Category / Young Farming Champions

by Action4Agriculture

April Browne climbing the food chain ladder of success

Today I would like to introduce you to April Browne. I have known April since we became part of the team that bought the Dairy Youth Challenge back to the Sydney Royal Easter Show way back in 2005.  

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April is now the Science Education Officer at the Primary Industry Centre for Science Education (PICSE) located at University of Western Sydney, Hawkesbury Campus. I asked April to write us this blog to share with you her journey to what I am highly confident is her dream job. Art4Agriculture is looking forward to working closely with April and her team going forward

This is April’s story

  “The ladder of success is best climbed by stepping on the rungs of opportunity” Ayn Rand

Opportunity surrounds us all in everything that we do. It has the potential to lead us on the path that we envisage, but more often, opportunity opens the door to unknown and exciting new experiences. If I had been asked to paint a picture of my future career when I was younger, I certainly wouldn’t have foreseen what a wonderful career I have been fortunate enough to enjoy.

In fact, growing up on the Central Coast and visiting my grandparents’ dairy farm near Alstonville, I was the girl who couldn’t peddle her bike fast enough away from the cows in the paddock; they seemed pretty scary at the time.

Yes I was quite happy staying within the confines of the backyard with its white picket fence. That was until opportunity knocked, opportunity in the form of the Sydney Royal Easter Show. I was in Year 8 and my agriculture teacher was asking for students to help a dairy farmer show his cattle at the show. I thought I was in for a week of show bags and rides with an endless supply of fairy floss. I thought wrong. In fact I spent my week sitting in a very unstable camping chair catching manure in a bucket while the visiting public ogled at what was perhaps the most disgusting thing they had seen that day. For some reason though, and I am sure my industry colleagues will back me up here, the show and agriculture grew on me. Perhaps it was the rush of winning a blue ribbon or joining the big happy family that is the dairy industry.

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Whatever it was, twelve years on I still find myself sitting in the camping chair catching manure in a bucket. This time though, they are my cows and I couldn’t be happier.

After I got home from that first show, I joined the schools cattle club and became heavily involved in showing both beef and dairy cattle.

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I travelled throughout much of NSW and Victoria attending different shows and meeting industry people. I realised towards the end of high school that I had a particular interest in the food industry and conveniently happened to be good at the subject.

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I enjoyed learning about the science behind food, what it is made up of and how it interacts with producers and consumers. We often see the production side of agriculture and the end product on a plate, but much of the time the chain is not seen as a whole. We are lucky to live in a country where for a majority of the population, the food miles are relatively small and we enjoy fresh produce year round and I think this is something that should be highlighted more within the Australian community.

Having grown up with relatively little ‘farming’ experience, I wanted to see food production at the coalface before I went to study the science behind it. And so I deferred a university offer to study food science and enrolled at Tocal Agricultural College where I completed a Certificate III Agriculture.

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I have studied a lot (maybe I am a sucker for punishment) and Tocal was definitely one of the most worthwhile learning experiences I have had. I loved the variety of experiences and the chance to learn new skills and knowledge but perhaps more enjoyable were the opportunities I encountered in the broader agricultural context whilst at Tocal. I have always believed that those who dare to take advantage of opportunities no matter how unfamiliar they may be, are those who set themselves up for discovery and a journey which often in my experience leads to greater success. Tocal was not just about marking lambs and mustering cattle, I was also given the opportunity to judge shows, join committees and travel the country learning about agriculture. In addition, the networks I established whilst there within the industry and with fellow like-minded people have allowed me to broaden my knowledge of the industry and have served me well in my subsequent career in agriculture

Following Tocal, I accepted my university offer and completed a Bachelor of Food Science and Human Nutrition. Aside from understanding the physics of what really makes bread rise and how many fat cells are required to successfully clog an artery, I relished the opportunity to apply what I had learnt at Tocal to a scientific realm. I also took the opportunity to use my electives in this degree to study some units of education. As something that had always interested me, the education electives allowed me to travel around a number of local schools and experience food, agriculture and science in a collective medium.

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I decided from these experiences to follow my undergraduate degree with a Masters of Teaching in 2010 and furthered my education expertise which has led me into my career as an educator. At this time I also became President of the Royal Agricultural Society Dairy Youth Committee and became heavily involved with dairy youth events whilst also starting up my own Brown Swiss stud with the help of breeders Max and Robyn Wake.

During my time teaching at Camden High School, I decided to enter the local Showgirl competition.

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I had seen the showgirls at the show and the multifaceted nature of the competition strongly appealed to my desire to learn more about the agricultural industry. And so the city girl gave the showgirl competition a go and surprisingly I was fortunate enough to be sashed as the 2012 Camden Showgirl. People often describe experiences as a ‘whirlwind’. To say this about the showgirl competition would be an understatement. If ever there was a forum to provide opportunity, learning and experiences then this was it and I relished every second. After being successful at the zone competition and with the support of my over enthusiastic Year 8 class I headed to the Sydney Royal Easter Show to represent Camden Show. clip_image010Although not feeling overly confident about my prospects of success given our showgirl had won the year before, I immersed myself in the experience, meeting new people and having those surreal moments you never think you will have the opportunity to encounter. I shook more hands and ate more canapés than I had ever before and before I knew it the whirlwind was over.

As the dust settled and I faced life without the sash I reflected on the experience and most of all the people I had met, because it was the people that I remember most and should be the inspiration for the next generation of agricultural youth. I didn’t just meet farmers, I met business people , journalists, marketers, scientists, teachers and politicians, all who have a hand in the agricultural pie and all who represent Australian agriculture.

