Stories of resilience from wheat farmers and scientists

Stories of resilience from wheat farmers and scientists

This article was originally published in the Cosmos Print Magazine, September 2024. IT’S THE LATE 1930s and wheat croppers in south-east Australia are very worried. Total wheat yield in the state of Victoria has fallen for 50 years, despite the introduction of the famous designer Australia strain Federation 30 years earlier. Farmers have tried new fertilisers and different seed varieties, but nothing is working. They are prepared to try anything…