Dr Mary Cole is an acclaimed academic and plant pathologist and an internationally recognised expert in the fungal pathogen Botrytis cinerea. She has dedicated much of her career to helping farmers understand their soil biology and employ non-chemical methods of agriculture.
In 1980, Dr Cole founded Agpath, a pathology lab in Victoria that specialises in providing testing for farmers with an aim to improve soil and plant health without relying on synthetic inputs. Agpath also offers consulting services, specifically focusing on regenerative, organic and biological agriculture.
Dr Cole completed her PhD in plant pathology at Monash University and remains very involved in the academic community. She regularly lectures on plant, fungal, agricultural and environmental pathology at several of the country's top universities and offers her expertise to a range of other educational programs and platforms.
Passing on her wealth of knowledge is very close to Dr Cole's heart, and she often wishes she could 'download the entirety of her life learnings into her students' brains'. She runs work experience opportunities for high school and university students and regular workshops for farmers on biological farming.
Ultimately, Dr Cole's passion for understanding and working with nature rather than against it comes from a deep love for the land. She highlights humankind's 'insignificant role' within the natural system and yet the significant degradation of land and soil that has occurred at our hands. She maintains that if farmers can make their enterprises mimic what nature would do without human interference, then they can maximise the planet's energy and reap the benefits in productivity, profitability and resilience.
