The Western Australian State Government purchased the ‘Muresk Farm’ from Mrs E.W. Cotton (daughter of founding farmer Andrew Dempster).

The Muresk Agricultural College was established on the ‘Muresk Farm’, with 16 students commencing classes on 14 September 1926. Western Australia was the last of the Mainland States to establish an Agricultural College. The first Principal was Hugh Jason Hughes. Hughes was an Inspector of High Schools. Together with A.B. Adams, who had a degree in agricultural science, they formed the teaching team. Animal Husbandry was the main focus initially. Muresk was the first State-controlled Agricultural College to concentrate on training farm managers at a time when the general trend in Australia was on training agricultural technologists

The Merchants Research Trust Fund was established from industry contributions totalling 10,000 pounds (= $10 million in 2001 terms).

T.C. Dunne appointed as the first Merchants Research Trust Fund Fellow. He was later to become Director of Agriculture for WA.

William Southern appointed as principal. Southern saw Muresk from a ‘private college’ perspective and concentrated efforts on developing sport and social activities.

Muresk Agricultural College closed due to the impact of World War Two.

Muresk Agricultural College re-opened, following the war. The emphasis was still a practical training in husbandries, plus an increasing level of technology to meet the need for technical officers by the Department of Agriculture.

Kevin Bartels appointed Muresk’s third principal. Muresk Agricultural College moved towards taking in students qualified for tertiary entry.

On 1 July, Muresk Agricultural College became part of the Western Australian Institute of Technology, which was formed in 1967. It was the first agricultural college in Australia to become part of a larger institution of higher education. The principal’s position was declared vacant and Bartels was asked to reapply for his position. However New Zealander Clyde Smith, a research scientist with CSIRO in Queensland, was appointed principal. He saw the number of fellow New Zealanders appointed as farm consultants in WA, together with the findings of the Stern Report on agricultural education, as determining an urgent need for farm management education and training in WA. He started recruiting a number of new staff – tertiary educated and research-orientated – to teach in the developing area of farm management.

The ‘Muresk Diploma of Agriculture’ became a tertiary orientated Associate Diploma in Agriculture, with Farm Management as its main focus.

Muresk became the first Agricultural College in Australia to admit women students.

Under Smith, all students had to do a year of ‘Farm Practice’ before entering the College and the second year students managed ‘Rogers Farm’ which adjoined Muresk. Muresk became pro-active with industry, running ‘extension’ courses eg. Banker’s courses for those managers dealing with rural industries, courses for training farmers in AI techniques for sheep, cattle and pigs. During this era greater emphasis was placed on applied research, eg. from 1973/4 until 1977/78 Muresk staff and students undertook an extensive AI programme in partnership with the Australian Merino Society. For its 50 th anniversary in 1976, Muresk hosted the ‘International Sheep Breeding Congress’ in Perth, which attracted delegates from all over the world.

Muresk introduced the first undergraduate degree in agribusiness in Australia – a three and a half-year Bachelor of Business [Agriculture]. All students were required to do a semester of ‘Industry Experience’ during their third year. A Horse Management stream was introduced within the Associate Diploma – later becoming the Associate Diploma [Equine Stud Management]. Again, the first of its kind in Australia.

Students enrolled into Australia’s first program in Rural Journalism, run collaboratively by Muresk and the School of Communication and Cultural Studies on WAIT’s Bentley campus. By 1983 enrolments had increased to 15, from all over Australia.

Muresk became more autonomous within WAIT and in line with this development, its name was changed to the ‘Muresk Institute of Agriculture’. Dr Ian Fairnie appointed as the Muresk Institute’s inaugural director, after a year as acting principal following Clyde Smith’s resignation to join the World Bank. Dr Fairnie’s five-year plan for 1985-89 concentrated on several goals: ‘.. serve the rural community of WA by taking the lead in the establishment and provision of a range of post-secondary education programs… [to increase] the awareness of the rural community to the benefits of better farm management, and…[to assess] through applied research, technologies that can assist in the attainment of this goal.’ The Muresk Foundation was launched; Professor David Bennett from CSIRO was appointed the inaugural Wesfarmers Professor Agribusiness. Muresk’s new strategic direction was strongly influenced by a series of consultations with industry, and overseen by a new advisory group, the Muresk Board, chaired by Sir Donald Eckersley, himself a Muresk graduate.

The Farm Management Foundation of Australia relocated to the Muresk campus as part of a revamp that saw the creation of the Muresk Extension Service, a joint Muresk-TAFE initiative, which began offering short courses to the rural industries of WA. In response to the need for production, management and marketing education specific to the horticultural industry, Muresk introduced a Bachelor of Business [Horticulture], taught from the main WAIT campus at Bentley. Muresk hosted the First National Agribusiness Conference in Canberra

WAIT became Curtin University of Technology on 1 January. Prof. Charles French from the USA was appointed the second Wesfarmers Professor of Agribusiness. Muresk hosted the Second National Agribusiness Conference, in Canberra again

Introduction of the four year Bachelor of Agriculture and Bachelor of Horticulture.
Prof. Murray Hawkins of Alberta, Canada, was appointed Wesfarmers Professor of Agribusiness, and Professor Bill Gorman was appointed the WA Meat Marketing Corporation Visiting Professor of Marketing. Funding was provided through the Muresk Foundation. Mr Denis Horgan succeeded Sir Donald Eckersley as Chair of the Muresk Board.

