Young Farming Champion Dr Jo Newton is part of a growing group of bright young minds seeing agriculture as an incubation hub for cutting edge research. We are very excited to announce that Jo has been announced as the winner of the Dairy Research Foundation (DRF) 2017 Emerging Scientist Award at their annual symposium

Listen to Jo’s sixty second promotion for her presentation 

The DRF  annual Symposium, is widely recognised throughout the Australian dairy industry as a showcase of dairy science in application – that brings together the farm and dairy science communities with a special focus on nurturing and developing young and emerging scientists – and linking them with the farm sector.

Each participating young scientist is asked to prepare a presentation that relies on flip charts and items to show and tell (strictly no use of PowerPoint). Scientists are grouped together by ‘common interest/theme’ on platforms, with up to three young scientists per platform. They present multiple times (normally 3-4 times) to groups of 20-50 people each time.  Each platform also features a dairy industry mentor (a farmer/scientist/service provider) whose role is to comment on the projects under profile and discuss how the work may be integrated at a farm level.  Each young scientist has five minutes to deliver their presentation followed by 5 minutes of question and discussion should follow each young scientist’s presentation.

The Dairy Research Foundation Emerging Scientist competition is a unique opportunity for farmers to learn and engage from the young and vibrant researchers who are committed to addressing  current and future industry needs and challenges

2017 DRF Emerging Scientists (From left to right: Alexandra Green from University of Sydney, Ashleigh Wildridge from University of Sydney, Paul Cheng from University of Melbourne, Alex John from University of Sydney, Nicolas Lyons from NSW DPI Dairy, Veronika Vicic from Charles Sturt University, Laura Senge from Murdoch University, Jo Newton from Agriculture Victoria, Beth Scott from Wageningen University and Juan Molfino from University of Sydney)

Nine emerging scientist from all around Australia kept the audience engaged, entertained and informed of the latest work and trends in the industry. This allowed farmers to get insights into the latest research from vibrant young science communicators  who have chosen the dairy industry as the place they want to be.

‘The quality of the Emerging Scientist competition is getting better every year. Jo  shared her work, her passion and her findings in an interactive and engaging way with the audience and was a well deserved winner  of the 2017 Emerging Scientist competition” said Dr Nicolas Lyons 

Dr Jo Newton presenting her work at the Dairy Research Foundation Symposium 

Jo works as a research scientist on the Gardiner Dairy Foundation initiated Project, ImProving Herds. The project is demonstrating the impact investing in genetics and herd improvement has on the bottom line for dairy farmers. For example, the project has recently been able to show cows sired by high genetic merit bulls make greater contributions to farm profit over their lifetime than other cows do.

“I’m passionate about ensuring that research outcomes don’t just reside in scientific journals. We have world-class research facilities and minds in Australia but haven’t always done a very good job of translating research into action. I think projects like ImProving Herds, where research and extension are intrinsically woven together, is a good way to work towards achieving this. I really enjoy the challenge of collaborating with diverse industry stakeholders to ensure that the work we are doing is relevant, useful and delivered in a way that the industry can use. For example, in a ‘typical week’ I may be working with economists, farm consultants, farmers, vets, extension staff and breed societies. At 16, I was told I was too smart to study agriculture. I’m passionate about being involved in changing the stigma surrounding careers in agriculture and hope that one day every young person, regardless of their background, views agriculture as a rewarding career pathway.” Jo Newton  2107 DRF Emerging Scientist Winner 

Well done Jo  another milestone in a stellar career journey

 

Young Farming Champion Anika Molesworth will join young changemakers, thinkers, innovators, activists, and entrepreneurs to share her big ideas for sustainable farming, environmental conservation and climate change action at TEDxYouth@Sydney on Wednesday 6 September 2017 at Sydney Town Hall.