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Agriculture is everywhere, it is the umbrella that covers many industry sectors and for this reason is something to be promoted, celebrated and supported in the future. I currently work in agricultural education, I see kids just like myself everyday who have little link to production agriculture but feel the same draw because it is an industry with something for everyone. To be in a role as the provider of opportunities just as I have had is incredible.

I look forward to the future of agriculture both in Australia and on a global scale. It is an industry that has always had to be revolutionary to remain efficient and profitable and I look forward to seeing how the students I work with today will overcome the social, ethical and economic challenges of 21st century agriculture.

What a great story April and from my perspective after working with young people in Agriculture for the past 10 years I can definitely see a pattern happening – shows, leading cattle and sheep and alpacas, chooks et al and/or being part of the Showgirl/RAS Rural Achiever experience is a great pathway to being a Young Farming Champion and leadership and being in positions of influence for our #youthinag  

by Action4Agriculture

Meet Geoff Birchnell who is combining a career in finance with a love of the bush

Today’s guest blog post comes from Geoff Birchnell a very impressive young man I had the opportunity to meet when I was in Queensland late last year. Geoff has a Bachelor of Commerce, is a chartered accountant and a department manager at Williams Hall Chadwick in Brisbane by day but as you will see the call of the bush and the beef industry flow through his veins and consumes his weekends

This is Geoff’s story……. 

I was born & raised in a Newcastle, an industrial town 150km north of Sydney. We lived in a suburban street, with a typically small backyard, which was home to 1 dog & 2 birds. Some would say this lifestyle is as far from a farm as you can get. For as long as I can remember I have always wanted to be a farmer, after 9 years of convincing my city raised parents I realised my dream.

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Our family sold our house, packed our belongings & moved to Quirindi (40 minutes south of Tamworth). Shortly after arriving in Quirindi we bought a small farm which we then had to stock with cattle.

After researching an extensively as a 9 year could I convinced Dad that we should go to the Dalmar Poll Herefords dispersal on the old historic Warrah Station. At this sale we bought our first cow and from this day on we have been ‘farmers’. I remember this day so vividly, it was a dream come true.

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As I researched more I became aware of cattle shows, one in particular had a special aura and the prestige of winning the title of Grand Champion of Sydney Royal Easter Show. I set my sights on achieving this. We continued to increase our herd but I soon realised a Sydney Champion doesn’t just happen; you have to plan, search for the best stock and even then hope for some luck.

For 18 years many calves were born, the best of these were taken to Sydney Show but none of these won. Then in 2009 a very special calf was born, he was different to the rest, he grew faster and weighed more, his name was Avignon Absolute. In 2011 my dream came true when Absolute was the Sydney Grand Champion bull. Winning Sydney Grand Champion was every bit as good as I had dreamt. In my mind when you win Sydney Royal Champion you have made it, you belong. The history of past champions is full of the bulls that I had looked at over & over again growing up. I knew them all, people spoke about these bulls as ‘Champions’.

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I know all stud cattle breeders aim to win Sydney Royal, many great breeders have not been fortunate enough to achieve this feat. The feeling of achieving this dream is unbelievably good. For this reason I am now trying to win a 2nd Sydney Royal Grand Champion.

In April this year once again I will take cattle to Sydney Show with the hope of exhibiting the Grand Champion of 2014. The list of breeders who have won multiple Grand Champions is fewer, I hope to join this list in April.

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Geoff ( holding trophy) and 2011 Grand Champion Bull SRES Avignon Absolute.

I know that every Easter I will be trying to win the Sydney Grand Champion again. If I can achieve this I am confident the thrill will be every bit as special as it was the first time.

To see the initiatives Geoff is delivering on farm to help achieve a sustainable cattle and sheep farming in Australian by 2020 check out Geoff’s Target 100 profile here

by Action4Agriculture

Pat Morgan has red dust running through his veins

Hi, my name is Patrick Morgan, a 20 year old university student/farmer from Colbinabbin, in Northern Victoria. Our first family farm “Wanella” is 8 kms out of town. It is a mixed farming enterprise of cereal and oilseed cropping for grain and fodder production & merino sheep for wool and prime lambs.

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Harvesting in the late 1990’s

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Harvesting in 2013

At this present day there are 3 generations that are farming in our family, my grandfather, my father with  my 5 brothers and me lending a helping hand .

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Marking lambs with the family in 2005

I am currently studying at Charles Sturt University in Wagga Wagga but at any chance I can grasp, I jump straight in my ute to head home; to sow, spray, cut, bale and harvest our crops or to crutch, shear and sell our home grown wool.

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At times we use light planes to spread nitrogen on our crops

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Good soil and moisture and carefully fertilised crops make great hay 

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Its always good to have plenty of hay on hand when pasture is in short supply

Along with a little help from my right hand man Jed (my kelpie pup) in the shearing shed, I am a professional Woolclasser by trade.

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Classing the wool

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Pressing the wool

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Branding the Wool

When the wool comes of the sheep’s back I test it for various characteristics, press it into a bale of over 100kg and then I place my wool classers stamp on the bale to then be sold at an auction. clip_image014

My grandparents, my twin brothers and me with the Elders representative at the Wool Auctions in Lara. The wool on display beside me contains samples of our wool to be auctioned

Jed is 6 months old now and has become the typical ‘man’s best friend’ of mine. Jed will sit on the back of the motorbike, ride in our speed boat and work a very decent day in the sheep yards without hesitation and always wagging that tail of his.

