Month / June 2014

by Action4Agriculture

Big boys toys

This year Art4Agriculture has a brand new partnership with the grains industry and they were very keen to get into the mix and be part of the 2014 school allocation. That has meant  a mad scramble to pull together the necessary resources for the schools allocated grains as part of their quest to win the Archibull Prize.

The grains industry is very lucky to have access to the talents of Belinda Cay who has pulled together some very interesting information on the Australian grains industry in a very short amount of time. Want to know some facts about Australian grains Check this out

Quirky facts about all our industries in the Archibull Prize spotlight

Food and Fibre Infographic

Now what is fascinating me about the grains industry is the interest on YouTube in watching grains either sown or harvested

Love this one with 16,000 hits

Then there is this one with over 150,000 hits

But that’s nothing check these out

Grains video hits

My goodness Aussie Big Boys Toys are almost ( well not quite) as popular as the Peterson Bros

BTW might just be getting up close and personal with the Peterson Bros next month myself

by Action4Agriculture

Rural advocate Alex Milner-Smyth named as Art4Ag ambassador for South Australia

Young agribusiness professional and rural advocate, South Australia’s Alex Milner-Smyth has been named as ambassador of the national Art4Agriculture Young Farming Champions (YFC) program.

Alex Milner Smyth

Now in its fourth successful year, the Art4Agticulture YFC program aims to create a nation-wide network of young farming professionals and build their capacity to promote Australian agriculture as a dynamic, innovative, and rewarding industry.

The program provides training and development for young people involved in agriculture, positioning them as food and fibre industry advocates to actively engage with students in city based schools, using Art4Agriculture programs like the Archibull Prize as a platform.

As official ambassador, 32-year-old Alex will play a role in promoting and supporting the Art4Agriculture YFC program throughout the year.

Based in SA’s Riverland region Alex is managing director and CEO of Rustic Evolutions, a professional media, marketing and event management company aimed specifically to the agricultural sector. Alex’s entrepreneurial drive has secured clients such as the Australian Controlled Traffic Farming Association, online rural merchandisers The Farm Co, and SA horticultural group Hortex.

Alex has spent more than 10 years working in agriculture and agribusiness, with employers including Elders, Landmark and most recently as the executive officer for the South Australian No-Till Farmer’s Association.

In 2012 Alex was awarded the Agricultural Bureau of South Australia’s Rural Youth Bursary to undertake a study tour of the USA, investigating the potential of cover cropping.

Alex says she’d loved to see more young people applying for programs such as the Art4Ag YFC and Rural Youth Bursary which can “really open doors for people at the beginning of their careers.”

“Opportunities like those provided by Art4Ag better connect young people with the industry they work in,” she says. “This leads to personal career development and also fosters a more inclusive industry and culture.

“The next generation is going to play an important role in the future of agriculture and I hope to increase awareness of the support that’s available for them.”

Alex will be presenting on her US study tour findings and officially announce her ambassadorship at the Yorke and Mid North ABARES Regional Outlook conference, this Thursday 12 June, at Coopers Alehouse, Wallaroo. Alex presentation is titled ‘Valuing cover crops or “don’t farm naked”! 

For more information on the Art4Agriculture programs visit: www.art4agriculture.com.au

For Interviews

Contact

Lynne Strong E: lynnestrong@art4agriculture.com.au

Alex Milner-Smyth, Managing Director and CEO, Rustic Evolutions

E: alex@rusticevolutions.com.au