With the average age of Australian farmers sitting at 55, it is timely that 30 of the nation’s future leaders in agriculture are meeting in Sydney this week to participate in a 12-day scholarship program that among other things, will examine the issue of domestic food security.
The Woolworths Agricultural Business Scholarship Program each year invites a select group of young people involved in agriculture to come together to gain a broader perspective of the business of agriculture from industry experts, key academics, and senior Woolworths program managers.
Woolworths head of fresh food, Pat McEntee said the program aimed to address some of the key issues facing agriculture.
“With the average age of the Australian farmer increasing and the sector facing a skills shortage, it is important that as an industry, we work together to attract and retain young people,” he said.
“We also want to continue to support innovation in domestic food production – be it through Australian grown garlic to beef production with indigenous pastoralists,” he said.
The participants selected for the program represent diverse agricultural careers. Among them are young farmers, agronomists, a meat buyer, a financial controller, a beef extension officer and an agriculture teacher.
The program provided an opportunity for participants to interact with the whole supply chain, to fully understand the paddock-to-plate concept and equipped them with the knowledge they needed to address key issues surrounding food, agriculture, health and the environment, Mr McEntee said.
As well as learning from other industry leaders, participants will meet, network and learn from other young people in the industry.
“These dynamic young people are the future leaders of our industry – this program is a great opportunity to harness and develop their skills to their full potential,” he said.
The program covers topics including finance, marketing, sustainability, succession, and the role of social media providing the participants with access to industry experts including Australian Farm Institute’s Mick Keogh and National Farmers Federation’s David McKeon.
The 30 participants will also gain an insight into the process of buying and marketing with a tour of Flemington markets, Woolworths’ distribution centre and store operations.
The Scholarship is part of Woolworths’ Fresh Food Future program which has seen the company invest $8.5 million on farming programs including funds to Landcare for sustainable farm schemes and the awarding of grants for environmentally sustainable fresh food initiatives.
The beef industry is heavily represented among this year’s intake. Here’s a snapshot of some of the beef participants involved:
Kiri Broad, Atherton, North Queensland
Through the Woolworths program Kiri hopes to develop a further understanding of the end consumer and what happens ‘past the abattoir.’
As a beef extension officer for QLD Department of Agriculture, Kiri is heavily involved in the production side of the cattle industry. Learning more about the entire supply chain and the end consumer is what drove her to apply for a Woolworths scholarship.
Growing up on a small acreage property in the Kangaroo Valley in NSW, she developed a passion for agriculture through her school years in showing cattle at local show events and field days.
Currently, Kiri is working on projects in the Queensland Gulf, liaising with producers to assist with production strategies and sustainable operations. She sees her future in beef extension and enjoys the broad base of activities and opportunities that are presented in the profession.
She said she was excited by the prospect to learn from other scholarship participants and networking with like-minded young people who are passionate about rural Australia and agriculture.
Chris Fleming, King Island, Tasmania
Chris made the switch to a career in agriculture ten years ago and is keen to develop his skills, knowledge and experience to advance his career in the beef cattle industry.
He oversees livestock operations for Sustainable Agriculture Fund, on Tasmania’s King Island, and has worked primarily with cattle over the past decade. Chris grew up in the Hunter Valley in NSW, but didn’t come from an agricultural background. After working in construction, as well as trying his hand in local olive groves and vineyards, he took to the NT working with large mobs of cattle in the Kimberly region for seven years, and hasn’t looked back.
Chris also has experience working with livestock in Canada, having spent 2009 working on a cow-calf ranch that also ran feedlot and cropping operations. He learned a lot about dealing with changing climate and seasons in Canada where his duties included cutting water holes out of frozen dams so the cattle could drink during the harsh northern winter.
Working on rotational grazing of large mobs of cattle, Chris is looking forward to not only sharing ideas and learning from others around the nation involved in the program, but also bettering himself and the operations on King Island.
Karen Bond, Peak Crossing, Qld
Living at Peak Crossing with her husband on a small beef cattle property, Karen is looking forward to expanding her leadership experience and forging new business opportunities.