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My dog Jed

Most of our family’s wool and lamb production comes from my grandparent’s property which is just out of Heathcote, Victoria. We are running approximately 3000 head of Merino Ewes and Weathers and Prime Lambs.

I have had roughly 15 students in my year level throughout my primary and secondary schooling, in Rushworth Victoria. Even though these communities that I have grown up in are so small, I find it quite interesting that we are only 2 hours by car to the heart of Melbourne. I have loved growing up in our rural community and I will be forever grateful for the place I will always call home.

At the moment I am concentrating on my completing my Bachelor of Agricultural Business Management degree.  It is a wonderful opportunity through my degree to have access to diverse array of experts in Agriculture/Agribusiness. To say that I am thoroughly enjoying this course and the University here at Charles Sturt would be an understatement, and I can’t wait to put all of it into practice in the near future, as a professional in the field myself.

Ever since I was a young boy I had become fond of Lee Kernaghan and his music. To this day a particular verse still sticks with me, a perfect metaphor for my thoughts on farming, what I love.

“It’s planting seed and praying for rain, its Red dust running through your veins, where there’s a corrugated iron shed and work boots on the back doorstep, it’s when my wheels hit the gravel road and it feels like home, it’s a way of life, it’s the life I live, and its right where I want to be, it’s the way it is.” – Lee Kernaghan.

It shows me that we as farmers, have a great underlying passion for what we do for a living, and if the rest of the farming community is anything like me, they take a great deal of satisfaction of succeeding in this occupation.

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Can you just imagine what it is like harvesting wheat with a backdrop like this

For me a career in agriculture is the ultimate grow

To plant a seed and watch it grow and be harvested to feed many

To nurture a new born lamb and gather its wool to clothe others  

To have the opportunity to share my story and showcase how good OUR agriculture sector is, I believe a career and a goal second to none.

by Action4Agriculture

There are two types of eaters at the table: The quick, and the hungry!

It gives me great pleasure to introduce you to our guest blogger Andrew Dallimore

In the words of Marian MacDonald ( read Marian’s blog post on Andrew here) who suggested  Andrew to me as a candidate for the Young Farming Champions program

There are plenty of dreamers out there. I can’t tell you how many of our city friends say how lucky we are to be living on the land but never take the plunge. Andrew Dallimore is not one of them.

This young man is a dreamer, thinker and doer rolled into one. In the name of encouraging students to be ambitious, achieve their goals, and overcome challenges, he set up a charity and cycled from Adelaide to Melbourne (see more at http://thegentlewaydotorg.wordpress.com/about-2/). Now, in the name of his future family and community, Andrew’s applying those very same principles to his own life.

After meeting Andrew on his “pilgrimage”, I couldn’t resist recommending him to Lynne for Art4Agriculture’s Young Farming Champions. After all, his journey exemplified everything the YFC program stands for: the living story of how passion can create pathways towards a truly enviable life in agriculture.

This is Andrew’s story (and as you will see he has a great sense of humour) ……

“There are two types of eaters at the table: The quick, and the hungry!” – Anonymous.

My name is Andrew Dallimore, and I had a great childhood growing up on the coast of the Fleurieu Peninsula in SA. It was an area that was rich with farms, almond groves, beaches, and golden bales of hay. I went Myponga Primary School, which was surrounded by low rolling hills and dairy farms.

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Andrew Dallimore hungry for a career in agriculture

It was the kind of school where you had a decent chance of having to chase the cows off the footy oval, or of landing face first in a cowpat (which I did)! I spent a quite a bit of time just watching the cows over the fence, and collecting bugs with friends. Cow poo attracts some awesome bugs…

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Later I was able to take up agriculture studies in high school and rear my own animals after hours. This included a steer by the name of Whiskey. Whiskey was muscular, sturdy, and spectacular. At least he was, right up until the point I led him around the arena at the Royal Adelaide Show, and he mounted the poor kid’s steer in front of me. I was about 400kg too light to hold Whiskey back! With my cheeks glowing from embarrassment, and my mouth streaming apologies, we all had a good laugh about it, along with the crowd.

Despite the Whiskey incident, I have always felt the pull of the land, and more so now that I’m studying the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Melbourne. As a vet student I am able to engage with agricultural communities in a way I never thought was possible.

Through our farm placements, I have met some incredible farming families. There were kids with thousands of dollars saved up from selling cow poo; or from rearing sick animals for busy farmers; or driving at the age of eight to the farm gate.

This summer I’ve been tracking down dairy farmers to discover their pathways to farming (i.e.: what opportunity had they been shown to become a part of the industry?). I feel drawn to dairy, both as a future vet and as a future farmer. This is because of the people (and cows of course).

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Dairy farmers are tough, dedicated, and generous beyond measure. Without knowing me from a bar of soap, these people have welcomed me into their homes and helped me find my own way into the dairy industry by telling me their stories.

Thanks to them, I now have a weekend milking job in Warragul (Cows! Woohoo!) while I study my butt off to learn all I can to be a good vet. Thanks to them, and some wonderful friends and family, I have found what I truly value and want from life.

Recently, a dairy farmer named Marian Macdonald asked me what my dream is.

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Giving my dreams some serious thought

Essentially I hope to own and run my own rural veterinary practice; help run a dairy farm; heavily invest in the community I live with; and most importantly, raise a strong, healthy, intelligent, and generous family on the land.

