July 31, 2025
Murgon-based agronomist Matthew McCauley was presented with the Bayer Rising Star Award at the 2025 Summer Grains Conference dinner held on the Gold Coast earlier this month.
Matthew moved to the South Burnett in 2022 to take up a graduate agronomy position with Nutrien Ag Solutions in Murgon.
Since then, he has thrown himself into community activities.
He is on the boards of both BIEDO and CROW-FM, and is a graduate of the Red Earth Community Foundation’s community leadership program.
Matthew, who lives in Wondai, said it was an honour to be recognised by the wider industry for his work and passion towards agriculture.
“It’s definitely a nice surprise to be recognised, particularly as it’s a wider industry-nominated award,” he said.
“I’m originally from Bathurst in NSW. I had never heard of Murgon when they first offered me the position.
“I took a couple of days to make the decision but I thought ‘why not’, so I packed up my things and the rest is history.
“I’ve bought a place up here and am involved in a bunch of community organisations. I’m very much a ‘you get out what you put in’ sort of person and that’s what keeps communities going out here.”
Matthew was also part of the Summer Grains Young Leaders Forum panel at the conference, sharing his insights, experiences and vision for the industry.
“Our main crops from an area and agronomy point of view would be cotton, mungbeans, sorghum, soybeans and sunflowers. We also grow a lot of lucerne for hay and then winter is mainly wheat and barley. So it does make for a busy year,” he said.
