Month / October 2018

by Action4Agriculture

Young Farming Champions Muster October 2018 2nd Edition  

This week’s top stories from Young Farming Champions across the country.  

In the Field

Getting bogged isn’t usually cause for celebration…. Unless many of your clients are in drought. Young Farming Champion (YFC) Casey Onus got herself into a sticky situation in Bullarah, 90km West of Moree. The farmer whose property Casey was visiting got Casey safely back on the road. Casey says, “The wheel tracks going down the road were a bit misleading! Cost me a carton and a few laughs to get out.”

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 A carton of beer and a few laughs at Casey’s expense got Casey back on the road.

Grains YFC Marlee Langfield featured on the front cover of this week’s The Land newspaper talking about the very welcome rain that’s recently fallen. Read the story in The Land here

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Earlier in the season 9 News Central West also visited Marlee’s farm, you can check out that story here

Further north, 64mm has fallen in the last 2 weeks at  Hayley Piggott’s family property at Rolleston, QLD. This takes the total up to 338mm for the year, although this is much lower than the long-term yearly average of 711mm it’s very welcome.

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This month Hayley’s has also clocked 52km out of her target 100km as part of the great Cycle challenge. She’s raising money to fight kids’ cancer. You can check out her journey here

Out of the Field

It was a royal affair for Cotton YFC Anika Molesworth and partner Corey Stenhouse. They attended a reception at Admiralty House to meet Prince Harry. Anika said Harry had so much passion and energy she felt empowered to change the world after their conversation

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Wool Young Farming Champion and Local Land Services Biosecurity Officer Lucy Collingridge had an exciting week at work attending the 2018 NSW Vertebrate Pest Management Symposium at Coffs Harbour. The symposium brought together those working at the forefront of pest management in NSW, looking at new developments in science, policy and practice including new pest control and monitoring techniques.

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Lucy Collingridge attended the 2018 NSW Vertebrate Pest Management Symposium this week which included a presentation from Tanya Howard.

Next stop for Lucy was the annual Cootamundra Show! Lucy was Cootamundra Showgirl in 2015 and went on to be a state finalist. Lucy’s continuing involvement in the Cootamundra Show includes organising the Group 9 Young Judges Competition Final. 

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All creatures great and small turned up for the annual Cootamundra Show on Saturday 20th October! Image: Lucy Collingridge.

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Wool YFC Lucy Collingridge organises the Young Judges Competition Group 9 Final at the Cootamundra Show. Images: Lucy Collingridge.

The Archibull Prize 2018 judging tour is well underway and as always the competition judges are having a difficult time deciding who will take home the Grand Champion Archie! Will this year’s winner be from the grains, beef, horticulture, pork, eggs, wool or cotton industries? Make sure you have your say in the People’s Choice Award – voting closes soon!

Prime Cuts

One hundred inspiring women and their supporters came together on Wednesday 17th October at Sydney Town Hall for the Australian Financial Review’s 100 Women of Influence Awards 2018. Among those women was Young Farming Champion and Agriculture Victoria Research Scientist Dr Jo Newton, named as a finalist in the Local and Regional category. The gala dinner was a true celebration of the achievements of all finalists, recognised as a new generation of leaders standing out in their chosen fields. The overall 100 Women of Influence winner and winner of the public policy category was Megan Davis of the University of New South Wales. Congratulations to Jo on being named in this awe-inspiring group of women and we look forward to seeing where this achievement leads you over the next 12 months and beyond!

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Dr Jo Newton (centre) was nominated as a finalist in the Australian Financial Review’s 100 Women of Influence 2018.

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Jo and her supporters at the 100 Women of Influence 2018 Gala Dinner.

Fox Family

Farming in partnership with his wife Rachel (left) and parents David and Cathie (right ) and grandparents, farming is all about family for Dan Fox.

Grains Young Farming Champion Daniel Fox was announced as one of the winners in the 2018 Kondinin/ABC Rural Australian Farmer of the Year Awards. Daniel won the Award for Excellence in Innovation, sponsored by Telstra, at a dinner at Parliament House in Canberra on October 16. Over the last decade Daniel has been helping move the family farm at Marrar, NSW from a traditional mixed sheep and cropping property to a continuous cropping enterprise using regenerative agriculture. Congratulations Daniel on this wonderful achievement!

Lifetime Highlights

Wonderful news from the Parkes area with Sheep and Cattle YFC Hannah Barber marrying Sam Hawker. Congratulations to you both

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#YouthVoices18 #ArchieAction #YouthInAg

 

by Action4Agriculture

Young Farming Champion Dan Fox wins Innovation Farmer of the Year 2018

Young Farming Champion Daniel Fox was announced as one of the winners in the 2018 Kondinin/ABC Rural Australian Farmer of the Year Awards at a dinner at Parliament House in Canberra on October 16.

“The Australian Farmer of the Year Awards are designed to celebrate and applaud the outstanding achievements of those individuals and families making a significant contribution to Australian Agriculture.”