Hearing and reading about people’s pathways to dairy farming has made me realise something incredible. Dairy farming isn’t just a way of life; it is life itself. It is survival by learning, adapting, producing, recycling, cooperating, and teaching on a day-to-day basis.

It is working with spectacular animals to feed the world sustainably, and support Australia. It is about raising a strong, healthy, intelligent, and generous family with humane ethics and values. There are few causes in our country that are greater than these.

To put it more simply, my dream is agriculture, and I’d like to share the opportunities I am being shown.

The saying at the beginning of my post has been with me since childhood.

As a kid I thought that it meant I had to wield a fork to save my plate of Mum’s roast from Scott my older brother. In my late teens, I thought it meant I should go for opportunities, lest I miss out. Yet, as a man(-child), it took on a whole new meaning.

There are many reasons why people grasp opportunities when they are in reach, but there are far far faaaaaar more reasons why people don’t. One of the biggest and often the easiest to address is when people simply don’t know that an opportunity exists. There may be a table full of delicious food in front of them, but all they can see is their empty plate and they go hungry.

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Australia – a cornucopia full of opportunities

In a country as rich in agriculture as ours, we are failing generations of young Australians by not showing them the opportunities that exist. We are failing to show how wonderful and adventurous a life in ag can be. We are failing to educate, explain, and enthuse kids about this industry (see 2013 YFC Andrew D’Arcy’s blog post about jobs in ag). Yet all they need are some clear pathways, support, and a little inspiration.

This is why I want to be a Young Farming Champion. As I said, there are two types of eaters at the table, but I don’t think that anyone should go hungry. There are banquets of opportunity in agriculture, but kids just don’t know about them or how amazing these are.

In modern Australia there is no excuse for starving people of opportunity, and that includes one of an incredible life in agriculture.

Some reflections from me

I must admit I shed a few tears reading this and isn’t it extra sad the dairy industry’s governing body is yet to join wool, cotton, red meat and grains in supporting the Young Farming Champions program. Surely Dairy Australia young people like Andrew are exactly the talent you should be investing in 

by Action4Agriculture

Meet Rebecca Thistlewaite who says Young people join me we are the exciting future of Agriculture!

Todays guest blog comes from Rebecca Thistlethwaite a girl from The Shire who found here way into agriculture when her parents bought a small farm. Rebecca is now a PhD student and an agronomist with a particular interest in plant breeding and genetics

This is Rebecca’s story ……………………….

My name is Rebecca Thistlethwaite and I grew up in the Sutherland Shire south of Sydney and completed my schooling at Kirrawee High School. Growing up I was a typical ‘Shire’ girl with a love of the surf, sun and sand

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North Cronulla Beach

When I was 13 years old my parents bought a small property in the Southern Highlands of NSW. This was the beginning of a whole new world of exciting experiences for me!

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The family farm then became my second home. I couldn’t wait to spend all of my holidays and weekends in a place that made me feel so free. It became the place I felt most comfortable and as time went on I was able to introduce the land to my friends.

My parents ran a small cattle herd as we weren’t able to live there full time so on weekends there was a lot of work to be done. Working in the cattle yards teaching a group of teenage city girls like me was always very rewarding for mum and dad. They they knew like me that every young person has the potential to make change and are only limited by knowledge that they attain. So we would go about explaining every aspect of what was involved in the running a commercial cattle farm.

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Grazing Angus cattle on family farm

As well as farm work I was lucky enough to get the opportunity to learn how to exhibit cattle with the help of some very generous local Angus breeders.

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Angus Youth Round-Up, Glenn Innes 2010

From here it was clear which direction my career path would take me. I enrolled in a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture at the University of Sydney. Unlike a lot of my school friends my path through uni was slightly different but extremely exciting. The decision to develop a career in the Agricultural Industry was discussed my decision at length with my parents and every conversation would lead back to my future in the agricultural industry. I believe young person should have a career that is rewarding and fun gives back to society in the best way possible.

At university I became an agriculture ambassador travelling around to schools all over Sydney carrying out workshops related to agriculture and that gave me a unique insight into how primary school kids saw where their food and fibre comes from. I was so inspired by the program and how much it did for these kids that I started to go to the schools around my home doing a similar thing.

I wholeheartedly believe that the future of agriculture depends on attracting young talented people and helping them realise what a modern, exciting and challenging career it is and this is what drives me in both my working and home life to do as much as I can to promote positive images of the industry.

I graduated in 2011 with honours and although Uni was hard at times it was well worth it in the end.

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Graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture (Hons) from the University of Sydney, 2011

My first job as a graduate was for a pasture seed company as a Research Agronomist

A research agronomist may work with companies or government agencies on plant hybridization and soil conservation as well as the areas mentioned above. Agronomists who specialize in research might work to figure out which plants can be used as fuel, such as the discovery that corn can be used to fuel vehicles, or which plants might make effective pharmaceuticals For more information click here

My new job meant relocating to Armidale in Northern NSW and I loved it . The people are so friendly and not only this I was able to experience different ways of farming across a broad range of fields.

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Sheep farming

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Alpaca farming

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Tomato farming in glasshouse

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Pasture cropping for silage (winter feed)

My job kept me incredibly busy. I travelled 75,000kms by car in my first year across NSW and QLD, flew interstate countless times and I was lucky enough to travel to 2 different countries as well.

One of the best parts about the Agricultural Industry is that new opportunities arise every day, especially for young people! I have a passion for research in the areas of climate change and heat tolerance in plants.

