This week’s top stories from Young Farming Champions across the country.
In the Field
Who’s in the field this week? The amazing wool YFC Dione Howard, that’s who!
Dione has moved to Griffith NSW and is working with Riverina LLS as a district veterinarian. What an exciting career ahead she has! After finishing her studies at Charles Sturt University, Dione is looking forward to working with farmers across the Riverina.
@dione_howard in the sheep yards.
“The first month of being a district vet with the Riverina LLS has been hugely rewarding. I am really enjoying working with livestock producers in the region. I am very grateful to have been able to stay and work locally in the Riverina. Griffith is a great place to live with plenty of events and a welcoming community.” ” Dione says.
Hailing from a mixed sheep and cropping property at Milbrulong – she has gained a wealth of experience with livestock over the years – and you can read all about this talented young lady here.
She is passionate about communicating animal health information to producers who are at the forefront of livestock production, and is also training to play a key role in disease surveillance and biosecurity across the Riverina.
Dione will be in the LLS shed at Henty Machinery Field Days on Tuesday – pop in and say hello!
Out of the Field
This week we had R U?OK day
On this day we encourage everyone to meaningfully connect with people around them and support anyone struggling with life.
Staying connected and having meaningful conversations is something we can all do. You don’t need to be an expert – just a good friend and a great listener. So, if you notice someone who might need some support – start a conversation.
Cotton YFC Emma Ayliffe made a great Facebook post this week, asking people to check in with their mates and to have honest conversations about how you’re going. Nice one Em!
This year at Picnic Point High School are competing in the Archibull prize competition, and have been tasked to research the wool industry. And as a proud wool YFC, Sam Wan was excited to see their progress on a recent Twitter post!
As @S_Wan926 points out – they’ve got some pretty impressive artistic skills amongst them!
“This day, we continued working on the Archie … Euan Gullick and Daniel Le worked on a stop-motion animation that will serve as an intro to Geddy Mukama’s animation, titled “The Great Wool War”. Apart from that, the painting team has been painting the underneath of the jersey that the knitting team is going to knit.” – Picnic Point High School blog.
Cotton season is nearly upon us down in southern NSW – but cotton YFC Sharna Holman is already spotting little green heads Emerald! Sharna is an Extension Officer with CottonInfo in Central Queensland, and the warmer weather up north means the cotton pops up from the ground a few weeks earlier than crops in NSW.
@sharnaholman is running some variable rate nitrogen trials with cotton – and we look forward to hearing the results!
Grains YFC Sam Coggins is part of RiseHarvest a group from Myanmar and Australia working in international agricultural development, and was one of 2018 finalist for Thought For Food Challenge 2018. Sam and his group produced this great video – whin which we hear why Sam is so passionate about farming.
The annual Thought For Food Challenge is a global “collaborative competition” to launch promising new ideas that address how we will feed and nourish our growing global population.
@cogsam55 (left) with his teammates from RiseHarvest.
Prime Cuts
Wool YFC Peta Bradley and her family had their annual ram sale last week – a big congrats to New Armatree Border Leicesters!
“Our family prides itself on producing rams with industry leading genetics to benefit the supply chain. The rams sold had seen very little green feed in their lives but have been supplementary fed. The sale was strong given that many of our clients have begun to destock. The rams sold went to many different homes across the state from Cooma in the south, Bourke to the north, and Nyngan to the west.” says Peta
@Petabradley with her family on sale day!
NSW Farmer YFC Tegan Nock is a lady of many talents – including Producer of ‘Grassroots’ – an award winning documentary about fungus, farming and science.
Watch the trailer here
“Farmers have a huge potential to make positive change .They manage a large proportion of our planet, and this story is a great example of how farmers can be at the forefront of the battle against climate change. I was immediately drawn to the story because it gives an insight into the fascinating world of soil microbiology.” ” says Tegan. “
Cotton YFC Anika Molesworth was named Australian Youth Champion of the Low Carbon Economy in the latest report by 350.org. and the world is very excited including the Argentine Ambassador
“Anika is a voice that questions the status quo and encourages current and future generations to have critical and creative perspectives on how we can find solutions to the pressing problems caused by climate change and its impact on farming, farming communities and the wider public,” the report said.
The report, Heroes Building Australia’s Low-Carbon Economy, brings together stories of Australian businesses, communities and individuals who are making a change to renewable energy and Anika is listed alongside names such as former CEO of AGL Energy Andy Vesey and Community Power Agency founder Nicky Ison.
“Renewable energy is the way of the future, no doubt about it, and in agriculture, we have such tremendous opportunity to champion this technology. Being named by 350 as Australia’s Youth Champion is an honour but we still have a long way to go in building a sustainable energy future. I hope this recognition inspires others to participate in the continuing growth of the renewable energy sector and drives home the message that rural Australia needs (and deserves) a cohesive and ambitious climate and energy policy.” Anika said.
And finally, a shout out to YFC supporter Aimee Snowden for her selection in the NFF 2030 Leaders Program!
Aimee with Little BRICK Pastoral celebrates Australian agriculture through unique photos of a Lego® farmer. Aimee lives on her family’s irrigation farm near Tocumwal in the southern Riverina – and her impact is far-reaching. With the training experience gained through this leadership program we can’t wait to see what she does next. Well done Aimee!
#YouthVoices18 #ArchieAction #YouthInAg