Meet the Board
AIR EP Board members are selected via an application process, based on skills and experience relating to finance, legal and/or corporate governance, strategic thinking/planning, stakeholder engagement and public relations. Other skills and expertise in information and communication technology, management experience, governance experience, education expertise, understanding of the business of farming systems groups, agricultural science, farming systems on the Eyre Peninsula and past board membership are highly valued attributes of board members.
Bill Long, (2020- present) Chair (October 2022 - present)
Bill is a farmer and manager of Ag Consulting Co, a South Australian based agricultural consulting business established in 1996. The company provides agronomic, farm business management advice and facilitation services to farm businesses across SA and Australia and manages and conducts research and communication projects to growers and industry on a range of agronomic and farm management issues.
With his wife Jeanette and son Will, he grows lentils, chickpeas, beans, cereals and canola, and runs sheep on his properties at Butler, Tooligie Hill on Eyre Peninsula and Undalya in the mid north of SA. He is passionate about the grains industry and enjoys the complexity and challenges of understanding and managing farming systems across Australia.
Daniel Adams (2023 - present) Deputy chair (October 2025 - present)
Dan farms at Cockaleechie on Lower EP with his wife Lora, growing wheat, canola, lentils and barley. He is a long term user of precision ag technology to help make better decisions on highly variable soil. Dan currently chairs the AIR EP Medium Rainfall RD&E Committee, and was previously involved in LEADA for many years.
Mark Stanley, Special Skills Member (2020 - present)
Mark has spent more than 30 years progressing South Australia’s grains industry. He runs a project management business based in Port Lincoln that operates throughout the Eyre Peninsula and beyond.
Greg Arthur (2020 - present)
Greg has been a Partner at Mellor Olsson Lawyers since 1992 when it was first formed and has been a key member in their business advisory and agribusiness teams. Greg has practiced in the areas of taxation, revenue and property law, and assists clients with their estate planning and asset protection needs. He has acted for a number of farming families in their succession planning requirements and has acted in a number of farming family disputes.
On 30 June 2020 Greg retired as the Managing Partner of Mellor Olsson, and will continue from that date to be a Consultant to Mellor Olsson.
Mary Rowe (2024 - present)
Together with husband Brad, Mary owns a first-generation wool and lamb enterprise at Elliston. Focus is placed on production traits which will allow the business to meet it’s financial, environmental and welfare objectives. Mary also works full-time in livestock production pharmaceuticals with a special interest in minimising disease and increasing production.
Mary is skilled in grazing systems, animal nutrition and animal health across intensive and extensive sheep and cattle production systems in South Australia. She has worked in aspects of livestock supply chain from conception to consumption. She pushes to adopt novel technology, if economically beneficial, strives to improve animal welfare. She brings a balanced perspective of practical experience, technical knowledge and business acumen.
Denis Pedler (2024 - present)
Denis is a broad acre and pasture agronomist with 25 years of field experience on the lower Eyre Peninsula, currently the senior agronomist at Carrs Seeds in Cummins. His farming background includes experience on local broad acre mixed farms, a farm exchange in Montana, US, and with a range of crops from oil seeds to pulses, cereals to improved pastures.
Along with his farming background, Denis has extensive experience with agronomy and agronomic trials. Denis has been involved in the AIR EP Medium Rainfall RD&E Committee from 2020 before joining the AIR EP Board in 2024.
Marty Lovegrove (2025 - present)
Marty graduated with a Bachelor of Ag Science from the University of Adelaide in 2005 and has since worked with Rural Solutions and in the barley breeding team at SARDI.
Marty is now the current owner, chairperson and director of independent rural supplies retailer - Cleve Rural Traders, Marty maintains a strong connection to the region’s agricultural community, dividing his time working as an agronomist and managing the family farm at Rudall. In 2023, Marty was named a National Winner of the Syngenta Growth Award in the category of Productivity, in recognition of his contribution to agriculture.
Jake Hull (2025 - present)
Based at Streaky Bay on the West Coast, Jake is senior agronomist at Nutrien West Coast Ag, maintaining extensive experience in on-farm research across the Eyre Peninsula. Jake has worked with SARDI, GRDC and other researchers and grain breeders to translate research findings into practical, on-ground solutions. He has been involved in the development of decision-support tools and prototypes; such as ROI calculators and interactive mobile/web applications.
In addition to working in the agriculture sector, Jake is also actively involved in local community projects and organisations, to maintain a thorough understanding of the broader needs across our region.
Past Board Members
Matt Cook (2023 - 2025)
Low Rainfall RD&E Committee Representative, Public Officer, Farmer at Condada (near Minnipa)
Ken Webber (2020 - 2025)
Medium Rainfall RD&E Committee Representative, AIR EP deputy chair, Involved in agriculture for 38 years
Greg Scholz (2020-2024)
Public Officer, Bachelor of Applied Science in Agriculture (1992), Fourth generation grains, sheep & wool producer at Wudinna
Andrew Polkinghorne (2020-2023)
Grains producer from Lock, previous Australian Farmer of the Year, GPSA Grain Producer of the Year 2025
Bryan Smith (2020-2022 (Chair))
40 year farmer at Laura, Mid North and Nundroo, Far West SA.
John Richardson (2020-2022)
Bachelor of Agricultural Science, previous LEADA President, Tumby Bay farmer