Anika joins fellow Young Farming Champion Josh Gilbert who spoke at TEDxYouth@Canberra last year on a journey to be a global communicator for #youthinag

Made by young people, for young people, but with the eyes and ears of the world in mind, TEDxYouth@Sydney is a platform for ideas worth spreading

The theme for TEDxYouth@Sydney 2017 is ‘Shifting The Future’ and includes talks and performances from

• Chris Leben with special guest Lee Lin Chin – the creative team behind SBS presenter Lee Lin Chin’s comedic alter ego and viral smash
• Maria Tran – martial artist, actor, filmmaker and screen fight coordinator has kicked many asses in international action movies including legend Roger Corman’s Fist of the Dragon
• Ivan Zelich – young mathematician, who at the age of 17 developed a groundbreaking theorem that took the global scientific community by storm
• Nural Cokcetin – microbiology research scientist developing new treatments to combat antibiotic-resistant superbugs
• Joe Carbone – performer and parkour specialist
• Anika Molesworth – climate change activist, sustainable farming advocate and 2017 NSW Finalist for Young Australian of the Year
• Nick Molnar – entrepreneur and founder of fintech company, Afterpay, that went public on the Australian Stock Exchange in 2016
• Tilly Lawless – queer, Sydney-based sex worker who argues that sex worker rights are integral to the feminist movement
• Louise Zhang  – Chinese-Australian artist with a deep passion for cinema horror as an art form
• Emily Wurramara – young Indigenous musician and seasoned performer who sings in both English and Anindilyakwa, her original language
• Alice Ivy – rising Melbourne beat maker, guitarist and vocalist who has drawn comparisons to fellow sample-fiends The Avalanches
• Dauntless Movement Crew – movement based team which combines art forms such as tricking, b-boying (breakdancing), parkour, acrobatics, circus stunts and fire tricks

#gogirlfriend #youthinag

 

 

Great to see our journalist Mandy McKeesick profile in AGWomen Global

Mandy at the Sydney Royal Easter Show with YFC Dione Howard and Peta Bradley 

Mandy McKeesick has worked as an exploration geologist in the deserts of Western Australia, as a deckhand on a rather small boat on the Tasman Sea and in offices as a bookkeeper and trainee accountant, but today her home is on a cattle property in central Queensland where along with mustering cows and yelling at miniature fox terriers who think they are pig dogs, she is a freelance writer specialising in rural and regional Australia.

Mandy was born onto a dairy farm in southern New South Wales but her dairying experience ended shortly after she was knocked over and partially eaten by a sow defending her piglets. Mandy’s family then moved to a 14acre block and it was not until she was working in the Great Sandy Desert and met a good, keen Kiwi bloke that her thoughts turned once again to a farming life.

Mandy at home balancing farm life with the life of a journalist 

The Kiwi bloke, soon after to become her husband, had been a head shepherd, possum trapper and deer hunter in New Zealand and his stories rekindled a desire in her to be part of the land once more. Together they bought a hobby farm while running an abalone business and then 13 years ago made the decision to return to farming full time with the purchase of a beef property near Tenterfield and then at Coolatai in northern NSW.

With experience in the deserts and on the ocean Mandy thought she would adapt to farming quite easily. She soon found out she was wrong. Mustering on a fractious thoroughbred, training working dogs, cattle husbandry and driving the ancient truck with no power steering all proved to be a steep learning curve and she vented her frustrations in a blog called Rocky Springs Rambles. That most of the last 13 years have been drought added yet another dimension to her world.

Mandy had always enjoyed writing and in the depths of the drought, at age 44, she embarked on yet another career move, this time as a freelance writer, passionately bringing the stories of rural and regional Australia to a wider audience. She has written for national publications such as R.M. Williams Outback, Australian Geographic and The Sydney Morning Herald, and through her corporate work meets many inspirational people in the world of agriculture.

“I really think it is a privilege to live and work in rural Australia and in agriculture. It gives you a connection to nature and to country not enjoyed by those who live in urban environments. To have the responsibility of caring for livestock while working with the whims of Mother Nature, and to understand what you know will always be exceeded by what you don’t (and to be comfortable with that) is a rare and wonderful way of life. To be able to share the amazing characters and stories within agriculture through words is just icing on the cake.”

We love the way that you have grown and adapted to your surroundings, and found your own way to make your role in the primary industries work for you. We truly believe that telling the stories of the primary industries is such a key component in ensuring the industry continues to grow in a positive way. We love what you do Mandy!

How proud does this Facebook post from Young Farming Champion Chloe Dutschke make the Art4Agriculture team

Chloe inspiring students at the Australian Sheep and Wool Show 

This is why we exist. To give young people in the agriculture sector the confidence to stand up and share their story about the industry they love and how proud they are to be a young agribusiness professional

Having spent a day at the 2017 Sydney Royal Easter Show with Peta Bradley it is clear she is a very popular young lady. We could not walk a metre without some-one in the sheep pavilion stopping her to say hello.