Did you know that wheat is the staple food of almost half the world’s population and approximately 30,000 farmers grow wheat in Australia? Its no wonder I saw this as a  fast-moving field I wanted to get involved in as soon as I could.

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Wheat production, Narrabri

In 2013, I was lucky enough to receive a Grains Research and Development Postgraduate Scholarship to study plant breeding and genetics at the University of Sydney. I jumped at the opportunity to study something I love and haven’t looked back! I now live in Narrabri in Northern NSW and all my field work is based at the I.A. Watson Grains Research Centre there.

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I.A. Watson Grains Research Centre, Narrabri

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The team at the I. A. Watson Grains Research Centre outside their newly built facility

As a city kid  who now loves the bush I strongly encourage all young people, who haven’t done so already, to go and experience what it is like to spend a day on a farm.

If you have already had the pleasure then you know exactly what I mean when I say that it is one of the most rewarding experiences that you could have.

Now all you have to do is take next step and follow me into an agricultural career and share your story

by Action4Agriculture

Meet Kate Molloy who is part of Next Gen applying science to fuel and feed the globe

Meet today’s guest blogger Kate Molloy the next generation of plant doctors applying science to fuel and feed the globe

One thing that amazes me is the amount of young people who are inspired to take up a career in agriculture after spending time ‘bug checking’.  Just in case you are as fascinated as me as to what this entails I found this on Dr Google

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This is Kate Molloy’s story………………….

Throughout my life I have always been surrounded by agriculture. Sheep, cattle, cropping you name it; I have even experienced a taste of fish farming.

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Me and my dad

From when I could walk, farm animals and plants have always been a part of my daily life and I would never have it any other way. So I guess you could say that it was inevitable that my chosen career path became the red-dirt road to agriculture.clip_image004

My adventure started in the small country town of Goolgowi where we only ran a small hobby farm.

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We dabbled in a bit of everything and my grandfather even had his own small piggery there. Goolgowi was a small, thriving, agricultural community with no end of support from its members. When the drought hit NSW was when I realised how much agriculture supports rural communities such as this. Pretty quickly farming families that had made Goolgowi home for generations had to move on in search of greener pastures and the community diminished significantly. My family and I even had to move but not too far away. We began running a farm called Ballandry Station at Yenda, NSW.

At Ballandry we became sheep and cropping farmers. Times were tough so everyone was expected to pull his or her weight. This meant getting up at four in the morning to beat the heat when the sheep needed moving to a new paddock, or paddocks needed to be worked up. My sisters and I had to learn how to drive from extremely young ages so that we could tow the hay trailer around while dad through hay out to the starving sheep. At the end of every year we had to jump on tractors and the header to help harvest our wheat crops. This was one of the most important events of the year for us and it was a lot of fun as well.

Dad taught my sisters and I to drive from extremely young ages so that he could throw hay out to the starving sheep whilst we drove the ute slowly through the paddock. This wasn’t uncommon though as majority of farmers had to rely on the family pitching in because they couldn’t afford help. Every year my sisters and I help harvest our crops usually driving tractors and headers. It is an extremely fun and action packed time and one of the most important events for us as cropping farmers. clip_image008

Me (on the right) driving the chaser bin whilst my dad harvests the wheat

Living on a farm has many more positives than negatives. We have an abundance of space, which means room for heaps of pets. Horses, dogs, cats and one massive pet steer were just some of the animal friends we accumulated. After school we would ride the horses or the motorbikes, or we would take the dogs to the dam for a swim. There was always something to do

I began to love the cropping side of farming. It amazed me how quickly the seeds we planted grew into golden wheat plants that provided a shed-full of grain after harvest. I enjoyed going out and checking for different weeds and diseases with dad during the winter when the plants were still young.

As I said I have had a taste of many different agricultural industries. I loved our family holidays to the isolated community of Tibooburra where my uncle ran a large cattle station. We helped with cattle work and daily station chores when we were there and attended the odd gymkhana or rodeo. These visits only fuelled my love of agricultural and my desire to build a life around it.

Sadly when I began high school this passion was put aside for a while when I began listening to the people who believed there was no real future in agriculture. Our school had amazing facilities for an agricultural program but never actually got one going so slowly my interest began to dwindle and the career I had envisioned in my head changed to becoming a teacher.

However in Year twelve I went out on a limb and decided to spend a day with our local agronomist. My love and passion for agriculture resurfaced and I was asked to become a bug checker during the summer holidays. This meant checking many different types of crops from rice to sunflowers and wheat to pumpkins for bugs that would cause damage.

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Thankfully my passion for agriculture was reignited before university admissions closed and I have now finished two years of a Bachelor of Agricultural Science at Charles Sturt University, Wagga Wagga. Every summer since I have continued my work with our agronomist and will eventually be a full fledged one myself when I graduate. Slowly I have been handed more and more responsibility in my position and it has definitely expanded my skills in grain production.

Through the university I was able to travel to China in 2013 to experience and learn about agriculture in a different country.

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Me on the Great Wall of China

My eyes were definitely opened and not only did I gain a load of information on agriculture but I also got to experience another culture and learn about the Chinese society. This is one experience I will never forget and in the future I hope to travel to other countries to also learn about different agricultural methods.

This year I was honoured enough to be selected as one of the eight Royal Agricultural Society Rural Achievers for 2014. This is something I am so excited about because it is yet another opportunity to showcase agriculture and expand my rural leadership skills. It is an awesome program that showcases young leaders in the rural community at the Sydney Royal Show.

