Daniel Kidd Email & Phone Number

I am a Project Manager at the Grower Group Alliance. The organisation develops capacity in regional grower group staff, connects people, communicates and extends outputs which enhance agriculture and attracts federal and local funding for our network. I develop and manage projects for our grower group network. These include: investments into adoption of pulse crops; participatory research which aims to improve our understanding of risk in farm decisions and; innovations for dam infrastructure which will improve drought resilience in Western Australia.I previously worked at the University of Western Australia from 2012-2020 as a Research Officer. My last project studied the use of insect frass on crop growth. Black soldier fly is an emerging technology that harnesses larvae to breakdown organic waste and creates a circular economy where their waste is then used back in agricultural or horticultural industries. While the larvae are a valuable source of protein for aquaculture and the pet food industry, my work concentrated on the insect frass and the potential benefits it can have as an organic amendment in agricultural soils. Previous to this I have worked at the University of Western Australia (UWA) and the WA Department of Primary Industries & Regional Development as a plant technician and researcher since 2003. I have been involved in the development of a number of annual and perennial pasture legumes and grasses and have run large scale field trials throughout Western Australia. Over the last 6 years I've worked on identifying morphological and physiological root traits that are involved in improved phosphorus acquisition efficiency in plants. My work has helped to identify a large range in phosphorus acquisition efficiency among many of the commercially available temperate pasture legumes. My PhD (attained in 2024) has concentrated on how some of these root traits can be affected by soil constraints such as high levels of aluminium, manganese and waterlogging.