Horticultural challenges are being met head on by next-generation farmer Craig Dingle.
Story Bruce McMahon Photos David Kelly
Breakfast, coffee and a 15-minute drive under his belt, Craig Dingle turns his LandCruiser into the Kalfresh complex on southern Queensland’s Cunningham Highway. He is head of agriculture for the vegetable producer and marketer’s co-operative, and it’s just on 7am.
“It does depend a bit,” Craig notes. “Sometimes it’s 5am, sometimes 9am. If I have to be on a farm early, I’ll be there early, if I have to be late, I’ll be late – whatever needs to happen happens. No two days have been the same since I’ve been here.”
Craig first arrived at the vertically integrated fresh produce business in 2017, armed with a University of Queensland degree in agribusiness and applied science (agronomy). His work since then – supervising 300ha of vegetable crops across the Fassifern Valley, the Lockyer Valley, the Southern Downs and the Burnett region – saw Craig named the 2025 Corteva Agriscience Young Grower by the Australian horticultural industry at last year’s Hort Connections trade show.
This story excerpt is from issue #166
Outback Magazine: Apr/May 2026
