia, Mr Hughes completed a Bachelor of Agribusiness (Farm Management) and a PhD in Crop Agronomy from Curtin University. He worked for several companies from startups to large national RD&E bodies including as general manager of the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC), the nation's largest funder of grains RD&E, where he was able to refine his skills in strategy and technical knowledge in agronomy, farming systems, soils and nutrition, and leadership. Mr Hughes was a GRDC Western Panel Member, and is a board member of Morawa Agricultural College in Western Australia.