The 2017 Archibull Prize is off and running and excitement is building at Bulahdelah Central School in NSW with the delivery of their Archie.

“The cow is in a fenced area in the foyer. I came out of my office the other day and these two little kindergarten kids were just sitting at the fence, cross-legged on the floor, looking at the cow.”

Deb Gilbert, Deputy Principal

Students from Year 5 to Year 10 are keen to get started on their journey through the world of sheep and beef with the support of Hunter Local Land Services and a very special Young Farming Champion.

Hunter Local Land Services is a government agency that works with land owners, farmers, agricultural industry organisations, communities and other government bodies to improve primary production and management of natural resources in the Hunter region.

 “The Archibull Prize is a perfect fit for our organisation. The program provides in depth learning opportunities for students in our region on agriculture, biosecurity, climate change, energy, water and careers in agriculture. We hope that through The Archibull Prize, the next generation will be better informed about how food and fibre is produced and be inspired to seek out careers in agriculture and land management.”

Camilla Cowley, Hunter LLS

BCS students with Hunter Local Land Services Baby Archie 

 “The Archibull Prize will make the kids aware of the issues facing agriculture and our global environment. We come from an area that used to be centred around dairying and timber, which has diversified over the years, so it’s important our kids see agriculture has changed and there is a variety of occupations they can be involved in.”

Deb Gilbert, Deputy Principal

Bulahdelah is a country town in the heart of the Great Lakes on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales. Set on the banks of the Myall River near its junction with the Crawford River, the town is named from an Aboriginal word thought to mean “the meeting of the waters”,

The school has adopted an innovative approach in linking the primary and secondary through its middle schooling initiatives. The Archibull Prize will see primary school students from years 5 and 6 partnering with students in Year 10 in the secondary school .

“The Archibull will teach the kids about sustainability and about the limited resources available to a growing population because you’ve got to think about the bigger picture and your part in it. It will also show how important farmers are to our community, our economy and our well-being”

Sonia McDonald, Year 5/6 teacher

Mrs Gilbert has been teasing the students with a slow reveal of their Young Farming Champion, who is an expert in the sheep and beef industry, who has won major awards and who has travelled overseas to speak on environmental issues. Their YFC is none other than Mrs Gilbert’s son – Josh!

“It’s all about role modelling back to the kids in our school. Josh graduated from BCS and I don’t know if a lot of the kids realise some of the things he has achieved. To have someone come back to our school as a role model and say what they have accomplished given their education at our school is really valuable. Some of the students will be surprised, and may be disappointed even, when they find out it is just Josh!”

Deb Gilbert, Loving Mother

BCS Alumni Josh Gilbert with Peter Garret who presented Josh with the 2016 National Geographic Award for Young Environmentalist 

You can follow BCS journey on their blog found here

#archie17 #admirabull #sustainabull #lovabull #delectabull #educabull

Young Farming Champion Casey Onus (far left) has the opportunity of a lifetime to join the University of New England (UNE) team travelling to Miami for the  International Food and Agribusiness Association (IFAMA)

The University of New England is for the third year in a row attending the IFAMA Conference.  As part of the conference UNE will have two teams participating in the Student Case study competition against teams from around the world.  The teams have been training for this competition during the last trimester.  This training helps them with financial and case study skills as well as presentation skills which are of course important skills for life.  This year the Conference is in Miami and the topic is Become the Solution – Technology, Investment, and People: Business Solutions for Food Security.

The IFAMA conference not only gives UNE students the opportunity to learn from International experts they are also able to network with other students with the same interests as well as people from relevant industry and academics from other Universities.

Meet all the 2017 UNE IFARMA team in this great video

Our teams are lucky enough to be sponsored by Sygenta, Ceres Agriculture, Guyra Milling, Rabo Bank and Rex Airlines and supported by Rimfire Resources.  We really appreciate these companies taking an interest in and investing in our students and the future of Agriculture in Australia.

