Crop Consultants Australia

Tim started his career in 1997 at Auscott “Midkin” in the Gwydir Valley, where he held positions of Agronomist and Farm Manager. Following his 11 years at Auscott, Tim held the position of General Manager of Reardon Farms a large-scale irrigation and dryland farming business east of Mungindi, before moving to Goondiwindi and starting with MCA Ag in 2010.

Tim is currently a director of MCA Ag, a consultancy business that specialises in agronomy, farm management, and agricultural research and development. His direct area of responsibility is the Cotton Team, that specialises in agronomic and management advice for clients with a focus on irrigation and in particular cotton. He and his team advise to farmers across the Darling Downs, McIntyre, Gwydir and Namoi Valleys. Additional to his agronomic skills, Tim has a passion for precision ag and land development and helps his clients in these vital areas of production.

Tim returned to the CCA board as President in 2023, after a previous tenor on the CCA board from 2012-16, he brings over 25 years of agronomic and farming experience to the position and has also previously held various industry positions within ACGRA, TIMS Committee and Cotton Grower Associations. He also holds a Bachelor of Rural Science and a Graduate Certificate in Agriculture – Cotton Production.

Damien Erbacher has spent most of his life in agriculture having grown up on dryland cropping farm at Theodore. From 1991-2001 he worked as a farm hand on an irrigated cotton farm at Theodore. From 2001-2003 he managed an irrigated cotton and grains farm at Baralaba. In 2004 he started Dawson Ag Consulting based in Theodore, Central Queensland, providing independent consulting services.

Damien spent 15 years as the Dawson Valley’s representative on ACGRA and Cotton Australia, where he chaired the different committees over that time and represented Cotton Australia on TIMS and CBA Scientific Committee.

Damien is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and joined the board of Crop Consultants Australia in 2022.

Bede has over 20 years practical knowledge of Qld and Northern NSW’s cropping, pasture and irrigated crops. Following study at both UQ Gatton and UNE, he has been involved in practical roles in agricultural supply, territory sales management, agronomy consulting, government extension and training. Bede has a strong interest in practical crop nutrition and simplifying products and application techniques.

He is currently a Technical Agronomist with Incitec Pivot Fertilisers, based in Toowoomba. Covering a geographical area of Emerald in Central Qld, Southern and SW Qld, to Narrabri in Northern NSW, he specialises in providing frank crop nutrition advice, training in Agronomy in Practice and software platforms, conducting long and short term field trials and product development activities in the cotton and summer grains markets.

Bede joined the Crop Consultants Australia Board in 2021.

Belinda began her career in cotton on the Darling Downs before moving to Emerald for five years. The majority of her time in Emerald was spent working for the private consulting company Graham Spackman & Associates covering all aspects of broadacre and cotton agronomy across a broad geographical area. She moved back to the Downs in 2009 and spent twelve years as a senior cotton and broadacre agronomist with Dalby Rural Supplies. Belinda returned to Emerald in 2021 to Iker Ag Consulting as a Senior Agronomist.

Belinda has completed a Bachelor of Science (Biology) and a Graduate Diploma in Agronomy.

Belinda joined the Crop Consultants Australia Board in 2021.

James is a consulting agronomist with over 10 years of experience in the industry. He started his career in the Wagga Wagga area before entering the cotton industry in Moree where he worked in an independent agronomy business for the first time. After this he relocated to Griffith where he worked as an agronomist for a large agribusiness, before establishing his own independent agronomic consulting business based in the Murrumbidgee and Murray valleys. In his spare time he also works in his family’s farming business and thoroughly enjoys the diversity in enterprises that agriculture has to offer.

James holds a Bachelor of Science (Agronomy & Livestock Production) and a Graduate Certificate in Agriculture – Cotton Production.

James joined the Crop Consultants Australia Board in 2021.

Dean is an Agronomist with Steve Madden Agriculture, an independent farm consultancy business based out of Wee Waa, located in Northwest NSW.

Dean grew up on a family Irrigation farm, with a focus on cotton legume rotations and farm sustainability. He has developed a strong interest in crop rotation for disease management, IPM with beneficial releases, and long-term farm sustainability. Starting his career as a Sales Agronomist with CGS Wee Waa in 2014, Dean then moved into independent consultancy with Steve Madden in 2016.

He holds a Bachelor of Agriculture Science with a major in Soil & Plant Physiology from the University of New England and joined the CCA Board in 2022.

Sally is an Agronomist and Digital Ag consultant with 7 years of experience as a broadacre and cotton agronomist working across the southern Darling Downs and Border Rivers region. In recent years, a lot of her work has focused on the utilisation of spatial data to better understand the drivers of production and using this to manage and develop a more sustainable production system. 

Sally has completed a Bachelor of Agricultural Science at Charles Sturt University and a Graduate Certificate in Cotton Production at the University of New England. Sally is currently studying a Master of Philosophy through the University of Sydney researching the use of multitemporal electromagnetic induction to spatially map soil water.

Sally joined the board in 2022.

Alexandra is an agronomist with seven years of experience in cotton and broadacre agronomy working in Moree NSW. She works for HMAg Pty Ltd Moree, an independent agronomy business. Alex brings enthusiasm into not only her job but many community roles including the Gwydir Cotton Growers Association board and Moree Young Aggies Vice President. She loves the challenges and complexity of cropping in Northwest NSW and loves the ability to engage with clients that do as well.

Alex has completed a Bachelor of Agricultural Science at Charles Sturt University and a Graduate Certificate in Cotton Production at the University of New England.

Alexandra joined the board in 2023.

Charlie is a consulting agronomist with Customised Farm Management (CFM), an asset management and farm consultancy business based in Griffith NSW. Since beginning the role in late 2020, Charlie has been involved in the management and consultancy of cotton, grains, oilseeds, pulses and horticultural enterprises across the MIA and Lachlan Valley regions. The role at CFM offers a detailed exposure to farm management with an agronomic approach and considers himself fortunate to work within a good team at CFM.

Growing up in Moree NSW, Charlie was exposed to all aspects of farming from early on and is passionate about all things Ag. Charlie completed his dual bachelor’s degree in Agribusiness and Agricultural Science at The University of Queensland in 2020 and joined the CCA Board in 2023.