Daniel won the Award for Excellence in Innovation, sponsored by Telstra. He is a fifth-generation farmer, whose family have been farming in the Marrar district of New South Wales for more than 80 years. Over the last decade Daniel has been helping move the farm from a traditional mixed sheep and cropping property to a continuous cropping enterprise using regenerative agriculture.

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Farming in partnership with his wife Rachel (left) and parents David and Cathie (right ) and grandparents farming is all about family for Dan Fox 

“It’s very humbling to win this award,” Daniel says. “There are a few local growers in our area moving in the same direction as us and we bounce ideas off each other quite regularly, for which I thank them very much. This award is reassuring that we are moving in the right direction and we will continue to implement regenerative agriculture practices on our farm and share our ideas and the information we learn. On a personal note, I feel this award is just as much earned by my family as it is by me, as without them I would not have had the opportunity to work on our family farm and be inspired by their work ethic and passion for agriculture.”

Changes made on the Fox farm in recent times include the purchase of a disc planter in order to move to a full zero-till controlled traffic system, a transition to organic-based liquid fertiliser, companion cropping and experiments with chaff lining and cover cropping.

Guy Franklin, Telstra’s General Manager, Innovation Accelerator, was impressed by Daniel’s commitment to applying innovative techniques on-farm and making fantastic progress in improving and future-proofing his farming business. “It is great to see a next generation family member apply new thinking to the way of doing things and this shows a good understanding of innovation,” Guy said. “I applaud Daniel, as I think what he’s doing will be a blueprint for how the land will be managed for sustainable use into the future.”

Meet Dan

#YouthinAg #YouthVoices #ThisisAusAg #StrongerTogether

 

by Action4Agriculture

AGRICULTURE BIG WINNER AT GREEN GLOBE AWARDS

Action4Agriculture ( formerly Picture You in Agriculture ) founder Lynne Strong and Young Farming Champion (YFC) Mentor and Coach Gaye Steel joined finalist YFC Anika Molesworth at the Art Gallery of NSW last Thursday night  for the announcement of the winners of the 2018 Green Globe Awards.

We were very excited to see agriculture high amongst the accolades. Run by the NSW Office of Environment and Heritage the Green Globe Awards recognise and celebrate individuals and companies contributing to a more sustainable NSW, and this year 41% of the nominations were from regional areas.

Winner of the Young Sustainability Champion Award was YFC Anika Molesworth who was recognised for her efforts to raise the profile of climate action and renewable energy within agriculture.

“After seeing her family’s sheep farm struggle through a decade-long drought, she focused her education and began a career building resilience in fragile farming systems,” NSW Minister for the Environment Gabrielle Upton said.

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Anika Molesworth winner of Young Sustainability Champion with Robin Mellon who is CEO at the Supply Chain Sustainability School

“This was an exciting category due to the incredible work already being done by the young people nominated,” Anika said.  “Angelina Arora, a high school student, is making plastic from a natural waste product, Arlian Ecker is Plastic Free Boy, and Charlotte Rose Mellis has established projects on remote business, waste management and marine ecology. These young people are already charging ahead in environmental management and sustainability.”

“With any one of these people being a well-deserving winner, I was humbled to be selected as the 2018 Young Sustainability Champion for the Green Globe Awards. I believe this recognition goes beyond that for the individual, but extends to the wider community of young people working tirelessly in agriculture to make it the best it possibly can be. These people come with new tech, new skills and new perspectives that are essential for vibrant and resilient farming systems. These people are making a meaningful contribution to food security, the protection of the land and wildlife, are influencing policy and ensuring a bright future, not only for rural Australia, but for all of us.”

Agriculture was also recognised in the Resource Efficiency Award with pig-producer Blantyre Farms winning the category. Blantyre harvests methane emitted by its pigs and uses it in generators, creating 2,000 MWh of renewable electricity each year. This innovative approach to clean energy has meant Blantyre no longer uses electricity from the grid.

Agriculture also featured as a finalist in the Innovation Award with Woolcool Australia recognised for their use of sheep belly wool to produce insulated packaging materials as an alternative to polystyrene.

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Championing solar energy ClearSky Solar Investments won the prestigious Premier’s Award for Environmental Excellence, the Climate Change Leadership Award and the Community Leadership Award and was a finalist in the Innovation category. This recognition further opens opportunities for the agricultural industry to have conversations regarding renewable energy.

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Anika with fellow finalist Arlian Ecker (Plastic Free Boy) and Neale Siebert from ClearSky Solar Investments.

“Transitioning away from polluting and harmful fossil fuels is critical if we are going to give the next generation of food and fibre producers the best possible chance,” Anika said. “Renewable energy in agriculture gives us an exciting, prosperous and bright future.”

#YouthVoices18 #YouthinAg #ClimateAction #StrongerTogether

 

by Action4Agriculture

Young Farming Champions Muster October 2018 Week 2

This week’s top stories from Young Farming Champions around the country (and overseas!) In the Field Young Farming Champion Ben Egan who farms at Warren in NSW featured in The Land in this great story Drought Makes you think outside the Box from Sam Townsend sharing what the drought has taught him and how his family are adapting in the drying times ben-egan-the-land

The drought has taught Ben Egan to be a problem solver. Picture The Land 

The sixth generation farmer from Kiameron Pastoral Company at Warren said while this drought was one of the toughest they had been through, it had made them think outside the box when it comes to cattle management, including their weaning.

