This program is funded by the Victorian government and the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) as part their five-year $60 million bilateral research agreement.

The staff will be located at Department of Economic Development Jobs Transport and Resources (DEDJTR) offices at Horsham, Hamilton and Bendigo, with graduates also doing placements with commercial agronomists and farmer groups in those regions.

Professor Chris Blanchard, from the GRDC Southern Regional Panel, said the new roles were part of a five-year program designed to streamline the adoption of research findings in the grains industry.

"The new research agronomists will access, translate and adapt national research into southern Australia's medium and high rainfall cropping zones," he said.

"They will design, establish, analyse and report on crop agronomy field trials and demonstrations in their regions.

"There will also be industry collaboration to help take research findings from the white peg to the paddock, as staff develop an important bridge between scientists, grower groups, advisors and agribusiness."

The new program includes a cohort of three graduates to be appointed each year for three consecutive years as part of an Agronomist Development Program which will run for 18 months.

The graduates will undertake placements with agribusiness, growers groups and DEDJTR as a means of building capacity and capability for the grains sector.

DEDJTR's seasonal risk agronomist Dale Grey will work with La Trobe University graduate Julia Severi at Epsom.

DEDJTR Horsham research scientist and crop modeller Dr James Nuttall, has been appointed senior regional research agronomist.

Dr Nuttall will work with regional research agronomist Ashley Wallace and recent graduate Jack Edwards.

Regional research agronomist Frank Henry is working from the DEDJTR Hamilton office with graduate Madeleine Francis.