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