#YouthinAg Leadership Hub

Art4Agriculture’s Young Farming Champions program aims to create an Australia wide network of Young Farming Champions with diverse roles in the our  food and fibre industries that are passionate and skilled in sharing their values and experiences with the non farming community.

The program equips young farmers, in a safe and nurturing environment, to be the next leaders of agriculture on a national and world scale.

To be a leader you have to have many qualities including the desire, drive and courage to get the best outcomes for the common good.

Meat and Livestock Australia supported Young Farming Champion Josh Gilbert is definitely a young man with a great deal of desire ,drive and courage. He recently penned this blog for the NSW Farmers initiative AgInnovators 

Uniting a fragmented industry

17th Nov 2014By Josh Gilbert, NSW Young Farmers

When R.M. Williams first opened his first store in Adelaide, Sir Sidney Kidman celebrated his birthday in the heart of the city with a rodeo and Pharlap won the Melbourne Cup, 14 percent of the Australian population was employed in Australian agricultural sector. Both rural and urban communities celebrated the industry and a career in agriculture was highly valued.

Today less than three percent of the Australian population is employed in agriculture. Our farmers’ commitment to producing high quality produce has never been stronger but a majority of urban consumers have little concept of what we do and appear relatively indifferent to the origin and quality of the food they select from supermarket shelves.

The bright light in what otherwise could be a depressing picture is the small but growing group of people in society who are interested in how their food and fibre is produced and who are willing to pay for quality.

It is these people who give us the best opportunity to create partnerships with our consumers and help ensure that the wonderful story of Australia’s agriculture gets spread further and wider into the future.

However, in order to have successful and lasting partnerships with consumers who really care about food quality and sustainable farm practice, we, as the Australian agricultural sector, need to come together as a connected, cohesive and collaborative industry. We need to start behind the farmgate, forming partnerships between farmers and the diverse subcategories we personally represent. Without well-founded industry collaboration, agriculture in Australia will not be able to provide a unified, coherent and respected voice that resonates with the community and government.

To emphasise the challenge we face in achieving unity, I want you to think of the first thing that comes to mind when I mention the words ‘agriculture’ or ”farming?

Are you thinking of a subsector such as beef, grain or dairy?

Or perhaps even a commodity like goat meat, cheese, seafood or apples?

Or what about something more specific like Braford Cattle or super fine Merino wool?

Or a farming region such Darling Downs or the Mallee?

Or state farming organisations like NSW Farmers and the Victorian Farmers Federation.

Perhaps you are thinking of one of the plethora of commercial and government bodies in the agricultural sector providing advice, policy and services.

Currently, there are thousands of voices speaking for agriculture with different opinions and agendas and this is limiting our ability to form better relationships with each other, let alone our consumers. Is it any wonder that urban Australia and our politicians are confused about what agriculture stands for and what agriculture wants?

Of course every subsector of agriculture has different specific production methods and policy issues. But we have far more in common than we have differences.  In order for Australian agriculture to prosper we must agree on the main narrative –  which in my view is about sustaining the quality and integrity of our farming operations and products –  and deliver this narrative effectively with a unified voice. As part of this, we need to create better relationships within the industry, support our colleagues in their pursuits and actively show respect and encouragement for our fellow farmers.

One opportunity I am involved with that is achieving success is the Art4Agriculture program. The platform encourages Young Farming Champions from a variety of sectors to collaborate and discuss their ideas about the industry and how we can best move forward together. My involvement in this program has helped me to see other perspectives and has convinced me of the importance of achieving unity on the really important issues.

In order for our industry to receive the respect and admiration that we previously enjoyed, we must work together. We must formulate, collaborate and be innovative with our ideas as an entire industry rather than continuing to focus on what is happening within our respective boundary fences.

Well said Josh. We look forward to the day when silo farming is a thing of the past

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Milk Road to China is the big winner in 2014 Archibull Prize

One very tried Archibull Prize events team is sending a big shout out to Katie McRobert Editor of Farmonlne this morning for helping us meet our commitment to share the news from the 2014 Archibull Prize Awards with the world as soon as possible

Katie has done some a great job showcasing the event in the media and I have cheekily ‘appropriated’ ( love that word) her story for The Land found here

Bull, baas take out Art4Ag prizes

14 Nov, 2014 04:55 PM

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Increase Text SizeThe crew from Hurlstone Agricultural College - Jahanui Khatkar, James Blight, Darrelyn Nguyen and Jessica Chau - with their winning entry,

It is an inspiring event to be able to support and promote’ Hon Katrina Hodgkinson . The crew from Hurlstone Agricultural College – Jahanui Khatkar, James Blight, Darrelyn Nguyen and Jessica Chau – with their winning entry, “Ni Cow”.

WINNERS of the 4th annual Archibull Prize were announced in Sydney today at the national awards ceremony for the world famous agriculture themed art and multimedia competition.

School students, teachers and representatives from government, industry and the corporate sector gathered at the Sydney Showgrounds to view the original Archibull artworks.

Students from 40 participating schools from across Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria were invited to decorate life-size, fibreglass cows to showcase the grain, cattle and sheep, wool, cotton or dairy industries. Organiser Lynne Strong called the works “extraordinary and inspired – a feast of colour and creativity”.

Hurlstone Agricultural High School, NSW, was the overall winner with its dairy industry-inspired artwork ‘Ni Cow’. Their entry celebrated the newly-forged connections between the Australian and Chinese dairy industries, and featured a path of powdered milk under the exquisitely painted cow.

