1966–1980
Highlights
Future Directions-Government
- 1966: Possible move of Department of Agriculture Head Office to Northfield abandoned
- 1973: Possible move of Department of Agriculture Head Office to Monarto abandoned
Main aspects of the era
- Expansion via Rural Industry Research Funds and Commonwealth Extension Services Grants
- Research into wheat, barley, meat and dairy industries.
- Major investment in research
- Northfield facilities
- The Monarto episode
- New technologies lead to rapid productivity gains
- Introduction of agricultural chemical herbicides
- Wheat quotas
- Intensive livestock industries replace mixed farm production
- Agricultural economics services
- Animal health eradication programs begun nationally
- Contagious bovine pleuro-pneumonia
- Bovine brucellosis and tuberculosis
- Export of agricultural technologies and services
- Reorganisation of the Department
- The age of computers commences
- Media changes with the television replacing radio for information