Peta was recently featured in the article Young Leaders Paving the Way in The Land and it was one of their most popular articles ever

We recently caught up with Peta at the Young Farming Champions alumni workshop in Sydney and I have never seen anyone with a brighter smile on their face. Just before getting on the plane Peta who is an AWET wool honours scholarship holder completing a Bachelor of Rural Science at UNE had received a phone  call to say she had been chosen for her dream job working with Sheep Genetics Australia as a MERINOSELECT development officer.

It doesn’t stop there last night at the Young Stud Masters’ Muster  Peta was honoured to win the Young Stud Master of the Year award – the first female to ever do so.

This award is a celebration of the best and brightest young people working in the sheep industry. Nominated by a committee member the young people vying for the award must be promoting all aspects of the sheep industry

We agree with Wool Education Australia, Peta is an amazing woman to have as part of the sheep industry! We are looking forward to seeing where her future career takes her.

Peta Bradley born to be a star

 

Over the next six months, fifteen of our Young Farming Champions will be featured in the AGWomen Global initiative. Like the Australian Invisible Farmer project, AGWomen Global will profile different women, making an impact in the primary industries, no matter the level of their contribution. A huge kudos to both these organisations for creating an opportunity to celebrate success and share the stories of women who help to shape the agriculture sector.

Love the blurb

We believe that everyone has a story.  Most peoples first response is “I’m not that interesting” – but we all have a different journey and role to play in such an awesome industry.  If you are part of the primary industries in any way we want to hear from you.  All that’s required is a big smile, lots of enthusiasm and the willingness to tell us your story.

#YFC Jess Lehmann , Laura Phelps, Bessie Thomas, Peta Bradley ,Emma Ayliffe, Rebecca Thistlethwaite, Kirsty McCormack , Melissa Henry, Dione Howard, Jo Newton , Casey Onus  Anika Molesworth and Sharna Holman  have launched the Young Farming Champions stories

Everyone can get involved and its a great opportunity for women in agriculture to drill down to WHY they love what they doTo coincide with the AGWomen stories, Grass Roots Media has launched an Instagram account  – @AgWomen. 

This is how some of our Young Farming Champions shared their WHY with the world

“I’m a nurturer – I love caring for my sheep, being responsible for the decisions that impact  their wellbeing and productivity. I’m proud of the product that we produce – clean naturally coloured fleeces that go on to be handspun and felted into beautiful items. I love going into the paddock and recognising each of their faces, and it is very satisfying to see our lambs go on to good homes, either as breeders or as a spinner’s flock.” Melissa Henry 

“I am immensely fortunate to work in agriculture and live in rural Australia. I wake listening to magpies warbling in the morning. I get to see wind rippling wheat fields. I am researching the latest technology to help farmers manage their soil and water resources more efficiently, so more crop can be grown with less footprint on the environment. I check over lambs, wade through rice paddies in Cambodia, ride horses, and at the end of the day I get to watch the sun set over an unobstructed horizon. I can’t imagine any other line of work I’d rather be in.”

“When you spend some time in the outback, or on any farm, you develop a deep sense of familiarity with the landscape and the life it holds. The water in the creek, shrubs growing in the paddock, and the grazing sheep, are not resources to be exploited, but become intrinsic parts of your home; each component adding value to a whole system, and the farmer plays a pivotal role in that. I love what I do, because I get to witness the amazing interaction between life on farms, to study it and help share new knowledge.” Anika Molesworth 

“My world is hundreds of kilometres of pure earth and sky. Each time I watch our sheep file through the landscape towards the dam for a drink I think about why I am doing what I do and why I love it. For me, it is the wonder of watching the world evolve at the hands of Mother Nature and being close enough to hear her speak. It is the pleasure of knowing our animals are constantly cared for to best of our ability. It is the satisfaction of a hard day’s work, always striving to provide positive environmental and animal welfare outcomes, and making the best decisions to build our business. It is knowing our healthy, happy sheep are growing a beautifully natural, sustainable, eco-friendly, versatile, quality product from just rain, grass, sunshine, and team work. I am here, doing what we do, because every day I spend nurturing the growth of a fibre that so honestly reflects our world at its most pristine, is a day I can be proud of.” Bessie Thomas 

