Australia
June 6, 2002

Dr Bertus Jacobs has recently commenced work as LongReach Plant Breeders’ national wheat breeder. Bertus will manage the company’s national breeding program from his base now being established in Adelaide. Bertus was recruited by LongReach from the South African based seed company Pannar Seed, where he has been a wheat breeder since 1996. Bertus’ family will join him shortly in Adelaide.

Dr Lindsay O’Brien, with David Thompson, Global Cereals Development Manager for Syngenta Seeds, has been responsible for establishing the LongReach program. With Bertus’ appointment, Lindsay and David will now take on more strategic roles, which include assessing breeding technologies and assisting with their implementation in the program.

LongReach Plant Breeders is a joint venture of AWB and Syngenta, established in February 2002 to breed new cereal varieties for the Australian market. LongReach has operations right across the Australian wheat belt, with people based in Victoria, SA and NSW. Additional staff are being recruited for technical roles in WA and SA. Its head office is at the La Trobe University R&D Park at Bundoora in northern Melbourne.aid.