Prof. Murray Hawkins of Alberta, Canada, appointed the second director of Muresk Institute of Agriculture. Muresk named by Bulletin magazine as providing Australia’s best tertiary education in agriculture.

Review by Prof. Alan Wright from Massey University, Prof. Peterson from the University of Alberta, and Prof. Jim Evans of the University of Minnesota, recommended the development of a four-year degree program.

Introduction of the four year Bachelor of Agriculture and Bachelor of Horticulture.

Prof Murray McGregor, formerly of the Scottish Agricultural College, appointed the third director of Muresk Institute of Agriculture. McGregor promoted greater links with the agribusiness sector and championed Muresk’s further progress into the area of research and postgraduate studies.

Introduction of a two-year Associate Diploma in Viticulture, in response to industry demands for tertiary level education to be available in WA. A Bachelor of Science [Aquaculture and Seafood Science] transferred from the Division of Health Sciences to Muresk.

Muresk lead by Professor Murray McGregor takes Muresk to a paradigm shift in its degree program from an underpinning management model to an agribusiness systems model. Professor Murray McGregor and Tom Crossen commenced dialogue with Margaret River Vision Group on setting up a Centre of Excellence in Wine Science. Associate Professor John Janes developed an educational model that emphasised an agribusiness systems approach, and supply chain management linking the consumer back to the producer.

Prof. Murray Hawkins of Alberta, Canada, was appointed Wesfarmers Professor of Agribusiness, and Professor Bill Gorman was appointed the WA Meat Marketing Corporation Visiting Professor of Marketing. Funding was provided through the Muresk Foundation. Mr Denis Horgan succeeded Sir Donald Eckersley as Chair of the Muresk Board.

Introduction of new agribusiness program – a two year Associate Degree in Agribusiness; three-year Bachelor of Agribusiness with majors in aquaculture, aquatic resources, farm management, horticultural management and agribusiness marketing; and the option of a fourth-year honours program or professional graduate year. Development of Muresk’s first double degree in partnership with Curtin’s School of Public Health – a four-year Bachelor of Agribusiness [Marketing], Bachelor of Science [Food Technology]. This year there were 23 PhD and 9 Masters students enrolled in research programs within Muresk Institute of Agriculture compared to one PhD and one Masters student in 1995. Professor McGregor stepped down from the position of Director and Associate Prof John Janes was appointed Acting Director of Muresk Institute commencing in January 2002.

Muresk Institute of Agriculture becomes a Branch within the new Division of Resources and Environment. Commonwealth funding for the development of the Margaret River Campus including the Margaret River Centre for Wine Excellence to provide teaching and research facilities for second and third year BSc Viticulture and Oenology students and postgraduate students. The Margaret River campus is a partnership between the Margaret River District High School, TAFE, Curtin University and Edith Cowan University. The Aquatic Science labs were completed in June 2003. Construction on the main facility began in December 2003 and is due for completion in August 2004,. By completion of the project, Curtin University would have spent over $1.5 million on upgrading/relocating Bentley facilities for Muresk. Associate Professor John Janes appointed Director in July 2002 for a two year period.

Change of name of Muresk Institute of Agriculture to Muresk Institute to encompass undergraduate Agribusiness courses on the Northam and Bentley campus, Aquaculture and Viticulture on the Bentley campus. Muresk Institute Aquaculture and Muresk Staff moved into a new facility in Brodie Hall Building. Muresk becomes an Institute within the Division of Resources and Environment. Muresk Institute/Curtin University was a major sponsor of the International Farm Management Congress. Academic staff member Dr Martin Bent was the conference convener and farm management staff all contributed to its success. Building commenced on the Margaret River Campus and students were enrolled in the second year and third years of the BSc Viticulture & Oenology Course to commence studies on the Margaret River Campus in 2004. Muresk Institute/ Curtin University selected to host the International Society of Horticultural Science on Horticultural Education, Training and Extension in 2004 and is being convened by Assoc Professor Zora Singh and Mr Peter Batt. Curtin University’s Muresk Institute in association with the Dept of Agriculture WA invited to host the 2005 22 nd ASEAN/4 th APEC Post Harvest Seminar. Curtin through Muresk and the Centre of Management of Arid Environments CMAE are core partners in Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) on Desert Knowledge. Professor Murray McGregor and Professor Louis Evans from Sustainable Mine Lakes have significant leadership roles in the CRC.

Professor Graeme Robertson took up the position of Director on 1 March 2004. Environmental Biology joins Muresk Institute and has departmental status within the Institute along with newly created Departments of Agribusiness centred at the Northam campus and Applied Bioscience at the Bentley campus.