So for now my path is heading straight for agronomy, or as some like to call them a ‘crop or plant doctor’,  If you eat, wear clothes, live in a house or even drive a car, your life has been influenced by an agronomist. Agronomists play an important role in the agricultural, food and clothing industries. Agronomists are plant scientists. They are experts in agriculture. They work with plants such as cotton, corn, sorghum, wheat, rice, peanuts and more. Many agronomists work in research. Some develop new breeds of cotton, creating plants that are stronger and more resistant. Some agronomists work with wheat, developing hybrids that produce more yields per acre. Often times their work is done right there in the middle of the field. Currently, some agronomists are working with peanuts, trying to create peanuts that people are not allergic to.

I am excited that my passion for agriculture has led me to pursuing a career in advisory services to farmers. I want to be able to help them grow the best grain possible so that our bread, flour and other grain products are the best in Australia and the world. All of these events in my life are leading me to an awesome career in agriculture, which I hope to educate people about and invite them into this industry.

You can follow Kate on twitter here @katemolloy93

by Action4Agriculture

Meet Emma Polson a young dairy farmer with a passion for cows and education

I love educating the youth in the dairy industry and the youth about the dairy industry.

Let me introduce myself, I’m a dairy farmer with a passion for education.

Yes, that’s right, I milk cows on my family farm, 10 minutes from the beach on the mid-north coast of NSW, and I’m about to commence my career as a teacher.

My name is Emma Polson, I’m 24 years-old and I love being a farmer.

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Every day I get to milk beautiful cows, in a beautiful area, spend most of my time outside and work alongside my family. Add to this a rewarding career supplying quality milk and I’ve got plenty to smile about.

Growing up on my family farm has given me the best opportunities anyone could ask for.

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Me and my family

Some of my fondest memories include my brother Mathew and I getting-up to mischief on the farm. We would make our own “play farm”, basically all our farm toys with pasture grown for the cows from grain collected at the dairy.clip_image006

But life as a farm kid had its responsibilities and helping my father and grandfather in the business provided me with vital skills I still use today.

At home, the cows are my passion.

My family has two herds of registered Holsteins, the “small” herd of 180 head and up the road we lease another farm and milk 300 head.

Our family stud is Blue Silo Holsteins, but there are still cows in the herd that can be traced back to my grandfather’s stud Thistleglen.

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My dad John manages both farms and my grandfather has retired.

His idea of retirement is still getting the cows in each day at 2pm, but we love him for that.

My whole family lives on the farm, including my 2.5 year old niece Miley.

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She is the fifth generation to farm at Oxley Island.

I cherish working with my family and my drive comes from wanting to make a difference in the family business.

I’m proud of our farm and I used to love nothing more than showing my city cousins around when they came to stay. We jumped on the silage bales and camped-out under the stars, eating far too many marshmallows.

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After high school, and during my gap year, I completed an agricultural traineeship through Tocal Agricultural College. During this time I was lucky to visit and learn about a variety of commercial farms, including the college property. We studied topics such as calf rearing, cattle health and breeding. Studying at Tocal was one of my best learning experiences. I met many great people I am still friends with today.

Showing cows has always been a passion of mine. I can remember sitting at my Grandma’s house admiring all the trophies my Dad had won showing cattle in his youth. I knew this was what I wanted to do and started working towards that goal straight away.

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I was always tying-up calves to prepare them for shows. As I got older I attended industry youth camps and major shows such as the Sydney Royal Easter Show. It was there, in Sydney, that I had a crash-course in showing. I was helping my friend’s family and can remember thinking ‘I didn’t know anything’ but they didn’t care. They taught me so much about showing and welcomed me into their family. Showing at Sydney was nerve-racking but one of my best experiences of my life.

Today my role in showing is a little different. Showing has been a great vehicle for teaching the next generation. I still show our stud cattle, but my primary focus is on up-skilling the local youth.

I am secretary of the Manning Dairy Youth. It’s an association supported by the Manning Holstein sub-branch and includes members from the age of 2 to 25. Part of my involvement includes organizing youth events within the region, including the annual calf day. The group has also been involved in a photo-shoot at my farm to help with promoting its activities. Taking countless photos was loads of fun.

Here’s a link to the photographs which were later used for a group promotional video.

Supporting the Manning Valley is important to me. I was supported locally and welcomed into the show circuit, so I want to ensure other young people have the same positive experience.

Improving my cattle judging is a personal goal of mine. Last year I was reserve champion in the junior judging competition the Sydney Royal Easter Show, representing the Manning Valley-of course.

I have just finished a primary teaching degree at the University of New England. Throughout my university studies I have embraced the fact that I am a dairy farmer. During my last year of study I helped the Taree Christian Community School with their Cows Create Careers Program. I also produced an educational video about where milk comes from for one of my assignments. It has been an invaluable classroom resource. I love educating the youth in the dairy industry and the youth about the dairy industry.

Recently I spoke as part of a careers day at a school. The most important point I stressed was that anyone can be involved in the dairy industry, you just need to have the passion. I told them to find someone who is prepared to invest their time in them and help develop their dairy farming skills. I grew up on a farm, but I have found you can never stop learning.

If you have any further questions don’t hesitate to contact me epolson@myune.edu.au.

by Action4Agriculture

Meet Anika Molesworth the new Lamb Generation

We need ambitious and innovative people who see past the status quo to embrace sustainable farming now and into the future.

