Mary is highly regarded in the wine, agroecology and agribusiness sectors and is focused on growing resilience, profitability, and fruit quality by finding tailored, practical, timely and ecologically focused solutions.
Retallack Viticulture Pty Ltd (trading as Retallack Ecology) offers a broad range of agribusiness and agroecological consulting services throughout Australia and overseas.
Mary is the founder and manager of the EcoVineyards program which champions practical ecological solutions for a broad range of production systems.
As an experienced agricultural scientist, agroecologist and third-generation viticulturist, Mary brings a wide range of skills and experience from practical, research, teaching, consultancy roles and is recognised internationally as a Certified Practising Agriculturist (CPAg).
These skills have been gathered over the past 30 years along with a PhD in Viticulture and Plant Protection and tertiary qualifications in Conservation and Park Management, Natural Resource Management, Education, Viticulture, and Arbitration. Mary is a recognised leader in the field of functional biodiversity enhancement.
Her PhD studies focused on the role of native insectary ground cover plants and measurement of their functional biodiversity benefits by assessing the predatory arthropods found in association. She is also an adult education extension specialist.
Mary has published broadly on the topics of native ground cover species and functional biodiversity enhancement in vineyards and given numerous presentations both in Australia and internationally.
Recent examples include keynote WSU Ravenholt Lecturer at Washington Advancements in Viticulture and Enology (WAVE), Richland, USA; Organic and Biodynamic Winegrowing Conference, Marlborough, NZ; 21st GiESCO International Meeting (Group of international Experts for Cooperation on Vitivinicultural Systems) in Thessaloniki Greece; the 42nd Congress of Vine and Wine, International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV) in Geneva, Switzerland; the 18th Australian Wine Industry Technical Conference in Adelaide, South Australia; and the Bragato Research Institute Grape Day.
She is also a member of the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV) Viticulture Commission, Enviro and Protec groups, and The Australian and New Zealand Grapegrower and Winemaker Journal Editorial Panel.
Mary’s leadership and excellence in science have been acknowledged through numerous awards including an Australia Day Award for Active Citizenship; inducted on SA Women’s Honour Roll; winner SA Environment Awards (innovation category); Gourmet Traveller WINE Len Evans Award for Leadership; The Australian inaugural list of 100 Green Power Players; Bob Hawke Landcare Award Finalist; RIRDC Rural Women’s Award (national winner); Emerald Grain’s list of 100 Women in Australian Agribusiness; Businesswomen’s Hall of Fame; a Women in Innovation finalist; and as a participant in the National Farmers’ Federation inaugural Diversity in Agriculture Leadership program. Her work has been showcased on the ABC’s Gardening Australia program.
Mary is an ambassador for PIRSA’s Women Influencing Agribusiness and Regions, and Great Wine Capitals Knowledge Exchange initiatives. She is a Stepping into Leadership program and ARLF Drought Resilience Leaders Mentoring Program mentor. She lives on a small vineyard and apple orchard surrounded by native insectary plants in the Adelaide Hills, South Australia.
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/maryretallack
ORCiD: orcid.org/0000-0003-4442-1408
