Toowoomba based agronomist, Paul McIntosh, together with plant pathologist Greg Platz, were the joint recipients of the 2018 AgForce Grains Service to Industry award.
Mr McIntosh has been an agronomist for the past 40 years and is currently working for Pulse Australia and the Australia Herbicide Resistance Initiative.
He said the best part of his job is meeting people on the land and working with farmers.
“I was very humbled to be recognised ,and as my son would say, ‘it’s awesome to receive this award’,” Mr McIntosh said.
Mr McIntosh joined the then-Australia Estates Company, which has since been absorbed into Elders, as a trainee stock agent in 1974 and being an agronomist was not his first career choice.
“I really wanted to become a stud stock auctioneer, but agronomy started to play a bigger part of my job in the late 1970s and I become more interested in this field,” Mr McIntosh said.
“It really has been an unbelievable journey meeting and working with the hundreds of farming families throughout Queensland and partaking of the copious quantities of breakfasts, morning teas and lunches over those years.”
He said one of the biggest challenges he had witnessed over the years was the changes in the farming systems.
“Zero till is probably the biggest, and this was bought about by the big wet years of 1983 and 84,” Mr McIntosh said.
“At the time the a broad-spectrum systemic herbicide and crop desiccant, glyphosate was $23/litre, which now sells for about $17/litre.”
A career highlight for Mr McIntosh was in May 1997, when he launched the Queensland Farmers Warehouse. He sold out in June 2008 while recovering from a hip replacement operation.
Mr McIntosh re-entered the agency business initially as branch manager Landmark, Emerald, before moving to a regional agronomist position.
He was born and bred in Goomeri in the South Burnett, and has worked in other areas such as Murgon, Miles, Wandoam, Dalby, Springsure and the Toowoomba region.
Mr McIntosh has been chairman of Chairman of Pulse Queensland for five years. He is also a life member of Australian Mungbean Association, a TIMS committee member, RAC chair of Western Downs and president of Downlands P&C.
I really wanted to become a stud stock auctioneer, but agronomy started to play a bigger part of my job in the late 1970s and I become more interested in this field.
- Paul McIntosh
*Greg Platz is currently overseas and unavailable for interview. He will feature in the next Australian Cotton & Grains issue.
Helen Walker
Helen is the Toowoomba-based journalist who loves nothing better than covering anything horse sport related, however she covers all commodities and personality yarns. Over the years she has lived in Brisbane, Rockhampton, Longreach and Roma filing stories for the 'bible of the bush'. Contact 0459 827414.
Helen is the Toowoomba-based journalist who loves nothing better than covering anything horse sport related, however she covers all commodities and personality yarns. Over the years she has lived in Brisbane, Rockhampton, Longreach and Roma filing stories for the 'bible of the bush'. Contact 0459 827414.
