By rural and regional reporter Peter Lewis
Posted
Work is underway on Queensland's Darling Downs to develop new drought-tolerant sorghum varieties as part of a global food security plan funded by Microsoft billionaire Bill Gates.
The trial crop will be harvested in the next 10 days.
A team of plant breeders from the University of Queensland developed the 3,000 varieties of sorghum being trialled for drought tolerance on Gary Ronnfeldt's farm at Dalby, north-west of Toowoomba.
The project gained the attention of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation which provided $4 million in funding because of its potential to help feed a hungry world.
"I guess that's the fundamental reason why we're farming," Mr Ronnfeldt said.
"We enjoy that thought in the back of our mind that we are feeding people, cos we sure don't do it for the money."
The project has had another spin off - it has convinced his two teenage children to work towards careers in agriculture.
Topics: business-economics-and-finance, grain, research, toowoomba-4350
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