Karen’s rural upbringing has seen her heavily involved in agriculture and in the promotion of the industry. Her long association with stud cattle saw her become the first Queensland Young Rural Ambassador for the Queensland Agricultural Society. She was also South East Queensland representative for Miss Showgirl, Young Paraders and Young Judges competitions at state level. Karen has also been involved in show judging beef cattle in Queensland.
Her love of cattle extends to the sporting arena and Karen has been camp drafting for three years at local events.
In her current role with Elders in Technical Services for Livestock Production, Karen works with staff in the field to offer technical support opportunities to improve production methods and processes on farm, ultimately increasing profitability to famers. Her role also promotes product ranging of animal health and general merchandise products for Northern Australia and coordinates regional technical training.
She said she was keen to learn about the paddock to plate concept and see how a big company like Woolworths runs within this model.
With her own future business in mind, Karen hopes to gain a better understanding of whole business structure – including hearing solutions and recommendations for the farm gate to ensure a strong, marketable and profitable product is on offer; and gaining a clear picture of what consumers want from her products.
Sandy Nott, Inman Valley, South Australia
Sandy is actively involved in beef production and is eager to learn more about marketing and selling his premium product.
He is a farm manager in South Australia’s Inman Valley, 70km south of Adelaide, managing a Black Angus property primarily working in breeding and growing operations, with sidelines in irrigation and yabbies.
Sandy was born into a farming family, in Tintinara in south-east South Australia. His farming ancestry goes back to England where they still run a family farm growing miscanthus (a bamboo-type grass harvested for biofuel production) as well as pheasants and trout fishing.
With such a long and diverse agricultural interest, Sandy is always looking to learn new and efficient ways to operate, especially within the stock industry. He hopes the scholarship program will provide him with a good understanding of market strategy and finance which he can use to expand his business.
He’s also involved with the South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI) research on methane emissions, and other projects looking at nitric oxide and fertilisers.
One of his goals is to bring people up to speed on where their food comes from. He believes the agriculture sector has a big role to play in education, not only in terms of food origins, but also when it comes to animal welfare and the rewards of pursuing a career on the land.
Damien Donelan, Talwood, QLD
Cattle breeder Damien manages two large properties in South Western Queensland and through the scholarship program wants to connect with other passionate young producers who are keen to drive both the cattle industry and agriculture sector as a whole.
Growing up on a small farm near Gympie and working as a local agribusiness banker for a few years provided Damien with an understanding of the business administration side of agricultural enterprises as well as the day-to-day demands associated with running such businesses.
The opportunity to learn the retail side of the supply chain was the catalyst for Damien to apply for the scholarship program. He feels it will be an invaluable experience to learn more about the end consumer of his product and will take these learnings and apply them practically on his properties.
Damien is working on new initiatives on his properties to increase carrying capacity including rotational grazing practices to improve soil condition and spell grazing to rejuvenate the land.
He is concerned about where the future generation of agricultural producers is going to come from and says encouraging young people onto the land is a significant issue facing the industry.
Jasmine Nixon, Wagga Wagga, NSW
Jasmine hopes to gain an increased understanding of the end consumer through broadening her industry knowledge and the paddock to plate concept.
Growing up on a farm in the Southern Tablelands, Jasmine is a fifth generation farmer and has been involved in agriculture her whole life.
Having studied agriculture at both high school and university and spent weekends showing cattle, Jasmine is passionate about agriculture and life on the land and says it is an exciting industry to be a part of. She was this year selected to participate in The Sydney Royal Showgirl Competition and through that program, was highly recommended to participate in the Woolworths scholarship to develop her skills and knowledge.
Jasmine works in the quality control and assurance team at Teys Australia’s Wagga abattoir, which supplies meat products to Woolworths and other major supermarket chains. Jasmine is looking forward to learning more about the end consumer and what is trending.
The meat industry is facing significant challenges and there is a greater focus on meeting the demands of the customer and gaining a better understanding of them – this is something that Jasmine feels is crucial to her role and the success of the company.
She sees the Woolworths Agricultural Business Scholarship program is about filling the knowledge gap and learning more about the supply chain and the logistical challenge of supplying fresh food to the nation.
After the program, Jasmine will be involved in the coordination of the Angus Youth Round Up, an industry event for juniors aged 8-25,through her position as vice chair of Angus Youth Australia.
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