The New South Wales Department of Primary Industries (NSWDPI) has announced the appointment of David Bennett as the new Site Manager of the Grafton Primary Industries Institute (GPII).

With a long-standing commitment to the agriculture industry, Mr Bennett brings a wealth of experience and dedication to the role.

Born and raised in Casino, Mr Bennett said living directly across the street from the local saleyards and abattoir inevitably gave him a lifelong passion for the livestock industry.

“I always wanted to go to the sales, and eventually I got my first job at around 13 when a meat operator let me help him muster the cattle from the saleyards up to the abattoir every Sunday afternoon for $3 an hour,” he recalled.

“When I left school, I went up to Central Queensland to work as a jackeroo.”

Mr Bennett’s journey with the NSWDPI began in 2002 when he joined the Elizabeth Macarthur Agricultural Institute in Menangle as a farm assistant.

During that time, he seized every opportunity to expand his knowledge and experience, eventually taking on roles including Leading Hand and Acting Farm Manager.

In 2010, Mr Bennett returned to the North Coast and worked as the Farm Supervisor at the GPII.

He would later play a pivotal role in the multimillion-dollar Southern Multi Breed (SMB) beef genetics project which saw him lead the management and care of over 500 breeding cows.

Although staff still see him lending a hand at the cattle yards, in his new appointment as Site Manager, Mr Bennett will oversee all branches of DPI and Forestry that are housed at the GPII, including Livestock Genetics and Northern Cropping Research, Fisheries, Invasive Species, and Weeds Biosecurity.

Although still acclimatising to the increase in desk-bound responsibilities, Mr Bennett said he is thrilled to be appointed custodian of such an historically significant site for the Clarence Valley region.

“The best part is I get to work alongside this wide variety of people,” he said.

“The GPII is so unique by having all those different branches, so you get to see all aspects of what the DPI research is trying to achieve.”