PCA2023

Speakers

Sam Turner Speaker

Sam Turner is a passionate and experienced leader with over 15 years of diverse roles in production, industry bodies, R&D organisations, logistics and agronomy. He has a deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing farmers, researchers, innovators, and policymakers. Sam is currently the Executive Officer of Protected Cropping Australia LTD, a national industry body representing the Australian protected cropping sector. In this role, he is responsible for leading the organisation's strategic direction and delivering on its mission to grow and strengthen the Australian protected cropping industry.

Prior to this, Sam held a number of senior roles at AUSVEG, the peak body for the Australian vegetable industry. In his most recent role as National Coordinator of VegNET, AUSVEG's national industry network for vegetable growers, Sam developed and implemented national agricultural extension programs to increase the impact of agricultural research. As R&D Manager, Trade at Hort Innovation, the national research and development corporation for Australian horticulture, Sam oversaw the development of export opportunities for Australian horticulture. Sam began his career as a Production Agronomist at South Pacific Seeds, where he

worked with vegetable growers to improve crop yields and quality to produce quality seed at scale. He then moved into logistics, working as a Logistics Coordinator and Compliance Officer at Otway Livestock Exports. Sam is a graduate of the La Trobe University, where he holds a Bachelor of Agricultural Science (Honours), as well as a graduate certificate in Agribusiness from Marcus Oldham.

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