This week Art4Agriculture is thrilled to feature Young Farming Champion Melissa Henry.

We love Melissa she is a dream to work with. Lucky Lachlan Rivers CMA- the job that pays the bills which means she can spend her valuable spare time sharing her stories and inspiring other young people to take up careers in agriculture and natural resource management.

Melissa has joined the Young Farming Champions because
she is passionate about being part of our Art4Agriculture programs developed to bridge the geographic divide that prevents urban students from learning about and observing modern farming practices. The Young Farming Champions value-add to this process by providing urban students with a human face to put to the research they undertake as part of our programs. This gives urban students an opportunity to ask questions of real farmers who are able to relate their learnings to what happens in a modern agricultural enterprise.

Melissa sees that attracting people into agriculture starts with exposing our primary and high schools students to the diverse and exciting opportunities available in the primary industries sector. A critical factor in engaging young people in agricultural career pathways is the timing of career education interventions. Capturing their attention in early to middle secondary years is crucial and she is very proud to play a significant
role in raising their awareness of agrifood sector career pathways by helping
deliver Art4Agriculture programs to this key audience.

“Our industry needs to provide students with positive role models and
experiences. It is also important for students to be able to see how they can apply their knowledge and skills to help feed and clothe an ever growing population sustainably.” says Melissa.

Melissa’s Tree Change saw her move to Boorowa in Central NSW and her career goal is to link her animal science and natural resource management background with a  community focus to empower our urban cousins to successfully and sustainably achieve their own farming goals, no matter how small or large the scale.

“I’m really enjoying living and working in a rural community. I’m able to work side by side with farmers and the community to help them achieve their goals in Natural Resource Management. Many people from Sydney and Canberra are moving into rural areas, redefining the structure and vibrancy of rural communities and contributing to the sustainable local production of food and fibre and this can only be a good thing” says Melissa

See the video Melissa has created to share her story with the students here

In our next blog Melissa will share her school visits to St. Michael’s Catholic
Primary School and Crestwood High School in Baulkham Hills.