“Before I got a job at the DPI I had no idea what they did, but starting to interact with the research you see how important it is to the farming community,” he said. 

He runs a grazing operation with 300 ewes and 100-150 head of cattle all year round. But for the past five-and-a-half years he’s worked full time as a farm assistant for the department. 

“So much time and effort goes into doing research which I was unaware of, what they’ve done over the years has filtered through our farming systems,” he said. 

Mr Nugent’s work maintaining the DPI’s commercial operation is a core part of advancing the industry. 

His message for National Agriculture Day on Tuesday, November 21 is one of unity. 

“We’re all part of the one country, a lot of segregation goes on between city and country but we’ve all got to live here together and agriculture is an important part of our economy, society and feeding the nation,” he said. 

For more information about National Agriculture Day and local events go to www.agday.org.au.