Australian agriculture has a lot to offer.  One of our key strengths is being able to offer research and development expertise to developing countries either through access to agriculture’s bright or on ground international research and development projects

The majority of people in less developed countries live in rural areas and are dependent on the land for employment and their food security. Many of our Young Farming Champions have spent time working side by side with farmers in developing countries and some like Anika Molesworth have made it their life work

Australian farmer Anika Molesworth working with farmers in Cambodia on sustainable farming practices. Photograph: CARDI (Cambodian Agricultural Research and Development Institute)

The Crawford Fund is an Australian organisation who have acknowledged that support for agricultural research is one of the most effective ways that Australia can assist in  developing countries (their farmers, their environment and their economies) and foster mutual understanding.

As part of the Fund’s efforts to encourage young people in their study, careers and volunteering in international agricultural research, the Crawford Fund offer conference scholarships to young Australians with a genuine interest in international agricultural development, to attend the Crawford Fund conference in Canberra.

“The Crawford Fund Scholars program connected me to world-renowned researchers in international agricultural development, and has challenged and inspired my thinking and my work life. The experience has reinforced to me the meaningful career of agricultural research and development, and has motivated me to find out more about farming in other countries and to push the comfort-zone boundaries.” Anika Molesworth

Like Anika former conference scholars confirm this is a unique learning, networking and mentoring opportunity.  The scholars are involved in two ½ days of activities in addition to the conference; engage with keynote speakers, experienced Australian agricultural researchers and educators, and other passionate young people who have experience overseas in developing countries as researchers, volunteers or mentors.

We are very excited to officially announce our new partnership with the Aussie Farmers Foundation  

Aussie Farmers Foundation has partnered with Art4Agriculture to spread the word about the importance of agriculture in Australia and to support young leaders in the industry.

Aussie Farmers Foundation helps rural and regional communities to thrive by backing them during tough times. Set up in 2010, Aussie Farmers Foundation has given over $1.3 million to projects which support farm sustainability, disaster relief, mental health, kid’s health and food relief across country Australia.

The partnership will see four Young Farming Champion alumni visit 10 schools in metropolitan and country areas in Victoria, NSW and Queensland in 2017 and provides a scholarship for a Young Farming Champion to take part in the 2017/18 program.

Executive Officer Julia Hunter said Art4Agriculture is an incredible way for young people to share their passion about the pivotal role Australian farmers play in feeding the world.

“Aussie Farmers Foundation is thrilled to partner with Art4Agriculture to help achieve our aims of supporting the sustainability of Australian farms,” she said.

“Agriculture is the lifeblood of Australia, and it’s in our best interests to nurture the nation’s future farmers, growers and agriculture specialists, and encourage them to consider this as an exciting and viable career option while they’re still in school.”

Excitingly  this new partnership offers Art4Agriculture the opportunity to double the diversity of farming industries students can investigate and reflect on and use as inspiration on how they as part of a community and as individuals can

• reduce their impact on climate change,
• reduce bio-security risks
• contribute to healthy communities
• can find rewarding and dynamic careers in the agriculture sector

Our YFC future leaders and influencers will have the opportunity to undertake comprehensive workshops to give them skills in public speaking, social licence, marketing, media, facilitation and leading transformational change. All of which enable them to share positive agricultural stories and in doing so raise the profile of the agriculture sector. As part of the program they will expand their personal and professional networks, further develop and refine their communications skills, learn and connect to each other and the wider community.

The YFC program also links with The Archibull Prize. This program provides primary and secondary school students with the opportunity to connect with our inspiring young agriculture ambassadors and future influencers so they can learn about the agriculture sector and co-create the future they want to see.

We would like to welcome Annicka Brosnan as our new YFC supported by Aussie Farmers Foundation. Annicka’s strong background in the horticulture sector will promote the importance of fruit and vegetables as part of a healthy diet and  horticulture’s contribution to healthy communities .

 Welcome Annika Brosnan

There is a lot more to Sharna Holman that just a beautiful smile and a love of cotton farming. Sharna is a city girl who has embraced living in rural Australia with a burning desire to promote her region and the agriculture sector she loves at every opportunity whether as a Young Farming Champion or volunteering at her local show.