I gives me great pleasure to inform you they are out there. Let me introduce you to our guest blogger Anika Molesworth a young lady with not only a great story to share and the way she tells it you feel like you are walking in her shoes

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Intense heat, flies and hours from the closest beach may not be everyone’s idea of a great holiday; however each school break my parents packed the car along with the three children, two dogs and suitcases for all, and headed to Broken Hill. From Melbourne, the drive takes a good 10 hours, factor in some city traffic and breaks for the kids and dogs to stretch their legs, and you’re looking at closer to 13 hours. Believe it or not it takes roughly the same time to travel to Broken Hill from Sydney

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However, the destination is well worth the drive. Broken Hill is centred in a region rich in Aboriginal, mining and pastoral history. The area is closely linked to past explorers such as Captain Charles Sturt, Burke and Wills and William Giles as well as countless Afghan camel trains who opened up Australia’s interior for the benefit of the coming generations.

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In far western New South Wales, the conditions are harsh. The average annual rainfall is a mere 259mm, and during summer the temperature can stay above 40oC for days on end. However, it is the rich desert colours which have inspired artists from around the globe, the endless horizons that call to be explored, and the welcoming community living within an iconic outback setting which makes visitors feel at home.

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Driving north east from Broken Hill, one will come across Rupee and Clevedale Stations, owned and operated by my family. Incorporating hills of the Barrier Ranges, the properties have a combined size of 10,000 acres.

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The red sand country is vegetated with native grasses, wattles and chenopod scrub, crisscrossed with ephemeral creeks and rocky outcrops. Hand excavated mine shafts tell a story of a bygone era when courageous men went beneath the earth to retrieve silver, lead and zinc.

Grazing our property are our 700 head of Dorper sheep from which we breed our lambs for market.

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They are a hardy and quick growing sheep that originated from South Africa. The breed is well adapted to survive the semi-arid environment of far western NSW. They have high fertility rates and strong maternal instincts. Along with their high growth rates and potential for domestic and international meat markets, it is no wonder this breed is one of the fastest growing sheep breeds in Australia. Dorpers have a reputation of quality carcass conformation, good fat distribution and great meat flavour. We run our property with sustainability in mind, and operate using organic principles which reflect our commitment to animal welfare and good land governance. We handle our stock using low-stress techniques and use conservative stocking rates to lower their impact on the natural environment.

Upon finishing secondary school I set my sights on the big open skies of outback Queensland. I jillarooed on two prominent Queensland beef properties, both close to 3 million acres, and quickly learnt that farming on such a large scale was no walk in the park. Here you had to work as a team, yet be accountable for your individual actions. There were countless physical and mental challenges that had to be overcome, yet I’d feel a great sense of achievement at the end of a long day of hard work.

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Education means a lot to me. I strongly believe that one should never stop learning because life never stops teaching. It was this attitude that propelled me through my Bachelor of Science course, specialising in Agribusiness, which I undertook at Charles Sturt University.

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It also encouraged me to re-open the text books and don my thinking cap once again as I embarked on my Masters of Sustainable Agriculture. This tertiary education has been priceless in helping me to understand agriculture as a living and connected system, one that constantly changes and evolves. My particular area of interest is the role which weather plays in influencing farming operations now and into the future. Farmers have always worked around Australia’s dynamic weather patterns, and have learnt to be both adaptive and resilient. However, as the climate becomes increasingly variable, business as usual may no longer be an option, and the sustainability of farming enterprises requires a better understanding of future weather patterns and embracing adaptation and mitigation strategies. At a specific level, I have focused on sheep grazing practices and natural resource management in a climate-constrained world.

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Working with Suncorp Bank as an agribusiness banker has provided me with an excellent opportunity to learn about a wide range of farming industries. I have greatly benefited from their Agribusiness Graduate program, in which I completed three six-month rotations, which saw me working in Tamworth, Orange and Griffith where I am now based. Suncorp has provided me with a supportive environment that actively encourages young professional women to advance within the agribusiness industry.

As you can tell I have a great passion for and strong personal investment in Australia’s sheep meat industry, and hope to inspire others to embrace the diverse and rewarding opportunities that this industry has to offer. We need ambitious and innovative people who see past the status quo to embrace sustainable farming now and into the future.

Lamb Generation

And in the spirit of Australia Day and sharing knowledge, here’s a great lamb recipe that I can’t live without!

Step 1. Preheat a grill pan or barbecue hotplate to medium–high. Rub lamb-leg steaks with olive oil and caramelized onion and season with cracked black pepper.

Step 2. Grill lamb, turning once, for 3–4 minutes either side (for medium), or until lightly charred. Leave to rest for 5 minutes.

Step 3. Meanwhile prepare your favourite salad; mine would be couscous topped with cherry tomatoes, baby spinach, fetta, a sprinkling of mint and a dollop of Greek yoghurt.

Enjoy the mouth watering goodness of this Aussie farmer’s favourite meat!

Delish!

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by Action4Agriculture

The Golden Grain reaps rewards for team Browning

We continue to be amazed by our Young Farming Champions and their aspirations for excellence in agriculture

A great example is Billy Browning who with his family have been awarded the best wheat crop in NSW for 2013

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I travelled through Narromine in November 2013 as part of the judging for the 2013 Archibull  Prize and it was very dry yet the Browning family managed to pull off an outstanding  wheat crop. The Art4Agriculutre team salute them 

See the feature on Prime here and story in The Land here

by Action4Agriculture

Meet Josh Gilbert who believes the beginning has the seeds of everything else to come

Today’s guest blog post comes from Josh Gilbert who is combining a degree in law with a role on the NSW Young Farmers Council to advocate for young farmers. Josh is a great believer in the ethos of Eric Thomas.