Three-year-old Byron Redmond came all the way from Wollongong to see the entries his mum, a teacher, had a hand in creating. Click to see more photos in our online gallery.

NSW Primary Industries Minister Katrina Hodgkinson said the Archibull Prize education initiative has a unique role to play in providing a hands-on learning opportunity for school communities.

“This initiative is a fantastic way to encourage school students, particularly in metropolitan areas, to gain a better understanding of agriculture and where their food and fibre products actually come from,” Ms Hodgkinson said.

“I have been extremely impressed with this year’s entries and congratulate all the winning schools, their students and teachers, for their creativity and commitment to their involvement in this program.

“It is an inspiring event to be able to support and promote.”

Bradley Finn, Tia Duckett, Ashlee Peirson and Kayla Pike from Northlakes High School on the Central Coast. Click to see more photos in our online gallery.

Detail from the winning entry ‘Ni Cow’ from Hurlstone Agricultural College – a tribute to new dairy connections between NSW and China. Click to see more photos in our online gallery.


NATIONAL WINNERS

ARCHIBULL PRIZE GRAND CHAMPION

1st Place: Awarded to Hurlstone Agricultural High School, Glenfield, NSW with 96 points out of 100 across all components (blog and artwork), with its dairy industry-inspired artwork ‘Ni Cow’.

A visually-balanced, unique and complex work of art, Ni Cow is conceptually timely and relevant, symbolising the NSW dairy industry’s recent development of groundbreaking technology to supply fresh milk to China. The sculpture examines the rich culture of China and the valuable partnerships being forged between Australian dairy farmers and the Chinese people.

This year is Hurlstone Agricultural High School’s third year in the competition and their second Grand Champion win. Teacher Jo Ross says after studying the Australian dairy industry and sustainability, the student team explored economic sustainability and the expansion of the dairy export market.

“The students worked in a united team, collaborating to find direction and solve problems … developing autonomy and an authentic ownership of their work. They are now empowered, positive, proud and have an amazing sense of achievement,” Ms Ross says.

“Hurlstone students thoroughly enjoyed the challenge of producing a creative, meaningful and beautiful response to their world.”

Runner up: Kildare Catholic College, Wagga Wagga, NSW, (on 95 points) with its sheep and cattle themed Archibull ‘Kasey’. This boldly coloured cow is a wonderful mesh of community, agriculture, the arts, Wagga Wagga’s renowned sporting heritage and a good old backyard BBQ. On one side Kasey is divided into cuts of meat overlaid with facts celebrating Australian cattle and sheep farmers and sustainability, while the other side showcases their passionate community spirit.

3rd Place: On equal 94 points – Northlakes High School, St Remo, NSW; Matraville Sports High School, Matraville, NSW, and Hamilton North Public School, Broadmeadow, NSW.

Emma Levi, Ziggy Williams, Kit Rodrigueza and Braeden Stewart from Matraville Sports High with their entry “Mattooo”. Click to see more photos in our online gallery.

REGIONAL WINNERS

REGION 1

Champion Archibull Prize Award Winner:

All Souls St Gabriels School – Charters Towers, Qld

Champion Archibull Prize Award Runner Up:

St George State High School – St George, Qld

Winner of Best Blog:

All Souls St Gabriels School – Charters Towers, Qld

Winner of Best Multimedia Animation:

Goondiwindi State High School – Goondiwindi, Qld

Winner of Best Cow Artwork:

Goondiwindi State High School – Goondiwindi, Qld

REGION 2

Champion Archibull Prize Award Winner:

Hurlstone Agricultural High School – Glenfield, NSW

Champion Archibull Prize Award Runner Up:

Three-way tie

Matraville Sports High School – Matraville, NSW

Northlakes High School – St Remo, NSW

Hamilton North Public School – Broadmeadow, NSW

Winner of Best Blog:

Matraville Sports High School – Matraville, NSW

Hamilton North Public School – Broadmeadow, NSW

Winner of Best Multimedia Animation:

Hamilton North Public School – Broadmeadow, NSW

Winner of Best Cow Artwork:

Hurlstone Agricultural High School – Glenfield, NSW

REGION 3

Champion Archibull Prize Award Winner:

Kildare Catholic College – Wagga Wagga, NSW

Champion Archibull Prize Award Runner Up:

Kilbreda College Mentone, Vic

Winner of Best Blog:

Kilbreda College Mentone, Vic

Winner of Best Multimedia Animation:

Kildare Catholic College – Wagga Wagga, NSW

Winner of Best Cow Artwork:

Kildare Catholic College – Wagga Wagga, NSW

ARCHIBULL PRIZE PRIMARY SCHOOL

Reserve Champion Archibull Primary School:

Tie – Bolwarra Public School, Bolwarra, NSW, and Gwynneville Public School, Gwynneville, NSW

Champion Archibull Primary School:

Hamilton North Public School, Broadmeadow, NSW

ARCHIBULL PRIZE POULTRY PIONEER AWARD

Wiripaang Public School, Gateshead, NSW

NATIONAL TREASURES AWARD

Emerson School, Dandenong North, Vic

Pick the Winner of the 2014 Archibull Prize

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It is with great excitement that we announce the finalists in the 2014 Archibull Prize.

The judges decision is in and now it’s your turn to decide the People’s Choice.

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Click on the photo to see a larger version and vote for your favourite Archie.

We know these photos don’t do the entries justice so if you would like to see more elements and both sides of all these masterpieces you will find them in our Facebook photo albums here .

The winner of the People’s Choice Archibull Prize 2014 is Hurlstone Agricultural High School Glenfield NSW

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