Together with his parents Michael and Sue, and wife Eleanor, the family operates a mixed farming enterprise across 20,000 acres, comprising of cattle, irrigated cotton, and dryland winter crops including wheat, canola and chick peas.

“We’ve looked at issues at hand, there is not enough feed in the paddocks, cows are starting to slip conditions but we have calves on the ground that are still healthy and doing well,” he said Source

In Armatree, NSW, Wool YFC Peta Bradley returned home on the long weekend to help with the family with moving newly weaned lambs. “Whilst they have never seen in grass in their life  the lambs have done really well  on a diet of grain. We are moving them to a failed crop whilst still trail feeding them” Peta Bradley and at Picture You in Agriculture HQ putting installing solar panels has proved a very effective rain dance  with some coastal regions of NSW getting up to 200mm  Rainfall Map Making the most of rain on farms is complicated depending on your farming system. For most farmers its a morale booster reminding them it does rain and for some little girls in far western NSW who may never have seen its impact it can look like the 9th wonder of the world IMG_6676.JPG  Out of the Field  YFC Jo Newton had a busy week at the Royal Melbourne Show stewarding, checking out the activities for AgTech on Show and more. Keep an eye on the Picture You In Agriculture Facebook page this week as Jo recaps her time at Melbourne show!
Also at Melbourne Royal was Grains YFC Dee George who was a finalist of the Victorian Rural Ambassadors Award. Dee spent Saturday with 6 other ambassadors visiting the livestock, woodchop and many other pavilions. Dee George

“We were fortunate enough to have many in depth tours with the people who run and put together all the amazing pavilions at the show, which a lot of work goes into prior to the show starting.”

On the Sunday all the ambassadors gave their 2 minute speeches. Dee described the entire program as a great experience. We all pass on huge congratulations to the runner up Hayden Williamson, and the winner James Kirkpatrick (who is the brother Young Farming Champion Jessica Kirkpatrick) Fellow Grains YFC Marlee Langfield has had a busy week to say the least. This week she spoke to the Inner Wheel group in Cowra, NSW about the current conditions. You can read  the story here  Marlee and Steph Cooke MP On Monday was the Morongla Show which Marlee got to guide Steph Cooke MP around (pictured above ). Also this week she brought her first mob of sheep (so she is officially back in the mixed farming game) and submitted an entry form for the Cowra Showgirl Competition. Good luck Marlee we look forward to hearing how it goes. IMG_6674

YFC Steph Fowler was the Madame of Ceremonies for the Cowra Show Spring Cocktail Party 

Rice YFC, Erika Heffer volunteered at the Deni Ute Muster over the long weekend which she described as a fantastic experienced. Erika is back at work this week and is busy preparing to attend the 2018 National Landcare Conference and Awards held on the 10-12th of October in Brisbane. Enjoy your time Erika and we will eagerly await hearing how it goes in a future muster. Erika Picture   Prime Cuts Marlee Langfield wearing her professional photographer’s hat has taken out the Looking After Your Wellbeing OPEN Section in the Farmer Health in a Changing World – 2018 PHOTO COMPETITION IMG_6556 Well done Marlee – you are an all round superstar Cotton Young Farming Champion Anika Molesworth has picked up another accolade for her championing of the low carbon economy and resilient farming systems winning the NSW Office and Environment and Heritage 2018 Young Sustainability Champion Green Globe Award.
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Green Globe Awards 2018, Art Gallery of NSW. Awards winners and nominees, and general pics. Photography by Quentin Jones. 4 Oct 2018.

‘I am excited to have the voice of young people in agriculture lifted up and recognised through this Award..  There are many young people working tirelessly in agriculture to make it the best it possibly can be. There are so many young champions in the farming sector who are bringing fresh, creative ideas to a truly exciting and forward-thinking industry. These people come with new tech, new skills and new perspectives that are essential for vibrant and resilient farming systems. These people are making a meaningful contribution to food security, the protection of the land and wildlife, are influencing policy and ensuring a bright future, not only for rural Australia, but for all of us.” said Anika following the win

Well done Anika you are a wonderful role model, mentor and voice for young people and women in agriculture. Inside info tells me October promises to big a big month for our Young Farming Champions – Watch this space #YouthinAg #YouthVoice18 #ArchieAction Featured image is Grains YFC Dr Bec Thistlethwaite _2018 A4ASponsors_foremail  
by Action4Agriculture

Vote for your favourite Archie – Pick the People’s Choice winner for the Archibull Prize 2018

Its that time of year again where we break all records and the community votes for their favourite Archie.

The Archibull Prize 2018 People’s Choice Award is now open for voting by you

Your favourites need your support

Its time to rally your family, your friends, your enemies, your communities, the world to vote for your favourite Archie for People’s Choice

Reach out via school newsletters, word of mouth, social media, TV and print media – the world is so connected, so many opportunities

VOTE NOW

Please click on the Archie to see a larger view

Voting closes 5 pm ( Sydney Australia time ) Monday 12th November 2018

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