GRDC in Conversation: James Walter

James Walter is the bioinformatics lead at Australian Grain Technologies (AGT), working at the intersection of genetics, data science and plant breeding. His role focuses on turning vast amounts of genomic and field data into practical insights that help breeders make better decisions and ultimately deliver improved crop varieties to growers. In this episode, James takes us behind the scenes of the plant breeding pipeline, unpacking the journey from initial crosses in the glasshouse through to years of field trials, quality testing and eventual commercial release. He explains how modern breeding balances resilience and performance, why stability across seasons is critical, and how the explosion of data and new technologies is reshaping how varieties are developed. This episode explores: ● James’ pathway from agricultural science into bioinformatics and plant breeding ● What a role in genomics and data science looks like in agriculture ● How plant breeding programs work from glasshouse to commercial release ● Why it takes 8–10 years to develop a new crop variety ● The importance of stability versus peak performance in different seasons ● How genetics and field data are combined to guide breeding decisions ● The role of large-scale field trials across multiple environments ● How new technologies, AI and data are transforming plant breeding ● The sheer scale of data involved in modern breeding programs ● Career opportunities in agriculture beyond traditional farm roles Watch this episode as a video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/hEJmhVcDmtg More information: https://groundcover.grdc.com.au/innovation/climate/global-search-helps-heat-tolerance-gains-to-be-made-in-wheat https://www.agtbreeding.com.au/ GRDC in Conversation is a limited series GRDC Podcast. It features in-depth interviews with growers and other experts in the grains industry who share their expertise, knowledge and experiences by exploring their personal stories, history, influences and motivations. The views expressed in this podcast are solely those of the interviewee and do not necessarily reflect the views of GRDC, the interviewees’ employer, institution or other associated parties. GRDC Project Code: HAG2507-001SAX