“Land is a non-renewable resource and with the growing global population I think precision agriculture holds the key to helping farmers meet the demand in the future. I love seeing the positive change I can create in my clients’ businesses by adjusting the way they manage their farming practices. Working with several clients across a range of very different operations gives me the opportunity to see what does and does not work. This enables me to come up with creative solutions, collaborating ideas from both cropping and livestock worlds instead of staying inside the box.” Casey Onus 

“I am incredibly spoilt, getting to experience the challenging but satisfying world of teaching high school students, while soaking up the lifestyle of agriculture by living on my family’s farm. I am a huge advocate for education; what opportunities it can open for the individual but also what impacts it has on the community as a whole. The more informed we are and the more we thirst for understanding, the more we can interact in harmony and create a supportive environment for all. I enjoy interacting with our youth on a daily basis and encouraging a love for education, but I also love the opportunity to go home and learn something about stock or machinery or land health on a daily basis from my parents. As my Dad likes to say “a day when you haven’t learnt something is a day wasted” and I guess this quote has really shaped my life and what I enjoy.” Hannah Barber 

If you want to share your WHY with the world contact Anna at AgWomen Global

E: admin@agwomenglobal.com

“I do what I do because I love helping people and I find plants truly amazing. Understanding how a crop grows and how our management influences the quality and quantity at harvest is an exciting process. To be constantly learning, evolving our management techniques and evaluating what we do as advisers means we are able to see the growers we work with achieve year on year. To be able to get up and spend my days outside in the sunshine dealing with some of the most resilient and inspirational people means I will never have to work a day in my life!” Emma Ayliffe

 

 

 

 

Last weekend bought the new crop of Art4Agriculture Young Farming Champions together in Sydney with members of our alumni for the first Young Farming Champions workshop of 2017.

The 2017 Young Farming Champions – top row L to R Sam Wan, Emma Longworth, Meg Rice, Joe Banks, Hamish McGrath, Nellie Evans, Jess Lehmann, Caitlin Heppner Bottom Row L to R Deanna Johnston, Annicka Brosnan, Katherine Bain, Lucy Collingridge

The Young Farming Champions program seeks out and trains our dynamic, best and brightest young agricultural professionals. We develop their skills to enable them to share their ideas, dreams and motivations with their host schools as part of The Archibull Prize . The program fosters vibrant conversations and allows the Young Farming Champions and young people they engage with in schools to work together to develop ways to co-create a bright future for Australia.

Part of Art4Agriculture’s mission is to encourage a new culture where Australian agriculture has a strong focus on investing in its people. A culture that provides our farmers with the skills, knowledge, confidence and connections to move to a new era of communication and collaboration

At Art4Agriculture we are passionate about collaboration and developing partnerships with other providers, so that there is a seamless professional development program for young people. Making the program offering flexible allows young people to dip in and out depending on their life and professional context at the time, because not everybody’s life progresses at the same rate or in the same linear fashion.

We believe partnerships and collaboration are the solution to many of the challenges in agriculture. Just imagine what we could achieve if we all worked together across sectors, across industries, across communities to pool resources, pool thinking, pool skills, to enhance, for the benefit of all. So you can see why we are over the moon that our mission for collaboration has gained huge momentum in 2017 not only allowing us to continue to train young people to tell agriculture’s story as well as support our alumni on the next stage of their leadership development

This year sees the NSW Government and Local Land Services combining with our industry partners to support the 2017 Young Farming Champions on their journey. Thanks to Aussie Farmers Foundation and two anonymous donors we were also able to add three independent scholarships

Thanks to the support of Aussie Farmers Foundation, Australian Wool Innovation, Cotton Research and Development Corporation  and alumni employers Elders, AGnVET and Landmark we are able to offer workshops for our alumni that they have identified meet their personal and profession development needs.

  YFC Alumni know that no matter how big the challenges they face, there is always time for some lighthearted moments . L to R Laura Phelps, Jo Newton, Dione Howard, Dwayne Schubert, Tayla Field, Peta Bradley, Sharna Holman, Casey Onus

WATCH THIS SPACE. We cant wait to share with you our latest video on “Sharing the Wool Story” hosted by Dione Howard and Peta Bradley

 Peta Bradley – The Lady in Red born to walk, talk, wear and spruik wool 

It was so rewarding for our team to hear both Dione and Peta say they weren’t the least bit nervous about making this video – “its pretty easy to talk about something you love so much and want to share your love of wool with the world’

What the alumni are saying about our new program offering