‘You are the executive director and screenwriter of your life…. Never underestimate the importance of the beginning. The beginning has the seeds of everything else to come.”

This is Josh’s story ………

Hi, my name is Josh Gilbert. I’ve just completed a Bachelor of Commerce at the University of Newcastle and now in my final year of my Law degree. I currently have a Finance Cadetship at the ABC, but my dream is to provide high quality legal advice to those living in the country, while building a large scale agricultural corporation.

My blog today shares with you my agricultural journey thus far and gives insights into my hopes for the future.

My love of agriculture started on my Great Grandparent’s farms in the Mid North Coast of NSW. My family have always been farming, with my Dad’s side producing beef cattle and my Mum’s all being dairy farmers.

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Me with my dad on my grandfather’s tractor

I grew up in the wheat and sheep belt of the Northern Canberra Tablelands- in a small town called Boorowa. The town boasts a rich pastoral and Irish heritage, primarily emphasised by the Running of the Sheep every year. It is in this community that I learnt of the importance of local farms and the impact that farming families had on a small community.

My family moved back up to the coast in 2000 and a few years later purchased a part of my Grandfather’s dairy farm and started a Braford cattle stud which we called Riverside Park Brafords.

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My first Brahman cattle purchase

We are now third and fourth generation Braford breeders, originally chosen by my Great Grandfather due to their natural resistance to ticks and their tolerance to droughts.

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One of our newest calves- Riverside Park Marvelous

Whilst I originally chose a career in law since we established our cattle stud and working on the farm, my enthusiasm for the agriculture industry has been re-ignited. This passion has prompted me to join the NSW Farmers- Young Farmers Council and seen me attend the 2013 Woolworths Agriculture Business Scholarship in Sydney.

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Touring the meat aisle at the 2013 Woolworths Agriculture Business Scholarship program

Inspired by cattle pioneers James Tyson and Sir Sidney Kidman and my interest in business and commerce, I have big aspirations to create one of Australia’s largest, privatively owned, mixed enterprise, farming companies. I have since started working towards this dream, attending cattle courses, writing farm profitability formulas and conducting further research into the field.

However, my interest in agriculture stems beyond my personal endeavours- with further concerns around farmer mental health issues, the need for assistance to encourage young farmers and the vital role of education for viable farming futures. I believe Government policy and funding is strongly needed in these areas, with agricultural industry support and guidance to help implement suitable measures.

Australian agriculture, especially the beef industry, is supported by strong historic foundations. I believe the long term viability of beef cattle production now relies on farmers getting a fair return for their efforts, community support, adaptation and adoption of environmentally sound farming methods, while ensuring animal care standards are delivered at the highest level.


“You got an opportunity to make a dream become a reality – and when you do, you just got to take advantage of it.” – Eric Thomas

I believe the future of the agriculture sector rests in our hands and it is up to us to ensure we build capacity to continually improve the productivity, profitability and competitiveness of Australian agriculture.

There are many difficulties facing farmer’s everyday, namely; ageing and fewer farmers, difficulties in the retention of younger generations, mental health issues, problems ensuring profitability, concerns obtaining finance and reduced consumer knowledge of where their food comes from combined with increased consumer expectations about how their food is produced. While there are many challenges facing the agriculture sector at large, I believe there are many opportunities.

To take advantage of these opportunities, it is pivotal that the agriculture sector has a unified voice and a cohesive, united brand that we are all proud of. That farmers share their enthusiasm and passion for what they do and why they do it with not only the rest of Australia, but also the World.  It is equally important that farmers have the opportunity to improve their business skills and have access to mental health services, while also drawing upon the ability to develop quality relationships along the food chain with our urban communities.

Young people have the opportunity to gain a broad education that allows us to work off farm to increase our knowledge of successful business practices and gain an appreciation for urban life. This also provides us with a chance to discover the ways urban and rural can work together to ensure the agriculture sector prospers.

Our government will also have a strong role to play. Together, farmers and government must develop policies that will assist young people to access the capital that’s required to get into farming and provide additional financial education to ensure realistic business accounting. Currently, the costs of farmland and infrastructure are a huge barrier to many younger farmers, with government intervention the most applicable way to help change this situation.

Further policy is also needed to help encourage young people to become involved in agriculture and help the sector realise its potential. Additionally, we also need to continue to develop higher-level skills and training for the sector, while promoting agriculture as a positive, diverse and rewarding career path.

Greater skills and knowledge in areas such as finance, marketing and legal, is the key to helping farmers think actively and ask questions to ensure our personal businesses and the wider industry grows. I believe our entire future livelihoods rest primarily on the engagement, recruitment and retention of these people.

We have a real chance to make these dreams a reality. We have the opportunity to make the agricultural profession as reputable and important to others as it once was. It won’t be easy, but the rewards will be great.

I look forward to taking an active role and working with farmers and our communities to realise this.

Well said Josh and I am sure you will agree with me that Josh is a young man prepared to do the hard yards to achieve his big dreams.

There is nothing wrong with dreaming big dreams, just know that all roads that lead to success have to pass through Hardwork Boulevard at some point. Eric Thomas                                             

You can read Josh’s Target 100 profile here