Sharna was recently recognised for her  community dedication by winning the Emerald Show Society’s Rural Ambassador  award. The Emerald Show Society’s Rural Ambassador then goes on a journey to potentially being named “The ‘Marsh Rural Ambassador’

This competition highlights the importance of young people in rural and regional Queensland, in particular those associated with the Agricultural Show movement. The competition identifies young people who are actively involved in the show movement, have a sound knowledge of current rural issues affecting their local areas,

“Queensland and Australia and have a strong affiliation with agriculture. I decided to compete in Emerald’s Show Society’s Rural Ambassador Competition as a way to meet other young people who were also passionate about agriculture and the local region and become more involved with my local show.

I also believed being Emerald’s Rural Ambassador was a fantastic opportunity to share my agricultural story, highlight what a great region we live for those wanting to get involved in the agricultural industry and that having an non-agricultural background isn’t a barrier to getting involved in your local agricultural shows.

It was an honour to be awarded the title of Emerald’s 2017 Rural Ambassador, and represent my town when I head to the Central Highlands Sub-Chamber finals where the winner then competes in the State Final held during the Royal Queensland Show (EKKA) is August.’  said Sharna

Two primary schools in NSW will have the opportunity to meet Young Farming Champion Laura Phelps and learn about the pork industry thanks to our new supporting partner the Aussie Farmers Foundation.

Young Farming Champion Laura Phelps is looking forward to cuddling up to the the Story of Pork at this year’s Archibull Prize Celebration and Awards Day 

We are super excited about sharing how some of our Australian pig farmers are turning pig poo into power. You can read about how pork industry legend Edwina Beveridge is doing it on her farm at Young here

In the meantime here are some fun facts about pigs and the Australian Pork Industry

Fun Facts about Pigs

• Like humans, pigs are omnivores, meaning they eat both plants and other animals.

• A pig’s snout is an important tool for finding food in the ground and sensing the world around them.
• Pigs have an excellent sense of smell.
• There are around 2 billion pigs in the world.
• Humans farm pigs for meat such as pork, bacon and ham.
• Feral pigs that have been introduced into new areas can be a threat to the local ecosystem, environment and human health.
• Pigs can pass on a variety of diseases to humans.
• Relative to their body size, pigs have small lungs.
• Pigs eat anything – which means they are excellent recyclers of food waste, such as dairy and vegetable matter.

Australia Pork Industry Fast Facts

The Pork Industry

• Australia produces around 367,000 tonnes of pig meat every year. A little over 10% is exported to countries like Singapore, New Zealand and Hong Kong, and 25% is sold through restaurants and other food service outlets in Australia.
• Each year Australians consume around 24 kg of pork per person—this is made up of 9 kg of fresh pork and 15 kg of processed products such as bacon, ham and smallgoods
• During 2014-15, pork products accounted for just over 10% of Australia’s total fresh meat retail consumption
• Australian farmers produce around 4.85 million pigs a year
• The main source of food for Australian pigs is cereal grains such as wheat, barley and sorghum, resulting in a white fat around the outside of the meat.
• Pork production has a relatively small footprint and accounts for only 0.4% of the national greenhouse gas emissions
• Whether housed indoors or outdoors, a pig spends more time resting than any other domestic animal.
• Pig producers use the manure and effluent of their farms as a fertiliser to improve crops and pasture, or to capture methane gases to convert to energy.
• Numerous pig producers are now using their manure to generate electricity to power their whole farm.
• Australia’s pig herd health is one of the best in the world, free from many diseases found in most other pig producing countries.
• The feed component (mainly grains such as wheat, barley and sorghum) makes up about 60% of the total cost of producing pork.
• On average, a sow will produce 10–14 piglets per litter.
• Grower pigs eat the equivalent of about 3% of their body weight and drink about 10% of their body weight, daily.
• Pigs are considered to be smarter than dogs and are easy to train. This characteristic helps producers develop safe handling routines.
• Pigs are unable to perspire and they lose heat through their mouths. The ideal growing temperature for older pigs is 20–22˚C. Source: